Pineapple Chicken Fajitas
BellaFina™ peppers may be used to create a wide variety of recipes, from appetizers to main dishes. BellaFina peppers are often used in salads, vegetables trays with or without dip, cooked in stews and sauces and stuffed with meat, cheese and grains.
Grown on the vine in the field, BellaFina peppers are a great source of vitamins and nutrients. They are low calorie, fat free, sodium free and high in Vitamin C.
Yield: serves 4 with leftovers
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
3 red Bellafina peppers, sliced
3 orange Bellafina peppers, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
1/2 pineapple, peeled and sliced into spears (roughly the size of the peppers)
1/2 papaya, peeled and sliced into speads (^same)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
For serving:
queso fresco cheese
fresh cilantro
fresh salsa
sliced avocado
corn tortillas
Directions:
Place the chicken in a baking dish or resealable bag. Place the peppers, onions, pineapple and papaya in another dish or bag.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, oil, lime juice, sugar, worcestershire sauce, lime juice, cumin, both chili powders, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and garlic cloves. Pour half of the mixture over the chicken and the other half over the peppers/onions, tossing well to coat. Cover both dishes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes – or even few hours or overnight. Toss the chicken and peppers every so often to coat in the marinade if you can. If not, no biggie!
When it comes time to cook, you can grill them using this method. Or, to cook indoors, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1/2 or 1/3 of the batch of peppers and fruit to the skillet (I do it in 2-3 batches) and cook until softened and ever charred and caramely. Remove and place them on a place (I cover with foil to keep it warm as I go!) and repeat.
While the veg/fruit is cooking, heat the broiler in your oven to high. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and stick it directly under the broiler. Broil for 7 to 8 minutes, then flip and broil for 7 to 8 minutes more. Remove the chicken and shred it – I do this easily by using my stand mixer! You can also slice it or shred it with forks, but using the mixer keeps it hot and makes shredding easy, even if it’s one more bowl to wash.
Serve on charred tortillas with queso fresco cheese (it’s key!) and lots of cilantro. I don’t need a salsa with this, but if you do, go for it! I also love adding avocado on top.
Slightly adapted from a recipe from howsweeteats.com