Revisiting the classics of my youth - Chicken Fajitas

When I was at uni I ate fajitas a lot.

And when I say “a lot” I really do mean A LOT.

I must admit that I was totally oblivious to them until my first year in Grenoble when my friend Starfish (real nickname, but sadly not called so on birth certificate) invited me over for dinner one night, produced an Old El Paso fajita kit et voila!

Dinner was ready in under 20 minutes and it was farking flavoursome.

It was like all my birthdays and Christmases had come at once: chicken, wrapped in a tortilla and slathered in “secret fajita mix”.

I swear they put crack in that mix which is why it’s secret. Because if they did admit to putting crack in it they’d all go to prison. Because, you know, crack is, like, illegal.

So there we were in Starfish’s tiny French kitchen, drinking cheap wine or cheap beer or both (I can’t remember) and I’m watching her and Booby (also real nickname, but again not a birth certificate kind of thing) and I tell myself I’m going to eat fajitas every day for the rest of my life.

Of course I forgot all about that after bottle of wine #15 of the night and proceeded to relegate fajitas to a “special occasion” status which in my books was at least 3 times a week.

And I will also admit to being a big fan of the kits all the way throughout uni and even a few years after I moved to England.

And then I started the blogging and I was with Blonde Boy and we made an effort to cook and I don’t really remember making fajitas a lot when we were together and then by the time we had broken up I had forgotten all about the dish I once had wanted to eat every day for the rest of my life.

I ignored it in restaurants, because I’m the sort of person who does not like paying premium for something I know I can make home and every time I went to the supermarket I looked at the boxes and told myself I should challenge myself in the kitchen rather than go for what I considered a cop out.

But this afternoon I was pondering what to have for my Friday dinner – The first Friday I get to spend with myself after a while - and all my usuals (pizza, curry, Peking duck, etc) came to mind and failed to create a craving.
And then it came to me; all of a sudden I could taste that smoky flavour in my mouth and feel the softness of a flour tortilla under my teeth. 
Chicken and sour cream juices oozing down my chin.

I decided to make my own and use up some of the things I had home rather than spend what is, quite frankly, a considerable amount of money for the kit; besides, I know painfully well that a lot of the processed sauces and meals I enjoyed so much as a student were a strident disappointment when I tried them 6 years later.

Let me tell you: Blue Dragon satay sauce out of a bag is NOT good.

Chicken Fajitas

Serves 2


2 chicken breasts cut into thin strips
2tsps soy sauce
2 garlic cloves crushed
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp salt
1tsp caster sugar
1stp ground coriander
1tsp dry oregano
1tsp chili powder
1tsp ground pepper
1tsp paprika
1 onion finely sliced
1/2 red pepper finely sliced
1/2 green pepper finely sliced
Juice of 1 lime
2 fresh tomatoes roughly chopped
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
1tsp olive oil
1/2 red chili, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 cup natural yoghurt
1/4 iceberg lettuce thinly sliced
4 tortilla wraps


First of all mix the chicken with the soy sauce and the garlic and let marinade for at least half hour.


In the meanwhile mix salt, pepper, ground coriander, ground cumin, sugar, paprika, chili powder and oregano in a bowl and set aside.


Mix the tomatoes, fresh coriander, 1/2 chili and olive oil in a separate bowl and set aside as well.


Brush a non-stick frying or griddle pan lightly with olive oil and put over a high heat; once it's really hot (3-4 minutes) put in the onion, peppers and chicken and 4 teaspoons of the spice mix (feel free to add more if you like it hot) and cook for about 5 minutes or at least until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Mix the lime juice with the chicken mix, let reduce quickly and take off the heat.


Serve the chicken mix on warm tortillas with yoghurt, tomato salsa and iceberg lettuce.