Mexican For Friday Cards - Salsa and Fajita Skillet

I had been wanting to make a Mexican dish and a one pan dish with some make ahead potential seemed perfect.  But before the Mexican meal, we had the required chips and salsa as a pre card game appetizer.

Homemade Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa

We had tomatoes that needed to be used and Lea Ann posted the recipe for Homemade Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa on her “Cooking On The Ranch” blog so I opted to use it.  I made a couple of changes by using our fresh tomatoes vs. the called for canned ones and I omitted the heat for my girls then Bev whipped it up.  You can click on the above link for Chef Lea Ann’s original recipe.

Fresh Mexican Salsa – adapted from Cooking On The Ranch

Ingredients:

2¼ lbs. plumb tomatoes, cored

¼ cup Tomato Juice, if needed (not needed)

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves or more to taste

1 medium onion, rough chopped

2 clove garlic, rough chopped, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 whole jalapeno Top cut off and rough sliced. Make this with 2 jalepeno peppers, depending on heat tolerance.

¼ green bell pepper, rough chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon New Mexico Red Chile Powder or Ancho will work well

¼ teaspoon Mexican oregano

½ to 1 Tablespoon sugar (I don’t add sugar to any tomatoes)

1 lime juiced

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a 14-cup food processor. If you have a smaller food processor, you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like. I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before serving.

Cilantro: Always use cilantro. It’s part of the restaurant salsa experience.

Texture Is Everything: Restaurant salsa is much thinner than pico de gallo. It should almost pour without being watery. And just loose enough that a chip easily dips. The blender or food processor does most of the work here.

Seasoning Balance: Don’t be afraid of salt here. Restaurants aren’t. Restaurant salsa usually has more salt than home cooks expect. Without it, once you dip a chip, it will taste flat. I always add a pinch of sugar, not enough to make it sweet, but to balance the acidity in the tomatoes, lime and vinegar.

Let It Rest: You can serve this salsa immediately, but if you give it 30 minutes in the refrigerator the ingredient flavors will marry. 

Chicken Fajita Skillet

For the main dish, I made the Chicken Fajita Skillet using a recipe from the “Two Peas And Their Pod” blog about which Maria said “This easy Chicken Fajita Skillet is a one-pan dinner made with tender chicken, colorful peppers, Mexican-seasoned rice, tomatoes with green chiles, and melted cheese. Finish it with fresh lime, cilantro, and your favorite fajita toppings for a flavorful family-friendly meal.”  I followed the recipe except I substituted for all of the spicy items to get the recipe below.  You can click on the above ling for the original recipe and lots of how to pics.

Chicken Fajita Skillet – Adapted from Two Peas And Their Pod

Ingredients:

For the skillet:

1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil

1½ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 yellow onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeds removed, and chopped

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeds removed, and chopped

15 oz can diced tomatoes

1½ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

½ tsp garlic powder 

2 teaspoons chili powder

1½ teaspoon ground cumin

1½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or Mexican blend or cheddar cheese

Juice of 1½ lime

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion and bell peppers to the skillet. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften.

Stir in the garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring to coat the vegetables in the spices.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, including the juices, and chicken broth. Stir well to combine.

I made it to this point earlier in the day and finished when it was time to eat.

Bring the mixture to a simmer, stir in the rice, then reduce the heat to low, maintaining a steady simmer. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. If the rice isn't quite tender and the skillet looks dry, add a few tablespoons of additional chicken broth as needed ( Larry added at least 1/4 cup of water)

Stir the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Add the lime juice and chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of the skillet. Cover and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. (Can't believe I forgot the cheese)

Garnish with additional cilantro and serve warm with lime wedges, avocado, sour cream, or your favorite fajita toppings, if desired.

And for dessert, Kathy (the sweets queen) brought delicious cupcakes from the local bakery in Vonore.

The Verdict:

By cooking and playing cards at the same time, I forgot to get a pic of the finished dish in the pan which is good since I had also forgotten to add the cheese to the top and let it melt – I remembered after we had finished eating.  I can't multi-task anymore, however, all but one of us (too much heat for her) thought it was very good and two folks wanted leftovers to take home – I reminded them to top with cheese when reheating.  I would definitely make it again. 

And as for the salsa, the recipe worked very well with fresh tomatoes and it was also a big hit with everyone and it will be the go-to version going forward with fresh or canned tomatoes.

Not surprisingly, the locally made cupcakes were delicious.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

10/9/26 event date