Inside-Out Chicken Fajita Recipe

My wife and kids have celiac.  That means they cannot eat anything with gluten in it: wheat, barley, or rye.  When we found out, it was, needless to say, a food revolution in our house.  Gone were the days of pizza, pasta, and flour tortillas.  We have been a gluten-free house for almost two years now, and suffice it to say, at this point we have found some great substitutes, work-arounds, and gluten-free recipes that everyone enjoys.  Tex-Mex had always been a staple in our meal rotation, which was a godsend.  For the most part, Mexican and South American food is gluten-free.  One exception was frajitas.  Sure there are soft corn tortillas, but they are nowhere near as good as their wheat counterparts.  They break easily, don’t taste super great, and are generally a pain to cook just right.  For a while we stuck to hard corn tacos or Tex-Mex salads.  That is all well and good, but sometimes you want the meat to be the center piece.  You don’t want the mess of tacos that will break, or having to tell your kids it’s another kind of salad for dinner again.  This inside-out chicken fajita recipe is a great meal whether you can eat gluten or not.  It reverses the way we think about fajitas, using the chicken as the wrap.  It is beautiful, tasty, and sure to please.  I like to serve this with grilled asparagus, pico de gallo, and spanish rice.  Enjoy!

“You don’t want the mess of tacos that will break, or having to tell your kids it’s another kind of salad for dinner again.  This inside-out chicken fajita recipe is a great meal wether you can eat gluten or not.”

Inside-Out Chicken Fajita Recipe

serves 6

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chick breasts

6 ounces of mozzarella cheese

1 red bell pepper

1 red onion

2 jalapeños

Fajita seasoning (see below)

4 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

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Fajita Seasoning Ingredients

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Directions

When working with raw chicken I like to take a few precautions.  First, I will make sure all my other ingredients are cut, chopped, or mixed before working with the chicken.  This ensures there will not be cross contamination.  Second, when, like with this recipe, some ingredients will be added to the chicken before it is cooked, I make sure to place them in their own bowls and discard anything that is left over.  If my hands touch an ingredient and raw chicken in the same step, either all that ingredient is used, or the excess is thrown away.  Third, I make sure to have a clear and clean sink to place the chicken contaminated vessels, limiting my other kitchen utensil exposure to salmonella.

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Cut the red pepper, jalapeños, and onions into fine slices.  Make sure they are as straight as possible.  For the red pepper, cut off both ends and save for later or discard.  For the jalapeño, if you are not into spice, make sure to remove the seeds.  Place these on a plate for later use.

Mix all the fajita seasoning ingredients together in a bowl.

Shred your mozzarella or cut into strips.  Place on a plate and set aside.

Butterfly all six chick breasts.  Once they are butterflied, rub the inside of each with the fajita seasoning mix.  Place 2-4 jalapeño slices, 2 red pepper slices, 2 onion slices, and a hand full (about one ounce) of mozzarella cheese onto one side of the butterflied chicken.  Fold the other side over the stuffing.  Either tie closed with butchers string or pin closed with tooth picks.  Repeat for all six pieces of chicken.  Discard all unused pepper, onion and cheese.

Coat the outside of the chicken in the olive oil, salt and pepper.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil when hot.  When the oil begins to smoke, add all six chicken wraps.  Brown for 2-3 minutes and flip.  Place the pan into a preheated 350º oven.  Cook for 35 minutes or until the juices run clean and the internal temperature of the thickest piece of chicken reads 165º.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley and pico de gallo.