Chicken fajitas

• 1.5 lbboneless skinless chicken thighs · sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 2 tbspolive oil · divided
• 1lime · juiced, for the marinade
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspchili powder
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 3bell peppers · mixed colours, sliced
• 1large onion · sliced
• 1/2 tspkosher salt · to taste
• warm corn tortillas · to serve

Method

1. 1

   Use thighs, not breast, for fajitas

   Breast overcooks in the seconds it takes to get a sear, and fajita heat is high. Thighs carry more fat, take the char without drying, and stay tender even if the pan runs a beat too long. Slice them against the grain into half-inch strips so they cook fast and even.

2. 2

   Marinate for the acid, not the time

   Twenty minutes in lime, cumin, smoked paprika and a little oil is plenty. The lime tenderises the surface and the smoked paprika is what makes it taste like a fajita rather than plain seared chicken. Longer than an hour and the acid starts to turn the outside mealy.

3. 3

   Get the pan properly hot before anything goes in

   A dry cast-iron or heavy stainless pan over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Fajitas are about char, and char only happens on a pan hotter than the food. A lukewarm pan steams the chicken grey and weeps water from the peppers.

4. 4

   Cook the chicken and vegetables separately

   Crowd them together and everything steams. Sear the chicken in one layer, undisturbed, for two minutes a side, then pull it. Peppers and onion go in next so they blister and keep a little bite. Combine at the end for thirty seconds to marry.

5. 5

   Do not stir the peppers to death

   You want charred edges and a little crunch, not limp stewed strips. Let them sit against the hot metal for a minute before tossing. Two or three tosses total across four minutes is enough. They finish cooking on the plate.

6. 6

   Warm the tortillas over the flame

   Cold tortillas crack and taste of cardboard. Hold each over a gas flame or a dry pan for ten seconds a side until it puffs and blisters. Wrap them in a clean towel to stay soft. This is a thirty-second step that changes the whole plate.

7. 7

   Finish with lime, not more salt

   A squeeze of fresh lime over the finished skillet wakes everything up and lets you use less salt. Acid at the end reads as brightness; salt at the end just reads as salt. Serve the extra wedges at the table.