I love Mexican food - and yes, it's all about the cheese, the sour cream, the guacamole, the marga... never mind. It's about the warm and spicy against the cool, fresh flavors. So, ditch that stodgy heaviness and enjoy these CHICKEN FAJITAS.
Chicken Marinade:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon hot chili powder/cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
Zest & juice of 1 lime
5 chicken breasts, diced into chunks
Salsa:
2 medium-large tomatoes, diced
1 red chili, diced finely (and seeded)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 red onion, diced finely
1 avocado, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
handful of coriander/cilantro, chopped
pinch of sea salt/twist of black pepper
To serve:
tortillas
lettuce, cut into strips
low fat natural yogurt
cheddar cheese, grated
Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl big enough to accommodate the chicken. Whisk and add chicken, tossing to coat. Set aside to marinate -in fridge if you have time to leave it sit, if not, don't worry, just set it aside while making the salsa.
For salsa, just put all ingredients in a non-metallic bowl and let sit while cooking chicken, so the flavors can mingle.
Put all of the chicken in a baking dish and put in oven at 200ºC for about 15-20 minutes. (Depends how thick the pieces of chicken are.) Alternatively, heat a large pan or wok and cook on the stove. Or, even better, grill. Ensure chicken is cooked all the way through.
Heat the tortillas on a pan, or in the microwave. Layer up, wrap and stuff! Go easy on the cheese, load up on the salsa. The yogurt is a great replacement for sour cream; it really enhances the fresh flavors.
I've adapted this recipe from Antony Worrall Thompson's Healthy Eating for Diabetics. Diabetic cookbooks are a great resource for good, healthy food. Check some out of the library - another great resource!
If you happen to have some extra time the evening you make these, try making your own tortillas - easy, healthier than store bought or lard, yes lard, versions - and soooo good.
Tortilla Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons baking powder
⅓ cup rapeseed/canola/sunflower oil
1 cup hot water
Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder with a whisk. Add oil and mix with your fingers until it's all incorporated and the mixture looks like crumbs.
Add hot water and mix until a ball is formed.
Cover with cling film and let dough rest for about 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll out into a thin tortilla shape one at a time on a floured surface.
Cook on a hot pan (no need to oil pan). Turn the tortilla when blisters form on the first side.
Serve warm.