20 Minute Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook fajita meat so it's not tough? ›

Fajitas start with the meat: You'll need 1/4 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, chicken cutlets or skirt steak for each person. If you're using chicken breasts, pound them until they're about 1/2 inch thick; if you're using skirt steak, cut each steak in half so that it fits easily in your skillet.

Slicing will save you cook time.

When it comes to skillet fajitas, you want to cook everything hot and fast. You can avoid overcooking and drying out the chicken by slicing the peppers, onions, and chicken into 1/4-inch strips.

The BEST chicken fajitas are so quick to throw together. Chicken gets marinated in the best juicy lime marinade, then seared for that unmistakeable crisp-charred outer edge! Serve with onions and colourful bell pepper strips and the traditional corn tortillas (or flour tortillas) for the best dinner in minutes.

Buy a tenderizing hammer and beat up that meat. Salt heavily and marinate it in some citric acid. This will break down the tendons in the meat. I've been cooking fajita on the grill and stove and can never get it to be as tender and soft as the fajita meat you get at the Mexican restaurants, but it never works out.

Pound the steak to an even, thin thickness.

Even if your steak looks even already, you'll still want to give it a good pounding to tenderize it (works wonders!). Place steak in between two pieces of plastic wrap or I just place it in a freezer size plastic bag. Pound it evenly with a meat mallet or side of a can.

I like to always say it's about one pound per three people...but let's be honest, I can almost eat a whole pound by myself lol. I would say you could be safe with three pounds.

About this Steak Fajitas Recipe:

Tender steak, sautéed veggies and soft flour tortillas. Method: To get the best flavor, you'll grill the steak, then sauté the veggies on the stovetop, but then you'll also use the oven to heat the cast iron skillets for the sizzle. It's a few steps, but so worth it.

"We use inside skirt steak," he said. "It's already marinated when we buy it. Then we add our own seasonings."

If you want to test for doneness, cut into one piece with the tip of a sharp knife. It should be just done, if not, you can put it back in the hot pan for a minute or two. Here's a tip: Stack the seared chicken breasts and then cover them in foil.

What onions for fajitas? ›

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to choosing the right onion for your fajitas. You can go for the traditional white or yellow onions, offering a more savory option, or experiment with sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla to add a subtle sweetness to your dish.

Fajita seasoning and taco seasoning are very similar, but they are not the same. Taco seasoning typically has more oregano and chili powder than fajita seasoning. With that being said, however, you can use fajita seasoning and taco seasoning interchangeably in recipes, it may just warrant a slightly different flavor.

Skirt steak is thin and lean, so going past medium-rare or medium doneness will yield an extremely dry and chewy steak. Cook it hot! Cook it fast with high heat, instead of low heat for slow cooking. There is not much connective tissue in skirt steak.

The first is to submerge meat in cooking oil (sunflower or olive oil) before you start cooking. The oil is absorbed and softens the meat. The second method is to add some vinegar while you're cooking and the vinegar will begin to tenderise the meat.