Sweet + Savory Fajita Marinade has a citrus twist and the perfect amount of spice. Add flavor to your favorite protein for homemade fajitas!!
Use this Fajita Marinade to get the party started and finish it up with Mexican Street Corn and a side of Spanish Rice. Don’t forget the Homemade Flour Tortillas to pile on all of that Fajita goodness!
A sauce with a kick!
Marinating meat is a sure way to instill the meat with all kinds of delicious flavors. The longer you wait, the more flavor!!
This Fajita Marinade is packed with all kinds of goodness. It has a citrus twist, a bit of spice, and the cilantro and garlic add a bit of fresh. It’s delicious!
Of course, you can use this marinade on any of your favorite proteins: chicken, steak, pork, or even tofu!
However, Chicken Fajitas and Steak Fajitas are our top two choices for using this marinade. I cut the meat up in strips and marinate it for as long as possible (depending on how early I remember to start dinner).
Then I cook it up with some onion and bell pepper strips, and add a little bit of Fajita Seasoning for big flavor.
Chicken Fajita Marinade
It takes just minutes to make!
And like we said, we love to use this for chicken but any meat works well.
COMBINE. Whisk together all ingredients, and refrigerate until ready to use. Marinate chicken, pork, or beef in the marinade for at least two hours, or up to overnight.
Marinating for several hours will help infuse the flavor with the meat, so be sure not to skip that part. 😉
Tips for Using the Marinade
- Use a fork to poke holes in the meat. This can help allow the marinade to soak into the meat more quickly.
- Make sure to completely cover the meat with the marinade. Using a Ziploc bag helps because you can flip the meat over every so often to ensure its marinated evenly. Using about ½ cup marinade for every 2 pounds of meat is a great ratio to use.
- Give it time. The longer you allow your meat to marinade the more flavorful your meat will be. If you’re in a hurry you can get away with marinating for 20 minutes. Ideally I like to marinate for about 6-8 hours. You can marinate for longer, but do not exceed 24 hours otherwise the muscle fibers will begin to break down.
- Always marinate in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook the meat, let it stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before cooking.
- Add even more flavor with our homemade Fajita Seasoning as you cook the meat and vegetables in a skillet. Because it includes spices like cumin and chili powder, it packs an extra punch!
Storing Info
STORE marinade for up to two weeks in the fridge as long as it has not come in contact with any meats.
Once you have used a marinade it needs to be discarded.
For More Sauces and Marinades:
- Best Steak Marinade
- Best Chicken Marinade
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Green Enchilada Sauce
- Carne Asada Marinade
Fajita Marinade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients, and refrigerate until ready to use. Marinate chicken, pork, or beef in the marinade for at least two hours, or up to overnight.
Such an easy & tasty marinade!! I will be adding this every time I make fajitas. It adds so much flavor!
This marinade is the absolute best! So much flavor and it soaks in nicely to the meat! Will be using this again real soon!
I love anything I can do myself. This marinade is quick and easy. A great way to add flavor to any meat.
This has all the flavors and is so easy to throw together. Fajitas are a regular around here!
Great combination of flavors. I’ve never used liquid smoke before and it really adds a lot to the different layers of flavor.
Absolutely delicious! I will definitely make this one again. So much better than a packet!!