Top 5 Fajitas Recipes for Your Cooking Style

There is something about the sizzle of a cast iron skillet and strong aroma of fajitas that makes even the most amateur cook feel like a five star chef. Fajitas are something everyone can make. Whether you plan ahead for meals and shop for specific ingredients or pull together ingredients you have on-hand to make dinner; the options are endless. 

Fajita ingredients that are pretty standard amongst recipes: 

*Flour/corn tortillas

*Chicken/shrimp/steak

*Shredded cheese 

*Onions and peppers 

*Limes 

*Sour cream 

*Fajita seasoning/marinade 

However, fajitas are truly customizable and there are a variety of recipe options specific to how you cook or what ingredients you favor. Here are the top five fajita recipes tailored to your cooking style.

For the Adventurous Cook 

Feed a crowd with the rich flavor of marinated and grilled flap steak. 

Ingredients:

2 cups soy sauce

3 cups pineapple juice

2 tbsp cumin

1 ½ tsp chopped garlic

3oz lime juice

Put the flap steak in 2 cups of marinade for 6-7 hours. Grill the marinated flap steak for approx. 4 minutes per side (internal temperature of 145°F). Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes. The coarse grain of the flap steak allows for a rich and juicy inside with a crispy charred outside. Slice into strips and serve with sautéed onions, peppers and all the other fixings.

For the Cook Who is all About the Sauce

Give your steak fajitas a saucy kick with a charred tomato hot sauce.

Ingredients

2 poblano chiles 

2 small onions cut into wedges 

2 dried guajillo (stemmed and chopped) 

1 tomato halved 

2 garlic cloves 

1 small jalapeno 

1 tbsp lime juice

Start with toasting the dried chiles in a cast-iron skillet for a few minutes and add to a blender. In the same skillet, add tomato, garlic, jalapeño, ¼ of the onion wedges and cook for about 10 minutes. Add those vegetables to the blender with the chiles, add the lime juice, puree until smooth, and BAM – a spicy sauce to drizzle over the sizzle. 

For the Vegan Cook 

Use portobello mushrooms in place of meat and top it off with your favorite vegan cheese.

Portobello mushrooms are the perfect texture to take on the fajita seasoning and provide a ton of flavor to your veggie mixture. Simply slice the portobello mushrooms (or buy them sliced) Add a small amount of oil or butter to the hot pan and sauté the mushrooms along with the peppers and onions. Sprinkle fajita seasoning on the veggies and sauté until charred. Serve over a bed of rice with vegan shredded cheese and vegan sour cream.

For the Busy Cook

This sheet pan fajita recipe will put dinner on the table for the whole family in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 tbsp chili powder

Salt & pepper

1 1/2 pounds chicken/steak

1lb. baby bell peppers 

1/2 large yellow onion thinly sliced

2 tbsp EVOO

Juice of 1 lime

Tortillas, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce and lime wedges for serving. 

Prep the seasoning by combining the chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and add peppers, onion, 1 tbsp oil and half the seasoning mixture. Broil until softened (about 10 minutes). Cut the chicken into slices and toss with the remaining mixture and 1 tbsp oil. Add the chicken to the baking sheet and cook until chicken is done.Drizzle with lime juice and serve.

For the Sweet and Savory Cook

These sweet and savory fajitas pair perfectly with a margarita and sunshine and will make you wish you were indulging beachside.  

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds chicken

2 bell peppers sliced

1 sweet onion sliced

1/2 pineapple, peeled and sliced 

1/2 papaya, peeled and sliced 

Queso fresco cheese, fresh cilantro, fresh salsa, sliced avocado and corn tortillas for serving

Marinade

1/3 cup EVOO

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup pineapple juice

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 tsp salt &  pepper

Mix together all the marinade ingredients and marinade the chicken and fruits/veggies separately for about 30 minutes. Over medium high heat cook the peppers and fruit in 2-3 batches until all is softened and charred. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and broil each side for about 7 minutes.

Shred the chicken and serve with the sautéed veggies/fruit and your favorite summer time beverage.

Serving Up the Sizzle 

Regardless of which type of cook you are, the star of the show is the fajita sizzle. For an optimal sizzle that is sure to impress, serve your fajitas on a cast iron skillet or grill pan (both available on Amazon for less than $20 each).