Molly Yeh's Chicken Fajita Hotdish | Girl Meets Farm | Food Network #

For our big girl lunch main, I am making my chicken fajita hot dish, which is so hearty and creamy and satisfying. And because it's a hot dish, it has the veggies and the protein built right in. I'm gonna build it all in my braiser. To start, I'll soften up my veggies. I'll add a good drizzle of olive oil and then pile in a white onion and a green bell pepper that I've chopped. And whereas typically in a fajita, you would see your veggies in long, thin slices, I figured in hot dish form, it'd be easier to eat if the veggies were chopped up like this. Want a pinch of salt? And then just stir this around and allow these to soften. So a hot dish is classic Midwestern fare. It's a meal in a pot. You've got your veggies, you've got your protein, something saucy to hold it all together. And then all the best hot dishes have a great carb-y topping, whether it's tots. Today, I'm using tortillas. I just love them. They're so comforting. My veggies are getting some color. Next, I'll add some garlic and then one and a half teaspoons of chili powder, just enough to add a bit of a kick, but not to make it too spicy. A teaspoon of cumin and a teaspoon of onion powder. I'll stir in the spices and the garlic and allow them to toast just for about a minute. Smells like fajitas in here already and I haven't even added the chicken. I have four cups of pre-cooked chicken here. This is from about two pounds of chicken. I'll pile this in, season with some salt. I'll stir this around and allow the chicken to get coated in the spices and mingle with the veggies. I love going to Big Girl Lunch. It's just me and Bernie, no little sisters or dads allowed. It's our little tradition that we started right after Ira was born because babies always get all the attention. I figured Bernie needs the attention, too, and I need my one-on-one time with her. Bernie's favorite place to go to for Big Girl Lunch when we go out to a restaurant is this Mexican place down the road. Bernie typically gets the quesadilla. I typically get chicken fajitas. Today, I'm combining them. Bernie loves anything drowned in cheese sauce. So do I. I'll add my Mornay sauce, which is just a fancy word for cheese sauce. It adds tanginess and creaminess and richness and it's super simple to make. I melt butter and cook that together with flour, which creates a roux to thicken the sauce, and slowly incorporate some milk a little at a time, whisking continuously until it coats the back of a spoon. Plop in some cream cheese for tanginess and richness, and season with salt. I love cream cheese with chicken. I've also got a can of diced green chilies. I'm using the mild one so it's not too spicy. It just brightens up the entire place. Sneak another veggie in. And then lastly, the juice of half a lime for more acidity and fruitiness. You gotta have lime on fajitas. I'll get this totally combined and that's it for my filling mixture. I'll spread this out evenly so I have a smooth base for my really cool topping. Of course, fajitas need tortillas. These are six-inch tortillas. I'm gonna arrange these artfully on top. First, I'll fold them in half and kind of curl them around to roses and then nestle them in. It'll be pretty, it'll be rustic. The top edges will get crispy and brown, but the bottom of the tortilla will stay soft and soak up all the sauce, get chewy. This is my favorite part. This looks so pretty. Now, a little spritz of oil will help these turn brown and get crisp in the oven. A little bit of salt. And lastly, some mozzarella cheese to go down into these folds and become melty pools of cheese in each tortilla. Yes. You could also use cheddar or Oaxaca cheese would be delightful. Yum. Okay, I'll stick this in the oven now at 375 degrees for about 18 minutes until the tortillas are golden and the cheese is melty. Bernie's gonna love this. Oh, yeah. Look at that bouquet of tortillas. It looks gorgeous, but I still need some accessories. Gotta accessorize for big girl lunch. I'll start with some pink pickled onions to add beautiful color and great acidity. The brightness of these just cuts the richness of everything that's going on here. And they're pink. That tracks for big girl lunch. A couple of jalapenos. I really love jalapenos. I like the look of them and I like the taste of them. I'll keep them off of that section for Bernie, though. I'll nestle in some lime wedges for extra acidity. I'll finish with some cilantro. I love all these colors and textures. I'm gonna sneak a taste. Fill it with some of the fajita mixture. Squeeze with lime. Get some salsa verde for acidity. Here I go. Mm. Oh my God, girl. So saucy and cheesy and the tortilla folds have my heart. This is one mighty fine Midwest meal.