Real Tex-Mex Chicken Fajitas Recipe

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Tex-Mex Chicken Fajita Recipe Document

Recipe

Tex-Mex Chicken Fajita Master Recipe

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, tenderloin removed and the thick part pounded to ¾ inch to 1 inch in thickness

1 recipe chicken fajita brine, see below

1 recipe pineapple soy marinade, see below

Fajita seasoning spice, see below

1 recipe caramelized fajita onions or buttered fajita onions, see below

1 recipe Mantequilla de Ajo Fajita Sauce (Fajita Garlic Butter)

Neutral oil

Directions:

1. Make chicken fajita brine and cool to room temperature
2. Remove tenderloin from the chicken breast and cut the larger piece crossways just below where the breast starts to get thicker. If the larger part is bigger than 1 inch, either butterfly the breast or pound it to ¾ inch to 1 inch of thickness
3. Place chicken pieces in the brine and refrigerate for 3-4 hours
4. Remove chicken from the brine and wash under cold running water to remove any herbs and spices from the brine
5. Make the pineapple soy marinade, place the chicken pieces in the marinade and refrigerate for 4-8 hours
6. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels
7. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C)
8. Heat some neutral oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot sprinkle the chicken pieces with the fajita seasoning spice
9. Cook the chicken, until well browned on both sides
10. Place chicken in oven and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C)
11. Remove chicken from pan and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing
12. Slice chicken across the grain into roughly ½ inch pieces
13. Serve with onions and fajita garlic butter

Chicken Fajita Brine

Ingredients:

2 liters water (2000 ml)

1/2 cup (67 grams) diamond brand kosher salt*

*For Morton’s Kosher salt use 4 tbsp + 2 tsp (67 grams)

*For Morton’s table salt use 3 tbsp + 2 ¼ tsp (67 grams)

*or weigh 67 grams of any salt

1/4 cup sugar (48 grams)

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (1 gram)

2 bay leaves

10 garlic cloves 

2 teaspoons Mexican oregano (2 grams)

2 teaspoons black peppercorns (8 grams)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil 
2. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved into the water and boil for 1 minute
3. Remove from heat and let brine come to room temperature before using

Pineapple Soy Fajita Marinade

Ingredients:

3 parts pineapple juice

2 parts soy sauce

1 part water

Directions:

Mix all ingredients until well combined

Tex-Mex Caramelized Fajita Onions

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (28 grams) unsalted butter

1 ¼ lbs (567 grams) white or yellow onions, thinly sliced

¼ cup (60 ml) sherry cooking wine

¼ cup (60 ml) Kikkoman soy sauce

½ tsp (1.67 grams) granulated garlic

¼ tsp (0.5 gram) cumin powder

½ tsp (1.4 grams) black pepper

¾ tsp (3.13 grams) white sugar

¼ tsp (1.5 grams) salt

½ tsp (2 grams) Knorr Caldo de Pollo Chicken Bouillon Powder

Directions:
Mix sherry cooking wine, soy sauce, granulated garlic, cumin, black pepper, sugar, salt, and chicken bouillon in a small bowl and set aside

Heat a large pan over medium heat and melt butter

Add onions and sweat for several minutes until they are translucent 

Add sauce mixture and stir into onions

Cook until all the sauce mixture is evaporated and you start to notice some sticking on the bottom of the pan

Remove from heat and use immediately or reserve

Note: the onions can be made several days beforehand. Reheat before using. 

Basic Tex-Mex Buttered Fajita Onions

Ingredients:

4 tbsp (56 grams) unsalted butter

1 ¼ lb (567 grams) white or yellow onions, medium sliced

½ tsp (3 grams) salt

¼ tsp (0.7 gram) pepper

1 tsp (4 grams) Knorr Caldo de Pollo Chicken Bouillon Powder

Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot over medium-medium-high heat

Add onions, salt, pepper, and chicken bouillon

Stir until the butter and spices are evenly coating the onions

Cook for several minutes until you notice the edges of the onions are lightly browned

Remove from heat and use immediately or reserve

Note: the onions can be made several days beforehand. Reheat before using. 

Garlic Butter Fajita Sauce

Ingredients:

Small batch:

2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter

1 ¼ tsp (5 grams) Knorr Caldo de Pollo chicken bouillon or ½ (6 grams) Knorr chicken bouillon cube, crushed)

2 teaspoons (7.3 grams) fresh garlic, grated or ½ tsp (1.67 grams) granulated garlic

¼ cup (60 ml) white wine (preferably Chardonnay) 

Big batch:

4 sticks (16 ounces) unsalted butter

2 ½ tsp Knorr Caldo de Pollo chicken bouillon powder or 1 (12 grams) Knorr chicken bouillon cube, crushed 

1 tbsp (11 grams) fresh garlic, grated or 1 tsp (3.34 grams) granulated garlic

½ cup (120 ml) wine wine (preferably Chardonnay)

Directions:

Place butter in a large bowl and let it come to room temperature

Add chicken bouillon, garlic, and wine to the bowl and beat with a hand mixer or whisk until the spices and wine are totally incorporated into the butter and you see very little liquid

Refrigerate butter in ramekins and heat in 15-30 second increments until butter is melted and lightly foaming

Note: You can make large batches of the butter sauce and freeze them for future use. It should last about 3-6 months in the freezer. 

Fajita Seasoning Spice

Ingredients:

1 tsp (2.8 grams) black pepper 

1 ½ tsp (5 grams) granulated garlic 

½ tsp (2.4 grams) Lawry’s seasoning salt 

Directions:

Mix all spices together and store in a covered container indefinitely. 

Ingredient Affiliate Links:

Ingredients: Knorr Caldo de Pollo Chicken Bouillon: https://geni.us/Vy67b

Lawry’s Seasoning Salt: https://geni.us/cAYZNS

Morton’s Table Salt: https://geni.us/0JaL

White Sugar: https://geni.us/eoYr

Cumin Powder: https://geni.us/YBXp0D

Bay Leaves: https://geni.us/lGJAgEG

Mexican Oregano: https://geni.us/0XosJme

Black Peppercorns: https://geni.us/dKeod

Dole Pineapple Juice: https://geni.us/Tp1K263

Kikkoman Soy Sauce: https://geni.us/ceyH1s

Black Pepper: https://geni.us/1xsnguL

Sherry Cooking Wine: https://geni.us/B0cW9v

Granulated Garlic: https://geni.us/nZ1dbA

Vegetable Oil: https://geni.us/gUOEeub

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Jason Farmer may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from amazon.com