Chipotle chicken fajitas

It's that time again: a day off from work so a night of cooking. The past couple of times we have gone to our favorite restaurant in town Mom has gotten fajitas. I've had a couple bites of her meal before and they are fabulous. Since then I've been wanting fajitas so I decided I would just make them myself on my next day off so tonight was the night. I got the recipe from Aida Mollenkamp on the Food Network website here.

Review: Tonight's meal was one of those where the prep took longer than cooking the meal itself. I didn't really change anything about the recipe except I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the thighs it called for and some of the measurements I just did on my own. I also added some cilantro and 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch to help thicken the sauce a bit and I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Other than those few minor things I followed the recipe as written. First I want to say that the chipotle en adobo can be found in the Hispanic food or international aisle depending on how your grocery store is set up. If you can't find it I'm sure someone could help you but check wherever Mexican ingredients are. If you are wondering what it is, it's a type of pepper that sits in a red sauce. It also says to mince the chipotle but I just kept them whole and then threw away some of the big pieces. The recipe also does not clarify what color bell pepper you should get but I got 1 green and 1 red to add some color. Finally, it said to use 1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth or water but I knew that would mean I'd just throw away the rest of the broth so I just poured the whole can into the pan. That might have kept it from reducing as much as it should have but oh well. The sauce will be runny and that's why I added the cornstarch but if you use a slotted spoon or spatula that will help drain some of the liquid before you put it on your plate. If you serve it over rice or potatoes the sauce won't matter as much but if you use a tortilla like I did then you won't want as much juice. Oh, and I also covered the skillet once I put in the bell peppers in and then again when I put in the chicken that way it would help keep the heat in and cook them faster.

Now, on to the flavor. After reading some reviews I was expecting it to be quite spicy because of the chipotle but honestly it wasn't that bad. Maybe it was because I didn't mince the pepper so it wasn't as prevalent in the meal. Regardless there was a little kick to it and I could still feel a little warmth in my throat when I was finished but if you like really spicy foods you could either add more than 1 tablespoon of chipotle in adobo or you could add some crushed red pepper flakes. I would suggest though trying it as written or tasting it before you serve to see if you need to adjust the spice level. Remember though, if you have enough to serve as a leftover it will be a touch hotter the next day just because the flavors have had more time to settle and mix together.

Recipe:

• 1 pound (about 6) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut lengthwise into strips about 1-inch wide
• 1 chipotle en adobo, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
• 1 medium red onion, quartered and sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 3 medium clove garlic, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 medium bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
• 2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh oregano
• 6 to 8 flour tortillas, warmed, optional for serving
• Pico de Gallo sauce, optional for serving
• Guacamole, optional for serving
• Sour cream, optional for serving

Place chicken in a bowl, add the chipotle, salt and toss until the meat is well coated then set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When it smokes add half of the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and return pan to the stove and add 1 more teaspoon of the oil. Repeat with the second batch. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of the oil, add the onion and garlic and cook until golden and soft, about 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook until softened and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, add the broth and cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, the chicken is cooked through and the peppers are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the oregano and taste to see if the seasoning needs adjusting. Serve immediately over steamed rice or potatoes. You also can serve it on tortillas or on its own in a bowl or on a plate.