Hairy Bikers Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Hairy Bikers chicken fajitas pile marinated chicken, charred peppers, and onion wedges on the table with warm tortillas for everyone to build their own. The recipe comes from Chicken and Egg, serves 4 at around 735 kcal, and the marinade needs just half an hour to work.

The headnote says ‘great with a jug of frozen margaritas for a party,’ and the marinade backs that mood with chipotle, lime, and soy sauce. Soy in a Mexican marinade sounds wrong, but it adds an umami depth that salt alone cannot reach.

The peppers and onions fry over a medium heat so they soften but keep a little bite, which is exactly how the book words it. The chicken follows straight in, picking up the sticky marinade glaze so everything finishes together in one pan.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:British Mexican Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 15 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:735 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Chicken strips sit in a chipotle and lime marinade, then hit a pan with red onion wedges and sliced peppers over a medium heat. Everything lands on the table with warm tortillas, grated cheese, soured cream, and guacamole for a help-yourself dinner.

Ingredients

For the Marinade

• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Fajitas

• 600g skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced

To Serve

• Guacamole
• 8 flour tortillas, warmed through
• 100g grated cheese
• 200g soured cream

Instructions

1. Make the marinade: Mix the lime juice, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, oregano, chipotle paste, tomato purée, soy sauce, and crushed garlic in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken strips to the bowl, mix well, and leave to stand for at least half an hour.
3. Fry the vegetables: Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the red onions and peppers and fry them over a medium heat for just a few minutes until they have started to soften but still have a little bite to them.
4. Add the chicken: Add the marinated chicken to the pan and continue to fry until the chicken is cooked through and the marinade has reduced to a sticky glaze.
5. Serve: Pile everything onto a serving plate and bring to the table with warm tortillas, grated cheese, soured cream, and guacamole so everyone can assemble their own.

FAQs

Why does the marinade use both chipotle paste and tomato purée?

Chipotle brings the smoky heat and tomato purée brings a concentrated sweetness that deepens the colour. Together they create a dark, sticky glaze that clings to the chicken strips instead of sliding off. Using only chipotle would be too smoky, and purée alone would taste flat.

Why does the recipe say medium heat for the vegetables?

Most fajita recipes blast everything on high, but the book says ‘fry over a medium heat for just a few minutes until they still have a little bite.’ Medium heat lets the peppers soften and char in spots without going limp, so they hold their shape inside a rolled tortilla.

Why cut the onions into wedges instead of rings?

Wedges hold together as solid chunks in the pan and give you something substantial to bite into inside the wrap. Thin rings or slices would break apart in the heat and dissolve into the marinade, leaving you with soft onion mush instead of a clean piece you can taste on its own.

What does the soy sauce actually do in this marinade?

It adds salt and umami at the same time, which means you need less seasoning later. The fermented depth of the soy works alongside the chipotle without tasting Asian, because the lime juice and cumin keep pulling the flavour back towards Mexico.

If you want another recipe that uses an unexpected ingredient to add depth, their chilli con carne builds its base from a similar logic of layering savoury elements.

The book mentions a margarita version in another cookbook. What is different?

The Margarita Chicken Fajitas in Everyday Winners marinates the chicken in tequila, triple sec, lime zest, and orange zest instead of chipotle and soy. The filling also gets a blitzed coriander and lime sauce poured over it after frying, and the side dish is a quick-pickled red onion soaked in lime juice until it turns pink. It is a lighter, boozier take on the same format.

Their chicken enchiladas from Our Family Favourites use the same chicken-and-pepper filling idea but roll, sauce, and bake the tortillas instead of serving them open.