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VL
Posted by

Victoria Lagodinsky

August 29, 2014

From Marcus Bean’s Chickenavailable for pre-order from Amazon now.

 
Fajitas are a great choice for an informal supper with friends, and with griddled chicken breasts, which are naturally low in fat, they are also a healthy option for sharing food – not that you’d know that to taste them! The wraps are simple to make, and if you have time to make your own salsa and guacamole, too, all the better. Your friends are sure to be impressed – and they’ll enjoy it all the more if you stock up on a few bottles of Mexican lager to wash it all down.

 

Chicken fajitas & homemade smoked paprika wraps

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus making the wraps, salsa and guacamole

Cooking time: 20 minutes
 

4 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 8 even-sized strips
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp soured cream, to serve

 
For the Smoked Paprika Wraps:
400g/14oz/scant 3¼ cups plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp baking powder
30g/1oz unsalted butter, diced
a little oil, for greasing

 
For the Tomato Salsa:
4 large ripe vine tomatoes with seeds, finely chopped
½ red onion, finely diced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 
For the Guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
juice of ½ lime
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

1. To make the wraps, mix together the flour, smoked paprika, salt, pepper and baking powder in a bowl. Add the butter and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually add 400ml/14fl oz/generous 1½ cups boiling water, mixing with a wooden spoon and gradually bringing the ingredients together to form a soft dough.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 1–2 minutes until smooth, then put in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, roll into balls and keep covered.

3. Put a piece of baking paper on the work surface and dust with flour. Put the first portion of dough on the paper, sprinkle with flour and lay another piece on top. Roll out the dough thinly between the sheets, turning every roll to keep an even shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

4. Heat a large, dry frying pan over a high heat. Add the first wrap and cook for about 30 seconds on each side until just browned. Remove from the pan and leave to cool. Repeat to cook the remaining wraps.

5. To make the salsa, put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together until well blended, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. For the guacamole, cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, then scoop out the inside, using a spoon, and put into a bowl. Add the lime juice and crush with the back of a fork, then add the coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Put the chicken in a bowl, drizzle with the oil and season with salt and pepper.

8. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until it just starts to smoke, then add the chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook for 1–2 minutes on each side until it has charred markings. Repeat with the peppers.

9. Serve the chicken and peppers with the wraps, soured cream, salsa and guacamole so your guests can wrap and enjoy their own fajitas.
 

 
“In Chicken I have set out to give you the best of the classic chicken recipes, experimenting with modern and unexpected twists along the way. But I have also created new recipes, exploring great flavour combinations that I hope will help you to revolutionize the way you cook with chicken.”
 

Chicken – The New Classics by Marcus Bean

Out September 2014

Chicken---The-New-Classics-by-Marcus-Bean

Available for pre-order from Amazon now