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Citrus & Mezcal Chicken Fajitas
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Citrus & Mezcal Chicken Fajitas

Citrus & Mezcal Chicken Fajitas

Regular chicken fajitas feeling a little meh? Worry no more my friends, cuz this version wakes them up with smoky mezcal, charred citrus, and grilled everything. Tequila is made only from blue agave and steamed, while mezcal can use many agave types but is traditionally smoked, giving it a bolder, earthier flavor. And while either will work here, the smokiness of mezcal makes it way more interesting.

Makes 8-10 tacos

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 2 oranges, halved
  • 2 limes, halved
  • 1 grapefruit, halved (or a 3rd  orange if you don’t have - but get one)
  • 1/4 cup mezcal or tequila
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce or fish sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Salt & pepper
  • 1.5 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Veggies:

  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 green or poblano pepper, sliced
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt & coarse ground black pepper

For serving:

  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tablespoons green salsa
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • Warm tortillas
  • Sour cream
  • Lime wedges

Directions

  1. Heat a grill or cast iron pan until really hot. Place the oranges, limes, and grapefruit halves cut side down and cook until beautifully charred and juicy, 3–5 minutes
  2. Let cool a bit, then squeeze the citrus into a bowl (you want about 3/4cup total), then add mezcal, olive oil, soy or fish sauce, garlic, paprika, cumin, honey and  salt and pepper to taste - mix well
  3. Put the chicken in a large zippered bag , and pour about 3/4 of the marinade (reserve the rest) toss to coat and refrigerate for 1–4 hours or up to overnight
  4. Remove chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking - and when ready , heat grill to medium high, and toss the sliced onions and peppers with olive oil, salt, and pepper
  5. Grill the chicken for 5–6 minutes per side until charred and cooked through - let rest a few minutes
  6. At the same time, or while the chicken rests, cook the onions& peppers in a grill pan until softened and a little blistered
  7. Make the guac: scoop out the avo, and mix with the garlic, salsa, cilantro and salt & pepper
  8. Build: slice the chicken into strips, heat a tortilla, then add some sour cream, the chicken and veggies, some guac and finally a squeeze of lime, or...
  9. If you want to go Mexican restaurant: heat a fajita plate, cast iron flat griddle or cast iron pan to screaming hot, then right before serving add a pile of sliced chicken and veggies with a little of the reserved marinade - let it sizzle then build like above

In either casem you might want them with a shot of mezcal. I mean you WILL want them with a shot of Mezcal

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