Grilling Fajitas for Relaxation, and for Dinner – DIY
Juan Alanis
There’s something about grilling over an open flame, en chanclas y chores, that always makes me feel at ease. Relaxed, as if somehow I’ve tricked my mind into believing the weekend has already arrived and that for the moment, my time is completely mine. No one else’s! Pues como, clearly, yesterday was only Monday and I was already feeling completely drained, se me ocurrio that I would run to the grocery store and pick up a couple of pounds of marinated fajita chicken to grill at home.
There was already charcoal at home so all I had to do was clean out the pit and get it ready for a new fire. I like using the ready-burn charcoal because it's so much easier. ¡Ay ta! With a couple of matches and some burning fluid the fire is started. Of course as the fire gains strength it's necessary to blow wind at it to keep it going, and to get it burning sooner. A piece of cardboard will usually do the job. Here Edgar was taking a jab at the job. To clean the actual grill, I like using a whole cebolla (onion). Just cut it in half, attach it to a fork, or a longer utensil if you have one, and then run it up and down the grill.Keep doing this as needed. You'll see all the gunk burn off and the smell of the onion will really make your cook out smell like a Mexican cook out, jajaja! If needed, switch out to the second half of your onion. It really does clean the grill very well. Now it was time to grill the fajitas. Normally we'll make beef and chicken fajitas, as well as sausage links, but since we were only cooking for the three of us, I only picked up chicken fajitas at the store. Anjelica is not a big fan of beef. Now I know we took a picture of the fajitas on the grill, but somehow the picture did not show up on my camera. Anyhow, this is the chicken already grilled and ready to eat. While me and Edgar were outside grilling and playing basketball in between turning our fajitas, Anjelica was inside making some rice and cutting up these ingredients for pico de gallo. We've got jalapeño peppers, avocado, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro (from right to left). Oh yes, in that small glass above, there is lemon juice to pour onto the pico de gallo once it is all mixed together like this. Here is a better picture of the before and after. I have always been a huge fan of pico de gallo too! Finally, here is the finished product. A chicken fajita meal fit for a king, or in our case a family of three. Now, just heat some tortillas, add your condiments of choice (salsa and crema for me), and enjoy! The other great thing about making fajitas on the grill: ready-made lunch for the next day!
