Day 1 - Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Last night I got inspired by the warmth and summer air to make one of my favorite summertime meals, fajitas. So after spending some time on my deck reading, a rare sight that showed just how bored I am, I began chopping, marinating and grilling to cure both my boredom and my hunger for mildly spicy summertime Mexican food.

I drew inspiration from a dish I made in my nutrition class this past year and I chose to marinade boneless, skinless chicken breast in a mixture of adobo sauce, orange juice, orange zest and garlic. It's a simply marinade that I've used on shrimp and chicken, and it lends a perfect balance between spicy and sweet to whatever protein you marinade in it.

Marinade recipe:
(used for 4 chicken breasts)
1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 navel oranges
2 cloves of garlic - roughly chopped

Drain the adobo sauce form the canned peppers into a large plastic Ziploc bag. Add the juice of 2 oranges and the zest of 1 orange along with the 2 cloves of garlic. Add chicken breast and let marinade for about 30 minutes.

After grilling the chicken breast till they reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit I sliced the chicken and filled two flour tortillas with sautéed onions and red bell peppers and the sliced chicken. Then I topped my fajitas with a homemade pico de gallo and fresh guacamole.

Not only was this dish perfect to enjoy outside in the sun but it is also a healthy option as it uses very few fats or oils and depends on the marinade and flavorful vegetables for its main flavor profile. So as day 1 of this cooking project closes I realize that it's going to be a lot more work than I expected, but I guess that's what I get for trying to cure my summertime boredom. So till next time,
Keep Cooking Brooklyn!