Makes 4 servings

A few years ago, we spent a weekend visiting friends at their log cabin in the Rocky Mountain high country. For dinner one night, our hosts made a chipotle-marinated steak. When we returned to Boulder, Kelli was inspired to make a chipotle-based marinade, which resulted in this fajitas recipe. It has since become a staple of our dinner menu.

Ingredients:

1 cup cranberry juice
¼ cup lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 to 4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (use more or less, depending on how spicy you like your fajitas)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Warm Fresh Corn Tortillas
Grilled Fajita Vegetables 

Optional Toppings:

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream
Sliced avocado
Shredded lettuce
Jasmine rice

Directions:

1. To make the marinade, combine the cranberry juice, lime juice, vinegar, chiles, garlic, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Transfer the marinade to a shallow dish and add the chicken, turning to coat. Cover and marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.

3. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

4. Grill the chicken, turning once, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Baste with the marinade while grilling until 5 minutes before the chicken is cooked through. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

5. While the chicken rests, put the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 5 minutes (to both reduce the sauce and kill any bacteria from the raw chicken).

6. Slice the chicken into ½-inch thick slices. Serve the reduced marinade on the side (to be drizzled over the chicken, rice and other fillings.)

7. Serve the chicken with the tortillas, vegetables, and your choice of toppings.

Don’t you hate it when you’re craving a recipe, but you don’t have all the right ingredients in-house, and you don’t feel like running out to the store? Us too! It’s happened more than a few times with this recipe, and especially with the juice for the marinade. But not to worry. Try this tip: if you don’t have cranberry juice on hand, you can successfully substitute many other juice flavors to make the marinade. Instead of cranberry, try using apple or white grape juice. Similarly, if you don’t have lemons or limes, try substituting orange juice. The important thing is that you have an acid/citrus component. Also, when finished making the marinade, transfer the remaining chipotles (smoked jalapeño peppers) in adobo sauce into a reusable container and freeze for future use.

Excerpted from:
Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking by Kelli Bronski and Peter Bronski
© 2009, The Experiment.