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Beer-Marinated Chicken Fajitas

posted Monday, Aug 14, 2017  |  02:24PM

Tomorrow is #NationalFajitaDay! Celebrate with beer inspired fajitas!

Beer-Marinated Chicken Fajitas
Recipe by Cavalier Office Assistant Chelle Magin

Ingredients for the Marinade:

½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp ancho chile pepper powder
½ tsp minced garlic
⅓ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup fresh squeezed lime juice (approximately 2-3 limes)
⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup of Fat Head’s Head Hunter (IN-OH) or other citrusy IPA or pale ale
1 TB olive oil
2-3 lbs chicken breast cut into slices

Ingredients for the Veggies:

1 large green bell pepper cut into slices
1 large red bell pepper cut into slices
1 large yellow or orange bell pepper cut into slices
1 large or 2 small sweet onions cut into slices
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp ancho chile pepper powder
½ tsp garlic powder
2 TB soy sauce
3 TB beer
2 TB olive oil

      Directions for the Marinade:

  1. Combine soy sauce, lime juice, Head Hunter/beer, and brown sugar in mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. Combine cumin, sweet paprika, onion powder, and ancho chile powder.
  3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for about a minute. Add the spice mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes. The mixture will begin to bubble slightly. Cook another minute. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan frequently.
  4. Remove from heat and add the soy sauce, lime juice, beer, and brown sugar to the pan, stir, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
  5. Put the chicken into a large plastic ziplock baggie and pour the marinade into the bag. Make sure all the chicken is coated by the marinade, squeeze out all of the air out of the bag before sealing, and put it into the refrigerator for 1-3 hours.

    Cooking directions:
  6. When ready to cook, pour the chicken and marinade into a mixing bowl and set aside.
  7. Add 1TB of oil to a large skillet will high sides and place on medium high heat for a minute.
  8. Add the vegetable mixture and stir until all of the onions and pepper are coated with olive oil. Add more oil if needed. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  9. Add the spice mixture, beer, and soy sauce and stir to coat the onions and peppers.
  10. Cook until peppers are soft, and the onions are caramelized.
  11. Remove from heat and pour the mixture onto a serving dish.
  12. Put the skillet back onto the stovetop and add the chicken to the skillet using tongs.
  13. Pour some of the marinade into the skillet.
  14. Allow chicken to cook for 4 minutes.
  15. Turn the chicken over to cook on the other side and stir occasionally, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan, if needed. The liquid in the marinade will begin to evaporate and the sauce will thicken.
  16. You can either add the onions and peppers back into the skillet and mix with the chicken, or place the chicken into its own serving dish.
  17. Serve on your favorite type of soft tortilla shell. Garnish with guacamole, sour cream, limes, salsa, and/or cheese.

 

Notes:

  • Sauteing the spices in oil prior to adding them to the marinade makes the flavor of the spices bolder and more intense. Try doing this when making other recipes too. It enhances the flavor of a dish tremendously
  • Adding the soy sauce, beer, lime juice, and brown sugar to the hot oil and spice mixture will help cool it down more quickly, but also help melt the brown sugar.
  • I added some of the marinade to the skillet on a whim as I was cooking the chicken. Best move ever. As the liquid started cooking off, the marinade began to thicken into a reduction of sorts. This reduction made a good recipe into a great one. Unfortunately I did not measure how much I put in there, but I’d estimate about ½ cup of the marinade.
  • I use kitchen shears to cut the chicken into strips.