Chipotle Fajita Marinade Recipe

My favorite fajita seasoning is my chipotle fajita marinade which adds a ton of rich, smoky, spicy flavor to any meat. I like it best on beef but it also works well on chicken or pork or even shrimp. Sometimes, I will brush it on hamburgers to give them a Southwestern taste.

The key to this recipe are the chipotle chiles which are smoked jalapenos. They are easy to find at most grocery stores in the canned goods section. If there is a choice of brands, choose any brand because I don’t find much of a notable difference between them.

Easy Prep

Preparation is simple. You can put the marinade together in under five minutes. The chipotles and chile de arbol add heat and spice The olive oil in the marinade helps keeps the meat juicy and tender while being cooked.

Ingredients

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 cup enough for about 2 pounds of meat well coated

Preparation of the Marinade

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It will take a minute or two to completely break up the chipotle chiles and to get a smooth consistency. If you find that the marinade is too thick drizzle olive oil into the blender while it is running until you get the desired consistency. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes to let the flavors marry.

Marinading the Meat

To use the marinade, thoroughly coat the meat on all sides and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to permeate the meat. You can let the meat marinade for up to 4 hours. Leaving the marinade on for much longer than 4 hours will cause flavors in your marinade to overpower the flavor of your chosen meat.

Adjusting the Marinade to Your Taste

Everyone has a specific idea of what constitutes just the right amount of heat and spice. Feel free to adjust the ingredients until you get just the flavors you are looking for.

Omit the chile de arbol if you prefer a more mild marinade. You can also reduce the number of chipotles to soften the flavor even more. This marinade is garlicky because to me you can never have much garlic. You might not agree.

Variation – Chipotle Salsa

You can also use the marinade as a chipotle salsa. After you have blended the all of the ingredients put the marinade in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup of water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Now you have a good chipotle sauce to add to any dish that calls for some smokey heat.

Provecho!