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Sheeta Fajitas just in time for Cinco de Mayo. We love our sheet-pan meals at crunchtime, but seasoning and (crunch)timing is everything. Check out the steps to our chicken fajitas that are so simple and ingredients so few that you’ll have enough time on your hands to make homemade tortillas. Stay with me!

griddling corn tortillas

Have you ever made tortillas? Like piecrust, they’re tricky, until they’re not. Only three ingredients – masa harina, water and salt – put together with some Play-doh making skills and you’ll have the tastiest, freshest, perfectly charred corn tortillas (gluten-free if produced in a GF factory). I messed with homemade tortillas several times, gumming up a cheap press with craggy dough that busted apart every time. Not until I participated in this offbeat museum tour + cooking class, did I understand the technique. You don’t even need a press; a clear pie plate will achieve the same results, check out this demonstration. The key is enough moisture that it feels like moist, but not too sticky or too sandy, dough. Also, using the right plastic sheeting will make the difference between success and total abandonment.

one sheet, one platter

Cheers to Cinco de Mayo!

sheet-pan chicken fajitas

Balance ingredients according to your preferences. The recipe reflects a heavier vegetable to protein mix. Feel free to add in other vegetables you have on hand. Because the chicken will take slightly longer to bake than the vegetables, I use two sheet pans, but this spectacular creation can happen on the same stage by adding the vegetables to the baking pan a few minutes later.

  • 2 lbs chicken bread strips
  • 4 sweet bell peppers, cored and sliced 1/2″ thick
  • 1 1/2-2 large onions, sliced end to end, 1/2″ thick
  • fajita seasoning (make your own here)
  • oil for the pan
  • tortillas
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 ears of corn, corn sliced off (optional)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and thinly sliced (optional)
  • optional condiments: lime, wedges, cilantro, sour cream, sliced avocado, salsa
  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Lightly grease a large sheet pan.
  3. On the pan, place the chicken strips in the center and coat with about 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp fajita seasoning, 3/4 tsp salt & a pinch of black pepper. Mix with your hands to ensure each strip is coated.
  4. In a bowl, place the vegetables with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp fajita seasoning, 3/4 tsp salt & a pinch of pepper. Mix.
  5. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, then turn over each strip, add the vegetables to the pan and even out.
  6. Bake another 10-15 minutes and then finish with a 2-3 minute broil to get some charring.
  7. Serve with warmed tortillas and toppings of your choice.

crunchtimewarp:

  • Use pre-cut chicken strips
  • Marinate ahead and bake at mealtime.

homemade corn tortillas

preptime: 15 minutes makes 10 6″ tortillas

cooktime: 15 minutes

  • 1 1/2 cups masa harina
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup hot water
  1. Mix the masa marina with the salt, then add the water.
  2. Stir until it begins forming a moist dough.
  3. You will need to keep the dough covered at all times (after forming balls, and after pressing into tortillas) with damp thin hand towels. I line a sheet pan with the damp towel and put one on top.
  4. Spoon out a sizable portion of dough and form into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Roll it between your palms to create a nice equal shape. Place each ball under damp towel.
  5. Whether you use a tortilla press or a clear pie plate, use need to put the ball of dough between plastic wrap. I’ve tried many types and a produce bag (from grocery store) works best. Cut along the sides with bottom still connected. Note: wax paper also recommended by some.
  6. Place a ball of dough between the plastic wrap sheets and press and place tortilla under the damp towel until ready to cook.
  7. Heat a griddle over medium heat. Spray with oil. Cook each side about 2 minutes and flip over. You want your pan hot enough to create some char marks, but watch closely to get familiar with the cooking time your set up requires.
  8. Keep cooked tortillas warm in a towel until ready to serve.

Note: I put the tortillas directly on the griddle from the press. The orchestration can save some time.

recipes provided by your friends at crunchtimefood.com

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