I've been through phases when it comes to what I order at a restaurant. And one of my favorite phases was my chicken quesadilla phase. The best quesadilla I ever ate was at Small Planet in Boston. They're no longer open, but the memory of that chicken quesadilla has stuck with me for years. It was the cilantro-lime sour cream. The perfectly seasoned chicken. Superb salsa. And equally as important, was the crunch of the tortilla when you cut into it and when you took that first bite. They were the ultimate crunchy cheesy chicken quesadillas. This is my attempt at recreating it.

The Pilgrimage to Boston for Crunchy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

There were special trips into the city for this quesadilla. Once the craving took over, I was in my car driving to Boylston Street. Nothing mattered. The tolls, the traffic, the parking - it was all part of that particular quesadilla experience. And I loved every minute of it!

Certain foods are an experience. And yes, even something as ubiquitous as a chicken quesadilla, when made properly, can fall into this category. I've tinkered with recipes over the years, and made insane amounts of chicken quesadillas. The one I'm sharing here is as close as I ever got to the Small Planet chicken quesadilla. And it's pure bliss.

*A loaded quesadilla triangle with sour cream, salsa, avocado, scallions and cilantro*

With Quesadillas It's All About the Chicken... and the Salsa...and the Lime...

Quesadillas are one of those recipes where a lot of things need to taste good together. Like the Small Planet quesadilla, I wanted to make sure my flavors belonged together. It's equally as important to have an excellent salsa, lots of cheese and perfectly seared chicken. So for me, a chicken quesadilla must have crusty seared chicken, a top-notch pico de gallo-type salsa and fresh lime. One additional topping that pushed the Small Planet quesadilla over the top was the cilantro-lime sour cream. I know, I know - some of you absolutely detest cilantro so you have my permission to skip this part. But if you love cilantro, you will love making my simple cilantro-lime sour cream. It's a revelation.

The Chicken...

First, let's start with the most important tip: don't crowd the pan when you cook the chicken and don't use too much oil. We've all been there - too much chicken in the pan and soon it's sitting in a pool of water. Slow down. Cook the chicken in two batches on high heat or use two pans and combine the chicken after it's seared. Don't keep moving it around the pan either. Spread it out and let it cook without touching it until it's browned (a crispy sear on the outside) and ready to turn. You won't believe the extra (and critical) flavor this brings to the quesadilla.

The salsa...

Salsa is a very personal choice and I get that. I like more of a pico de gallo-type salsa for these, but I do really enjoy On The Border mild salsa too. My first choice is pico, but if I can't find it, On The Border is my back-up plan. Use the salsa you love. Though I will say, I typically use Sister's Salsa and it's the best salsa I ever tasted. It comes from Maine and I'm not sure it's available outside New England. Anyway, here's a link to their site: http://www.sistersalsa.com/. I am not being paid to promote this salsa. It's just genuinely fantastic!

The lime...

Lime. Remember when we used to eat at restaurants? At some point, a trip to Chili's was inevitable. You ordered the burger for some reason, but truly envied the people who ordered fajitas. The sizzling, steaming skillet was carried through the dining room like the holy grail. Just when you thought the smell couldn't get any better - the server would squeeze fresh lime all over the skillet. Boom! More sizzle! More amazing smell! That's lime. Lime is a treasure. It's an essential ingredient when making quesadillas.

Cooking Chicken Quesadillas for a Group or with Leftovers in Mind

Yes, I realize this recipe seems like a lot of food and is ideal for 6 people or if you want to put out a tray of quesadilla triangles for your next gathering. As part of my meal planning, I always make more than I need so I have leftovers for lunches. This will save you money. Eating take-out for lunch is going to run you $15+ per day. Do you have $300 per month to spend eating out lunch? That's a car payment. When you cook, make a little extra. Pack it in containers and take it to work for the next day or two.

I highly encourage you to get your kitchens and make delicious food. Gathering around a table to break bread with our loved ones is such an important part of the human experience. Our lives are busy and filled with technology all day long. Let's put the technology down and share a homemade meal with the people we love. Tell your stories, listen to others' stories and share your lives. I know when I do this, it always makes me feel better.

Need More Ideas for Your Next Meal? I Gotcha Covered:

Crunchy Beef and Cheese Empanadas
Southwest Style Chicken with Cheese, Beans & Salsa
McCormick Fish Fry (can make fish tacos with this!)
Super Bowl White Queso Dip with Crispy Crumbled Beef
Easy Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
Cheesy Fajita Stuffed Chicken

Crunchy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

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Author: Stacey
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6-8 quesadillas 1x

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Description

These crunchy cheesy chicken quesadillas are my attempt at recreating the best quesadilla I ever ate. And if you don't have time to make the individual quesadillas: warm smaller tortillas and serve everything as a fajita bar!

Instructions

Slice your orange pepper, green poblano pepper, and onion. Set aside.
Chop about ½ bunch of scallions. Set aside.
Chop about ½ bunch of cilantro. Set aside. You'll use some for the chicken mixture and some for the cilantro-lime sour cream.
Prepare the cilantro-lime sour cream. Add sour cream to a bowl with the fresh squeezed lime juice, cilantro and a pinch of salt. Whisk together and refrigerate until serving.
Cut your chicken tenderloins into small pieces and put in a bowl. Add cumin, garlic powder, salt and olive oil. Mix everything together well and let marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Start cooking your peppers and onions. Add both sliced peppers, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper to a pan on low-to-medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir a few times while cooking.
Start cooking your chicken. You’ll see in the video I cooked the chicken in two batches because I didn’t want to crowd the pan and create steam. Drizzle a little olive oil pan, put half the chicken in the pan and break up the pieces. Spread out the chicken and give it space. Cook on medium-to-high for 3-4 minutes on one side so the pieces get a good brown sear on the bottom. When the pieces are browned, give them a stir and use tongs to turn any pieces that need it. Let them cook on the OTHER side for a few minutes so they get a nice brown seat on that side too. Again, don’t touch them just let them sear.
Once all the chicken is cooked, put it in a large bowl, add the onion and pepper mixture, fresh squeezed lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro, and give it a stir. You could throw in some scallions here too if you’d like. Quesadilla filling is done!

Final Assembly:

You’ll need two pans for this. Drizzle a little olive oil in both, lay down a tortilla in each pan and rub it around so the olive oil lightly coats the bottom. Heat should be low-to-medium.
Add cheese to the whole area of each tortilla.
Add chicken mixture to HALF of the quesadilla. Let tortilla get crispy on the bottom as the cheese is melting. Turn up the heat if you need to. Lift up tortilla with your spatula to see when tortilla is nice and crispy. Then FOLD the tortilla over with your spatula and press down gently.
Repeat this process until all quesadillas are complete! If you are using avocados, slice them now. I always wait until the end for this so they stay fresh looking. Put out all your toppings: cilantro-lime sour cream, your favorite salsa, scallions, cilantro.

Notes

I made 8 total quesadillas – 6 with cheese and 2 without cheese. I always cook for someone who doesn’t want cheese. Keep this in mind when distributing your cheese in the other 6 quesadillas.
These reheat very well. I usually do this the same way I reheat a slice of pizza. I put it in a pan on very, very low heat and cover it until it’s warm. Take the lid off when you want to crisp it at the end. You can microwave it too, of course, but this method is a little better.