The Fajita Prelude.
On a spontaneous whim, we decided to escape to a secluded log cabin on Pinos Mountain, two hours north of Los Angeles, to enjoy a weekend of food, wine and nature (Caitlen interjects with “just food and wine for me”). Shortly after submitting our payment to VRBO, we realized our lovely lodge was in fact 15 miles to the closest resemblance of a restaurant (we use the word restaurant generously since our dear friend Yelp deterred us from wandering there).
With little time to prepare, we made a run to Bristol Farms (the Bulgari of grocery stores) to shop for weekend groceries. Opted for chicken breast, filet mignon, wine and cheese. Since we don’t usually love chicken, we knew we had to invent a tasty marinade to keep it moist while grilling (“eww I hate the word moist…use juicy” – Caitlen). And so, our moist juicy grilled chicken recipe came to fruition (clearly wine is on the mind).
Ingredients for the Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes
- 1 lime juice, squeezed
- 2 tablespoons Colavita balsamic vinegar (preferably aged)
Mix ingredients in a bowl. You’ll notice that it’s a thicker, almost pasty consistency. Add 2 organic, antibiotic and cage-free chicken breasts (mmm, breasts…) to the marinade and coat the chicken with it. Place chicken and marinade in an airtight container and let marinade for 24 hours, up to 48 hours, if time permits. After the 24 hour waiting game, take the chicken out of the refrigerator one hour prior to cooking. This lets the chicken get to room temperature before cooking which prevents the chicken from drying out. It should look something like this:
Marinaded chicken breasts
Fajita Ingredients:
- 2 Flour tortillas
- 2 pre-marinaded chicken breasts
- 1 block of 10-year aged white cheddar cheese, preferably from Wisconsin 😉
- 1 wedge of BelGioioso Peperoncino cheese
- A handful of cherry tomatoes
- Arugula
- Cholula’s hot sauce or Frank’s Buffalo Wings Sauce
While your bitch girlfriend is in the kitchen cutting tomatoes into quarters and slicing your desired amount of cheese, step outside to fire up the grill (if you’re sans grill, saute the chicken in a skillet on the stove top). When the grill heats up to 400 degrees, throw the chicken on and close the grill cover. Wait about 10 min and flip the chicken. Cook until the inside of the breast is thoroughly white and the outside is nicely charred (about 5 more minutes).
Slicing the chicken fresh off the grill
The Assembly Line:
Slice up the chicken and warm up your flour tortilla (about 15 seconds in the microwave – the microwave keeps it moist and soft, whereas an oven or stove dries it out). Fill your tortilla with sliced chicken, quartered cherry tomatoes, arugula, peperoncino and cheddar cheese. Drizzle a little hot sauce over the ingredients. Roll it up and take a hit eat!
Since everything tastes better with vino, we decided to pair this with a wallet-friendly Tempranillo from Spain. It’s $8, medium-bodied, with flavors of black cherry and undertones of vanilla and oak (no, we are not sommeliers, but we do know how to Google). Chosen due to economies of scale.
Cooking with Giulia and Child 
