As I mentioned in my Fajita Night post, I forgot to take pictures. Next time I make fajitas, I will update.

This is a super easy dinner party option, and it breaks the ice and makes things a little more fun. I prepped everything ahead of time and just had to throw stuff in the oven or sauté pan at dinner time. This particular Fajita Night was for 5 people, and it was just the right amount of everything.

I used Bobby Flay’s salsa recipes from Bobby Flay’s Boy Gets Grill. Last night was the first time I made salsa myself, and I will never use store bought salsa again. It took about 10 minutes to make both of these, and they were awesome. And the cilantro is key, you really need that ingredient to make both of these salsas work. Several ingredients are in both salsas, so you can chop everything in one go and use it for both.

*Make sure you have cold beers in the fridge for Fajita Night. Sangria also works.

Salsa Fresca

3 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced (I used smaller tomatoes on the vine, as long as they’re fresh it’s fine)
1/2 a red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced
3 tbs olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbs chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything in a bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (or make it earlier in the day, cover it and stick it in the fridge).

Sour Cream Salsa

2 cups sour cream (I used about a cup and 1/3 for chunkier dip)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped (mine wasn’t that fine, I like chunks)
2 jalapeños, finely chopped
2 Tbs fresh lime juice (I just juiced another lime)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine everything in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

I made both salsas a couple hours in advance and stuck them in the fridge. I put out a bowl of good tortilla chips from Whole Foods, some guacamole from Whole Foods, all of the Sour Cream Salsa, and half the Salsa Fresca out for people to snack on when they arrived.

Okay, now for the main event. These are just recipes and toppings I’ve made up myself and experimented with, but it’s really easy to create your own combinations.

Fajitas

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (sometimes I mix in some Monterey Jack if I have it on hand)
1/2 the Salsa Fresca
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
10-15 flour tortillas
1 container of sour cream
2 big onions, sliced (I used Vidalias)
3 bell peppers, sliced (I used 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green)
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper
Cumin
Chili Powder
2 limes
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Seasoned Rice (I admit that I LOVE Goya’s Yellow Rice, which comes in a box. Feel free to make your own rice, but this is one of my very few cheats that I can’t live without. I used 1 box.)

You can make beans as well, but since Adam and I don’t eat a lot of beans I skipped this step. One of those things I need to perfect before making it for guests.

Put the cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Salsa Fresca in individual bowls. Cover and stick in the fridge until dinner time.

Put the onions and peppers into a big bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I prepped these while making the salsas and then covered and put aside.

Put the chicken in a big bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Juice both limes and add to chicken mixture. Sprinkle salt, pepper, cumin (I’m liberal with cumin, I probably use 1 tbs), and chili powder (maybe 1 tsp). Add the cilantro leaves. Mix everything together, cover and stick in the fridge until dinner time. I also prepped this while making the salsas.

Preheat the oven to 425˚before your guests arrive. Rub a baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil and spread the onions and peppers out on the sheet. Roast these in the oven for about 30 minutes, checking on them as you go. Take them out about halfway through and loosen them from the sheet so they don’t stick and burn. I timed this so I put the peppers and onions in the oven just before my guests were set to arrive, but you might want to mingle and have drinks before cooking. A char on these is good, but you don’t want to burn them to a crisp. If they finish before you’re ready to take them out, lower the oven temp and just keep them warm.

Put out your chips and salsas (remember that half the Salsa Fresca should be reserved for the fajitas) and offer everyone drinks.

Once guests are settled and have cold beers, start the rice (which takes about 20 minutes if you use Goya’s).

Drizzle olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet, heat on medium-high and add the chicken. Cook the chicken about 4-5 minutes on each side, until it’s definitely done.

Just before the chicken is done, heat up the tortillas. We use our panini press for this, which makes them perfectly warm and is really fast. I’ve also used a non-stick skillet. Warm each tortilla for about 5 seconds per side in a skillet, 5 seconds total in a panini press. Transfer the tortillas to a plate.

Put out all your fixings from the fridge.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl and cover with saran wrap.

Transfer the rice to a bowl and cover with saran wrap.

Remove onions and peppers from the oven and transfer to a bowl.

Make sure you put out spoons and forks for each individual topping.

Uncover all the fixings, now it’s time to eat!