Very Specific Cooking Advice - Chicken Fajitas

[Dvil]

Hi guys. Next Tuesday, I've agreed to cook for a (lady) friend of mine, and the meal is going to be chicken fajitas. That's pretty much a given, changing the meal isn't really an option. Here's the issue though.
Usually, if I want to make a meal interesting or exciting, I just mix some Tabasco into the sauce or add some chopped jalapeños to the mix. I can't help it - I usually only cook for myself and I like spicy food. The issue here is that my friend doesn't like spicy food at all, but I still want to make the meal fun and impressive.
So, do any of you wonderful people have ideas for spicing up the recipe without actually, y'know, spicing it up?

[Dark Elf Bard]

Add some mild garlic to the recipe. Maybe some thin slices of onions, and possibly a bit of oregano.

[nedz]

Its hard with fajitas, they're kind of meant to be spicy.

Make a salsa, divide into two, spice up one half.
Eat yours with the spicy salsa.

[Dvil]

Add some mild garlic to the recipe. Maybe some thin slices of onions, and possibly a bit of oregano.

Yeah, I was thinking of having a bit of sliced onion and bell pepper to add a bit of texture/variety to the whole affair. Garlic and oregano are interesting points though. Sadly I'm away from my flat until the day in question, so I can't really look to see what sort of herbs I have available.

[Knaight]

The absolute key is to marinate the chicken, ideally for at least a day. You have options in what the marinade is, but you want something. Blackened vegetables on the side are also a good idea - bell peppers and onions are ideal. Or, you can just follow a recipe - this one (http://www.chow.com/recipes/29564-basic-chicken-fajitas) looks fairly good, though I'd probably toss some lemon pepper and a little black pepper into the marinade. Also, it says you should use a grill pan, but you are probably better off with a wok. If you don't want to use a recipe this complex, you can remove parts - just be careful to leave the lime juice, the cilantro, the cumin, the chicken, the bell pepper, and the sour cream in. Those are critical ingredients.

Keep something spicy for yourself - I'd recommend trying Cholula sauce, which is essentially a platonic ideal of hot sauce that Tabasco is a cheap imitation of.

[arguskos]

Keep something spicy for yourself - I'd recommend trying Cholula sauce, which is essentially a platonic ideal of hot sauce that Tabasco is a cheap imitation of.
Oh you didn't just go there. Cholula is good stuff, I'm a big fan (as evidenced by the fact that I have three bottles in reserve at any given time), but the Tabasco brand is deep, with many variations and flavors to make use of. I'll admit, the core Tabasco is boring as hell but there's so many variations that one just can't dismiss the brand out of hand like that.

Oh, right, there's a topic here. Uh... the rest of what Knaight said was great advice. Looks like a fantastic recipe actually. I might fiddle about a little, get some practice in with cooking it first, but that's just a suggestion.

[Dvil]

There's a time constraint issue too, which makes marinating slightly awkward. Chances are I'll be cooking this not long after buying the ingredients (possibly straight after), so it should ideally be something with little to no preparation time. As beginners go I'm actually pretty good at cooking (though I'm most definitely still a beginner), so I can usually hold my own when it comes to cooking for someone. I'm just unsure how to make it exciting in this particular case.

[super dark33]

madaras curry.

if not: Do a barrel roll!

[nedz]

I'm assuming your familiar with the usual sides:
Green salad, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Salsa, Rice and Peas, Tortillas, Jalopeanos, Cheese sauce, etc.

[Riverdance]

A list of things I'd do: Sautee some peppers and onions with black pepper and get them black. Toss some lime juice in there with the chicken. Use butter. Guacamole and mild salsa. Sour Cream. Thinly sliced lettuce to put on top. Oh and cheese, of course. Then there's always spices and herbs. I'd use cilantro in particular, and if there are beans make sure to put lots of garlic and salt in them. Beans need lots of salt.

Now I'm hungry. Excuse me while I go make myself dinner.


Keep something spicy for yourself - I'd recommend trying Cholula sauce, which is essentially a platonic ideal of hot sauce that Tabasco is a cheap imitation of.

I second this. I carry a bottle of cholula with me everywhere. (Although I wouldn't exactly call Tabasco a ripoff. I'm pretty sure Tabasco has been around for a long time in fact, and it tastes great. I just prefer Cholula because it isn't quite as hot and I get more of the flavor)

[Knaight]

I second this. I carry a bottle of cholula with me everywhere. (Although I wouldn't exactly call Tabasco a ripoff. I'm pretty sure Tabasco has been around for a long time in fact, and it tastes great. I just prefer Cholula because it isn't quite as hot and I get more of the flavor)
Tabasco isn't a ripoff at all, it's just that both of them are within the same narrow hot sauce niche (looking at the main Tabasco product), and within that niche Cholula is far superior. I'd also call it spicier, but that's based more on comparative use than anything objective.

[Aedilred]

It's always worth trying to marinate chicken for this sort of dish, even if you only get the chance to do it for 30 minutes or so while you get everything else ready. If you chop the chicken first and stick it in the marinade, you can then prepare all the vegetables and sides, and by the time you come back to the chicken it will have had a chance. It won't be as good as if you'd had a chance to leave it overnight but it should help.

I'd also recommend mixing it up with some non-peppery spices which will add flavour without making it unpalatably hot. Cumin, in particular. A bit of coriander might also be worth a try. Really, though, just stick to what you're comfortable with... there's nothing worse than cooking a dish for the first time for someone else who you're trying to impress. If you're worried about the relative spice of the two servings, then as suggested above, your best bet is probably to prepare two sauces and get her to add a milder one afterwards.

Do you know how much she likes garlic? I've been fortunate with (most of) my friends and housemates of recent years that they've all been big fans of garlic but some people can't stand it. It's often a good idea to check before adding garlic to a dish. I think that some is essential, but it's easy to add "too much" if you don't know what you're dealing with.

[THAC0]

I think that some is essential, but it's easy to add "too much" if you don't know what you're dealing with.

Heresy! There is no such thing as too much garlic! :smallsmile:

[Coidzor]

You should be able to get away with a very minor amount of spice necessary to add "zestiness" to the dish as long as you counterbalance it with sweet in either the marinade (orange juice or pineapple juice works well for this purpose, being basically liquid sugar) or the sauce. Cumin is not hot spicy, so you should still be able to use that. May need to look up a "mild" spice blend for fajitas to ensure you keep your ratios somewhat good, since cumin can get a bit soapy or bitter if overdone or not balanced properly, IIRC.

[Aedilred]

Heresy! There is no such thing as too much garlic! :smallsmile:
Well, that is also my opinion. But I have been accused of over-garlicking foods in the past (usually when I think I've not put enough in).

That said - once my ex and I cooked a rabbit stew with forty cloves of garlic. That was... quite a lot. The next day, neither of us wanted much to do with garlic. We went to a food festival and had to turn down any garlic-based dishes; it was a tragedy. So perhaps there is such a thing as "too much", it's just that that limit is unlikely to be breached by accident. Or by normal people.

[Gnomish Wanderer]

Corn and black beans with some peppercorn and select spices is a good way to add punch to a non-spicy fajita (either inside or just as a side, helps if you get wheat tortillas instead of flour I'm told). I'm from the southwest (where food is good) and have to cook for my spiceless northestern friends all the time, so I understand what it's like to have to dull the spice without dulling the palete. Best of luck!

[Bill Murphy]

So how did the dinner go? Sorry I just saw this thread but I'll add my 2 cents worth. I've thrown Fajita parties from time to time. And I don't like spicy!

It's easy to cheat with the meat. Just add Fajita seasoning found in the spices section in the foodstore. They arren't "Hot" spicy.

Having a variety of ingredients for people to pick and choose how they want to build their fajitas will impress them. Assume 3 fajitas per person.

Chicken is great for two but If you want a "WOW" factor, offer shrimp. When serving several guests I try to offer the standards. Chicken and beef.

Here is a list of sides I like to offer for building the fajitas in no particular order...

The meat
Tortillias (wrapped in a warm cloth napkin)
shredded lettuce
Diced tomato (add minced red onion and cilantro for another wow factor)
Shredded cheese. (must be shredded not thin sliced)
Sauteed yellow onions
Sauteed bell peppers
Sour cream
Guacamole (home made is awsome but adds extra work. Store bought is fine)

Try your best to arrange the table so that everything is within arms reach for everyone. Don't be shy to have several bowls of the same thing on the table.
Mexican beer or a Margarita is usualy welcomed. If a non-alcoholic drink is preferred, Club Soda with a squeezed lime wedge works great with the meal.

I don't usually include side dishes. I just let everyone go to town on the Fajitas until they are full. These are great versatile leftovers so I always make more than I need.

[Maelstrom]

<Cringes with the thought of sautéed chicken fajitas>

Fajitas are one of the reasons man invented fire, my dear boyo... BBQ is your friend!