This week I’m sharing all the recipes I use for quick meals clean out the fridge at the end of the week. Yesterday, I showed you how I make spaghetti sauce with leftover meat and veg. Today we’re making quick fajitas, my favorite leftover chicken recipe. This is a quick dinner you can throw together with leftovers, by grabbing a rotisserie chicken, or using frozen (thawed) cooked meat. Either way, it comes together quickly.
Recipe Notes
- You can serve this dish with any combination of corn or flour tortillas, tomatoes, red cabbage, pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, cilantro, creme fraiche, lettuce, tortilla chips, or anything else you normally eat with tacos or fajitas. Cholula is always on the table at our house.
- You can add any vegetable you like into the mix, just keep the ratio the same.
- This recipe makes a great base for taco salad.
- If you use leftover meat, remember the food safety clock doesn’t reset when you cook it again. Don’t freeze things made with leftovers. The rule in our house – if it’s made with leftovers, we eat it now.
- The cooked meat can be pork, beef, chicken, or even substitutes like mushrooms (portobello work especially well). If you go with mushrooms, process and cook them with the vegetables and just use all the spices and oil before broiling.
- If you made a different style of dish and you want to use leftovers but you’re worried about flavor combinations, it’s rare that the flavor won’t work. I have even used pork tenderloin with soy sauce marinade leftovers, the Southwestern spices will usually overcome. There are a few things I wouldn’t try this with, if the leftovers have strong ginger, that may not work and I wouldn’t use anything with breading. I use grilled or roasted meat only.
- I prefer a high heat oil, I use avocado. Use what works for you, but I wouldn’t go for anything with a strong flavor. Canola, olive oil, and avocado all work great.
- I like the vegetables and meat roughly cut into 1/2 inch wide strips. If you like them thinner or thicker, that’s fine just know you’ll need to adjust the cooking time to accommodate.
- Our Southwestern spice blend is easy – and if you need to substitute or leave anything out, it’s very forgiving.
- If your vegetables are already grilled or roasted, just skip to step 4.
Easy Fajitas
An adaptable fajita recipe that will work with most vegetables and meats.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 cups 1/2 inch sliced vegetables Any combination of bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms
- 1/4 cup avocado oil See notes
- 1 lime
- 3 tbsp F&F Southwestern spice blend www.foodnfabric.com/spice-recipes
- 2 cups 1/2 inch sliced cooked meat Or substitute – see notes
Instructions
- Preheat broiler on high, place vegetables in a sealable bag or bowl with 1/2 the oil, the juice of 1/2 the lime (throw in the lime zest if you really like lime), and 1/2 the spices. Shake until coated.
- Spread vegetable mixture on sheet pan, broil 4 inches from broiler until onions just start to blacken on their edges (see photo). Watch closely, they will go quickly once browning starts. Remove and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add remainder of spices, stir, and immediately add cooked meat and stir to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes until heated through and spices start to mellow. Lower heat to medium.
- Add vegetable mixture to meat, stir to combine, remove from heat. Add juice from the remaining lime half (and more zest if you like), stir to combine. Serve hot with warmed tortillas and garnish (see notes).
I call this recipe series “Cooking From the Pantry” because these recipes have the versatility to often let you use up leftovers or cook with what you have on hand. I’d love to see how yours turns out; tag us in your photos with #foodnfabric and let me know how you liked it. Enjoy!