Copycat Chili’s Steak Fajitas Recipe (Best Marinade)
Love the taste of Restaurant fajitas but would rather make them at home? We’ve got you covered! How to make Chili’s steak fajitas recipe with a homemade marinade! For more recipes like this see my Recipe Index page.
Copycat Chili’s Steak Fajitas Recipe
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Who doesn’t love a great zesty fajita? The secret to making them is NOT using a dry seasoning mix. All you need is a great marinade and you will have perfect grilled steak fajitas every time.
How to Make Fajitas Like Chili’s
Choose beef, shrimp, or chicken, or all of them! Any steak will do, but the most popular are flat iron, flank, sirloin, or rib-eye. We made our steak fajita with flank steak which can be a little tougher than other steaks, but if you marinate them the full 24 hours and not cook them past medium (temp) they will be more tender.
How to Marinate Steak for Fajitas (Chicken too)
We think the secret to what makes this recipe so good is making the steak fajita seasoning recipe from scratch! The liquid marinade is so much better than the dry rub type you get in a shaker bottle. We think it gets into the meat to help it tenderize and it adds all that juicy flavor when you bite into the meat.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup fresh lime Juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp vegetable (or olive) oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbs brown sugar (or honey)
NOTE: We originally had soy sauce, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke in the recipe. It came out too salty so we improvised and made it so much better. Edited 3/2022.
Mix all of the ingredients of the marinade in a small bowl. Add the meat to a large zip lock bag, push out excess air, and seal. Chill in a dish overnight, or for at least 2 hours. DO NOT MARINATE beef, shrimp, and chicken in the same bag.
TIP: We also love bell peppers in our fajitas just like Chili’s adds to their recipe! Peppers and onions make the dish! In this recipe, we used one red bell pepper and one yellow bell pepper. We also cheated a bit and bought the pico de gallo fresh but already pre-made.
How to Make Sizzling Steak Fajitas Recipe
It is super easy to get that restaurant-style sizzling fajita platter. You know it’s fresh off the grill when they bring you that smoking sizzling hot plate.
Is it really straight off the grill though? Well not really… here’s how they do it!
What you do is when your steak is done resting and you slice it up, you add it and the onions to a super hot cast iron skillet and serve. That’s how you get the smoke and sizzling meat and veggies. We opted not to do it in case it overcooked our meat. But for those of you who want that restaurant experience, there it is!
MAKE AHEAD: Place single servings in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FREEZER: Place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in a microwave or in the refrigerator overnight. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes or microwave for 5 minutes on high until done.
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AMAZON COOKING FAVS
Grilled Steak Fajitas (Chili’s Copycat) Recipe
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 2lb Flank Steak
- â…“ cup fresh Lime Juice
- 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tsp ground Cumin
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (or honey)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
FAJITAS
- 2 sliced bell peppers
- 1 sliced sweet onion
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
FAJITA SIDES
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp fresh cilantro, minced
Instructions
Marinate the Meat
- Marinade beef and chicken separately. Not together in the same bag. Combine all of the ingredients of the marinade in a mixing bowl, pour out 1/3 of the mixture, and reserve it for later. Add beef or chicken to a large gallon zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the meat. Seal the bag tightly and chill in the refrigerator in a dish overnight or for at least 2 hours.
Make the Fajitas
- Preheat grill or stovetop grill on high heat.
- Heat a skillet over med/high heat.
- Saute onions and peppers in 1 tbsp of oil for 5 minutes.
- Pour reserved marinade over the mixture over the onions and peppers. Add a pinch of pepper. Saute until onions are translucent and dark on the edges, around 4-5 minutes. Salt to taste. Set aside.
- Ona BBQ grill your meat until a thermometer gives you the correct safe to eat food temperature. About 4-5 minutes per side. Steak is 145Ëš with a 5-10 minute rest time, Poultry is 165Ëš.
- When the meat is done slice it into thin strips against the grain.
- Wrap tortillas in moist paper towels and steam them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Serve immediately with pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and cilantro.
How to make >Sizzling Fajitas
- While meat and onions are cooking heat a separate skillet (cast iron if possible) over high heat. Add meat and onions to the pan and they will sizzle! Serve immediately.
Nutrition
The nutrition info provided is only an estimate. See my nutrition disclaimer for more info on how the data is collected for recipes.
RECCOMENDED EQUIPMENT
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