Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas

 Mexican Night is always a win at mi casa. While tacos are our standby, I decided to shake things up recently with Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas.

Gorgeous!

My marinade below makes enough for 2 pounds of protein. I did 1 pound chicken and 1 pound shrimp. The chicken can marinate from 1 to 6 hours, while the shrimp marinates for just 30 minutes. So plan accordingly!

Mexican Night is a great way to get your kids to try new things. Building their own tortilla gives them a sense of control,  and they get to see a table filled with different colors and textures which can really awaken a palate, no matter what age we are. I served beautiful fajitas with Goya yellow rice and my awesome black beans. Click here for the black bean recipe.

And now for the main event. This is so simple to make!

Fajitas

(Makes 8 servings)

1 lb. chicken breast cut into strips

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed

Fajita Marinade (see below)

1-2 red bell peppers, cut into strips

1-2 green bell peppers, cut into strips

1 large onion, cut into strips

1- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil for the veggies, depending on how many you cook

Salt and pepper to taste

To serve: flour tortillas, warmed; salsa fresca, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, chopped jalapenos, chopped scallions, and shredded cheese (not traditional, but I like cheese on mine!). I also have some shredded romaine on the topping list, since I love my leafy greens.

For the veggies:

Spread cut veggies on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

To cook veggies, heat a large grill pan over medium high heat. Grill the veggies until tender, stirring occasionally. Cook in batches if using 2 of each pepper. About 5-8 minutes.

Fajita Marinade (Makes enough for 1 lb. chicken and 1 lb. shrimp)

Juice from 3 limes, about 1/4 cup

2 scallions, chopped into 1-inch long pieces

4 garlic cloves

Handful of fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. cumin

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients into the bowl of a blender. Puree until smooth. Set aside until ready to marinate your protein. Divide into two equal portions: one for the chicken, one for the shrimp.

Pour half of the marinade over chicken. Toss and rub marinade into chicken.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 6 hours until ready to cook.

Pour the remaining half of marinade over shrimp. Toss shrimp to fully coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.

To cook the chicken, preheat the grill pan (I use the same one I use for the veggies) over medium high heat. Cook the chicken about 4-5 minutes per side. Your chicken should have beautiful grill marks. To achieve this, don't overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary.

To cook the shrimp, preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and marinade. Saute until opaque and pink. 

Serve on warmed tortillas with your favorite toppings. Suggestions are listed with the ingredients above.