One Pot Chicken Fajitas with Chimichurri Crema
These one pot chicken fajitas are an incredibly simple one pan meal perfect for those nights when a delicious dinner has to come together quickly and effortlessly. Ā A simple spice mix and a light yet creamy sauce turnĀ these fajitas from ordinary to extraordinary!
Fall is starting to creep up on me very quickly. Ā And to me that means the need for loads of quick, easy and wholesome recipes for the fam. Ā Back-to- school season is one of the busiest times of the year, and our family just like all other families are on the lookout for easy meals that deliver big on flavor.
Mexican food has always been an easy go to in our house when I need to whip up a last minute dinner for the three of us or for guests. Ā Hubs and munchkin love tacos and taco Tuesdays are a frequent occurrence on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Ā We do not discriminate. Ā Any night is a good night for tacos.
And while they love tacos I have found fajitas to be my favorite go to. Ā I always fill up on all the veggies and loads of pico de gallo and guacamole. Ā The entire process of making the fajitas one by one is both supremely fulfilling and quite fun. Ā However, my only issue is they have always proved to be more exciting at restaurants rather than at home. Ā I could never quite get those deliciously charred veggies just right…Until now.
The trick to getting perfectly charred and delicious veggies is the cast iron skillet. Ā Cast iron pans have the ability to get smoking and screaming hot. Ā Once this happens, a perfect char is practically ensured. But of courseĀ the best part of these particular one pot chicken fajitas is that…well you guessed it…it takes one whole pan to get them perfect.
For years, I have been making fajitas in my trustworthy skillet. Ā And while the skillet is a crucial part of the equation, one of the reasons this particular one pot chicken fajita recipe is a knock out is due to the spice paste I use on the chicken. Ā Though this may sound complicated…it actually is not. Ā In fact, my spice paste consists of two things: olive oil and my McCormick Organics Fajita Mix. Ā Those two ingredients are mixed together and then simply smeared onto the chicken thighs. Ā And let the searing begin!
What you end up with is gorgeously seasoned and beautifully golden chicken thighs just waiting to be adorned with guacamole, pico de gallo and my chimichurri crema.
For years I have been making these fajitas. Ā And this past week I created this chimichurri crema out of pure laziness. Ā I was rushing to make dinner and I started scooping out the sour cream with the same spoon that I had used to mix up my chimichurri that I had for another recipe. Ā A plethora of curse words popped out of my mouth as I stared at the now light green crema. Ā Until, I tasted it…holy $&#^ this was incredible!!! The chimichurri had awakened the crema bringing a new life to it that before did not exist. Ā A wonderful mistake had turned into a beautiful new side dish that had unlimited possibilities.
I placed this glorious skillet on the table and after a crazy day of daycare car pools, client meetings and traffic jams…the 3 of us, munchkin, the hubs and I all sat down at one table at the end of this hectic day and shared laughter and fajitas.
Here are just a few chef tips to really perfect your fajita game:
- By all means necessary please use a cast iron skillet for this dish. Ā If you do not have one, I highly recommend purchasing one as it will be the most utilized piece of cookware in your kitchen.
- Cast iron smokes…A LOT. Ā When using a cast iron skillet I recommend either open up all the windows in the area and using good exhaust. Ā Or cooking outside. Ā The last time I made this recipe, I did all the cutting and searing outside on the grill side burner. Ā It’s perfect for those warm days when you do not feel like having your whole house smoke up.
- All fajitas have a little bit of an acidity to it. Ā I found the best way to achieve this was with the combination of limes and oranges. Ā It gives that subtle sweetness and tartness.
- Over the years I have always used spice mixes for my fajitas and tacos. Honestly, they add loads of flavor and best of all I get to use just one packet instead of measuring out loads of different spice mixes. Ā They are perfectly calibrated on flavor every.single.time. Ā Plus the new McCormick Organics Recipe Mixes are conveniently packaged, certified organic and non-GMO seasoning mixes. Paired with other wholesome ingredients like quinoa, lean meats, and seasonal veggies, these seasoning mixes can help you make flavorful dinners you will feel good about. Ā Sometimes, I take all the help I can get.
- Do NOT cut up your chicken first into slices. Ā You will not save that much on time but you will run a risk of having it dry out. Ā Sear. Rest. Slice. Serve. Ā This little process will guarantee the most tender chicken.
- You can use chicken thighs or chicken breast. Ā I prefer the thighs because I find you get a ton more flavor.
- For the chimichurri crema, I actually have made this with both non-fat Greek Yogurt and sour cream. Ā The flavor was practically indistinguishable when combined with the chimichurri.
One Pot Chicken Fajitas with Chimichurri Crema
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These one pot chicken fajitas are an incredibly simple one pan meal perfect for those nights when a delicious dinner has to come together quickly and effortlessly. A simple spice mix and a light yet creamy sauce turn these fajitas from ordinary to extraordinary!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tbsp for cooking
- 1 packet McCormick Organic Fajita Spice Mix
- 2 pounds of boneless (skinless chicken thighs)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced into thin strips)
- 1 green bell pepper (sliced into thin strips)
- 1 red onion (sliced into thin strips)
- juice of one lime
- juice of one orange
- cilantro to garnish
- lime wedges to garnish
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- guacamole for garnish
- pico de gallo for garnish
Chimichurri Crema!
- 3 tbsp of chimichurri sauce
- 1/2 a cup of sour cream or Greek Yogurt
Instructions
- Into a bowl, combine 2 tbsp olive oil and half of the seasoning packet. This will create your seasoning paste.
- Trim the chicken of any excess fat.
- Smear the seasoning paste onto the chicken, making sure to cover it well on all sides.
- Preheat a cast iron pan to high.
- Place chicken into the pan and cook on one side for 5 minutes then flip over and cook on the other side for 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat, place onto a plate to rest and cover with foil loosely.
- Turn the heart to medium on the cast iron pan.
- Add the onions, peppers, remaining seasoning mix. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the lime and orange juice to the pan and scrape the bottom to pick up the delicious bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat.
- Slice chicken and place on top of the pepper and onion mix.
- Serve immediately accompanied with limes, cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo and chimichurri crema.
Chimichurri crema!
- Combine chimichurri and sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Stir to combine.
Notes
- Nutritional information includes 2 fajitas per person without sauce.
- The nutritional information is to be used for information purposes only.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: One Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
This recipe sounds great. would love to try it. Two questions:
1. Could you adjust this recipe for beef instead of chicken?
2. Where to get chimichuri sauce and what brand would you recommend?
You absolutely can! And the chimichurri recipe is on my site