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In high school, Chili’s was THE place to be for my friends and I. After basketball games, before movies, you name the occasion, we found an excuse to eat at Chili’s. Without a doubt, chips and queso were always ordered for the table. I can still taste the beefy cheese and the grease on the tortilla chips. Ah, high school. And high school metabolism ;)
Aside from the chips and queso, I always ordered one of the pita sandwiches Chili’s offered, typically switching between the chicken caesar pita and the steak fajita pita. I loved those sandwiches (although mostly because of the perfectly seasoned fries that accompanied them). It’s been years since I have been to Chili’s, but with some extra pita bread on hand, this was the first dish that came to mind.I definitely want to recreate this dish and amp it up a little bit with some sour cream, guacamole, and freshly chopped tomatoes. We were working with what we had on hand and considering that, these turned out pretty delicious…and definitely somewhat healthier than what you’d find at Chili’s. Special shout out to Ryan for helping prepare these (aka doing most of the work)!
Beef Fajita Pitas
- Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
Marinade:
Marinade:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 pounds skirt steak
Chimichurri:
- 1/2 to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 small cloves garlic, grated
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 2 cups fresh cilantro with tender stems, chopped
- 2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley with tender stems, chopped
- 1 orange pepper, seeded and 1/4-inch sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, seeded and 1/4-inch sliced
- 1 Spanish onion, 1/4-inch sliced root to tip
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 pita pockets, cut in half
- 4 to 8 slices Havarti cheese
Directions
- For the marinade: Whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, honey, cumin, cayenne, garlic and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Place the steak in a large freezer bag or a baking dish and pour the marinade over it. Marinate the steak at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
- For the chimichurri: Whisk together the oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno and red onions. Add the herbs and toss to combine. Set aside until ready to build the sandwich.
- Heat a grill pan to high heat.
- Remove the meat from the marinade, let any excess drip from the meat so it is not overly wet. Grill the meat for 4 to 6 minutes each side for medium-rare. Transfer the meat to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- While the meat rests, toss the peppers and onions in a bowl with the oil and salt and pepper. Place onto the grill and cook until the vegetables are nice and charred, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Cut the pita pockets in half.
- Slice the rested skirt steak into thin strips against the grain.
- To build the pocket: Lay a piece of Havarti cheese in the pita, add slices of skirt steak, some peppers and onions and pour in some chimichurri.
