Quesadilla Recipe
Your choice of seasoned chicken or beef with cheddar cheese, mild red & green chiles and cilantro. Served with sour cream and house-made salsa.
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Ingredients
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Filling
Cheese & Wraps
Salsa & Garnish
Method
Filling
If using raw protein: thinly slice 8 oz chicken breast or 8 oz flank steak. Heat 1 tbs vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the protein and sear until cooked through and lightly browned (chicken about 5–6 minutes, steak 3–4 minutes per side depending on thickness). Remove from pan and let rest 3 minutes, then thinly slice if not already sliced. If using precooked shredded chicken, skip to seasoning step.
Return the protein to the skillet over medium heat. Add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir and cook 1–2 minutes until the spices are fragrant and coat the meat.
Stir in the drained green chiles and red chiles (or chopped roasted red pepper) and cook 30–60 seconds to warm through. Remove from heat and mix in chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Assemble & Cook Quesadillas
Assemble
Lay out 4 flour tortillas. On half of each tortilla, evenly distribute about 1/4 cup grated cheddar, then spread ~1/4 cup of the seasoned chicken or beef mixture over the cheese, then top with another 1/4 cup cheddar (this helps the quesadilla hold). Fold the empty half of the tortilla over to make a semicircle.
Cook
Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low to medium heat. Brush one side of each folded quesadilla lightly with softened butter (about 1/2 tbs per quesadilla total divided). Place the quesadilla buttered-side down on the skillet. Cook 2–3 minutes until golden brown and the cheese begins to melt. Brush the top with a little butter, flip carefully, and cook another 1.5–2 minutes until the second side is golden and cheese is fully melted. Work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding.
Transfer cooked quesadillas to a cutting board and let rest 1 minute. Cut each quesadilla into 3–4 wedges with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Salsa & Garnish
Spoon house-made salsa into a small serving bowl. Place sour cream in another small bowl or ramekin. Arrange lime wedges on the plate.
Serve quesadilla wedges hot with salsa and sour cream on the side. Optionally squeeze a little lime over the wedges and garnish with extra chopped cilantro.