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Why would you leave the fate of your fajita happiness in the hands of another? The answer is you shouldn't. This is one of the first recipes Beth and I made for guests and it received a much deserved applause. It's. That. Good. Let's get it on.

Better Than Restaurant Grilled Fajitas

Prep time: 20 min | Marinade time: 1hr-overnight | Cook time: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

Marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce (Kroger brand does best)
1/2 cup lime juice (3-ish limes)
1/2 canola oil
1/4 brown sugar, how come you taste so good
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chili powder
5 cloves of garlic, minced

The rest of the ingredients:

Keep in mind you are making fajitas, so the rest of the ingredients are really up to you. We typically do steak, chicken and veggies with the toppings we like; however you can go in any direction you like. The marinade will work with any of your favorites. I'd like to do lobster fajitas, if someone out there does it before me please let me know how it comes out!

1.5 lbs of steak. Flank and skirt steak are typically used but if you have a butcher get some hanger steak. Spotted Trotter in Atlanta has very good hanger steak, it's our go to.
1.5 lbs of chicken breast
1 large yellow onion
2 peppers with the color of your choice, we like the red and yellow combo
Flour tortillas, go La Banderita or go home
Additional fixins are up to you, our grocery list typically has the following: Pico de Gallo, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream. Beth can’t live without chipotle mayonnaise. Get her recipe here.

Equipment

Mason jar with secure lid for shaking marinade
Citrus squeezer
Meat mallet
Large Ziploc bags for marinating
Baggy rack holder for food prep
Saran wrap, thick if you can find it
Wood chopping block
Instant read thermometer

Directions

Make the Marinade

1. Squeeze your limes into the mason jar and then add everything else (the order doesn't matter, just get all your fixins in the jar). Seal the lid tight. Now shake it, sh-shake it, shake it, sh-shake it (uh-oh). You know what to do. Your marinade is complete. Keep in mind that later down the road you'll be adding this to the steak, chicken and veggies in different intervals. You'll want to sh-shake it before each application as the oil will Rise Up.

Marinate the Meat and Vegetables

1. Pull out two equally sized pieces of saran wrap, one to cover your chopping block and one to place over the chicken. Place your chicken breast(s) on the saran wrap covered chopping block and then place your second piece of saran wrap over the chicken. Beat your meat to 0.75 inches in thickness. This step is extremely important so don't be lazy. It tenderizes the chicken and gives each breast a uniform thickness when grilling.

2. Place your beaten chicken breasts in the Ziploc bag (baggy rack holder helps here) and pour 1/3 of the shaken marinade on it. Massage it around and then push as much of the air out while sealing. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, overnight is better.

3. You can go through the same meat beating process with your steak however we don't. I feel that it gives the steak a better chance at losing its juices. Place your steak in a Ziploc bag and pour 1/3 of the marinade on it. Place it in the fridge next to your chicken.

4. The veggies can be cut up right before cooking (no need to marinade too long). We slice our large yellow onion into 0.5" intact onion disks for ease when grilling. We then quarter our peppers and cut out the inside ribs and seeds. The idea is to have flat pieces of pepper(s) to place on the grill. You will chop these into Fajita style veggies after they are grilled.

5. Brush the remaining 1/3 of your marinade on the veggies, letting it absorb the best it can.

Grill Everything

1. Take your steak and chicken out of the fridge for 30 minutes prior to grilling. “The chicken?” you ask. Yes, the chicken, it's surrounded by marinade and in a sealed Ziploc bag. It's not going to spoil with 30 minutes on the counter and will cook more quickly.

2. Get your grill up to 350-400°F and slap on the chicken. Grill each side for 4-5 minutes or until your meat thermometer shows ~160°F. I usually take it off around 155°F and then put it in our oven warming drawer while the rest cooks.

3. Following the chicken, crank your grill up to the highest heat possible (our Weber will register at 550°F) and put on the steak. Depending on thickness it will probably take 3-4 minutes per side. We are aiming for a charred exterior and a medium rare interior. Take it off when your meat thermometer registers 130°F. Let it rest 5-10 minutes in the warming drawer with the chicken, it will continue to cook.

4. For the veggies, you can leave the grill at a pretty high heat but it doesn't have to be raging at 550°F. Place you veggies on the grill and let them cook 4-5 minutes per side or until they start to get a nice char (the char adds a lot of flavor).

Slice it up and Serve

Once the veggies are done it's time for the slicing party. Beth and I typically team up on this as there's a lot to cut. Slice your steak against the grain into 1/2" wide pieces, do the same for your chicken and then slice the veggies into sizes of your choice that accommodate a good fajita.

I recommend wrapping the tortillas in foil and heating them in the warming drawer or oven. It's best to have all of your fixins laid out and ready before the slicing party giving your meat and veggies less time to cool. If you want to put a sizzle into your presentation you can place a cast iron skillet in the oven at 400°F for 20 minutes and then make a bed with your sliced veggies and then top it with the sliced meat. You can also place this back in the oven for a few minutes to reheat the dish if it's cooled during the slicing process. Now enjoy!!!