Killer Chicken Quesadillas

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. They were the O.G. Killer Chicken Quesadillas.

The pilgrimage to boston for Killer 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.

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.

The chicken...

Critical 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. Don't keep moving it around the pan either. Spread it out and let it cook without touching it until it's browned 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. Use the salsa you love. Though I will say, I 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.

Okay, enough about killer chicken quesadillas! Go forth and cook! Really, take the time to cook for you and your loved ones. You're all worth it! Oh, and if you love the combo of sour cream, salsa, avocado, scallion, and cilantro: you must check out my Beef and Cheese Empanadas or my Southwest Style Chicken with Cheese, Beans and Salsa.

Killer 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

This easy, cheesy chicken quesadilla is a go-to for me. The crunchy tortilla, seared chicken, lime, salsa, cilantro, sour cream - these are all my favorite flavors! And if you don't have time to make the individual quesadillas: heat smaller tortillas and serve everything as a fajita bar! 

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the chicken:

• 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins (12 tenderloins)
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lime, juiced (AFTER the chicken is cooked)
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (AFTER the chicken is cooked)
• 1 package of large tortillas (at least 6-8)
• 2 8 ounces bags of cheddar/jack cheese
• More olive oil for cooking

It’s best to chop ½ a bunch of cilantro for this whole recipe to be used to mix with the chicken, the cilantro-lime sour cream and to garnish. Same with the scallions – chop ½ a bunch of that. 

Onion/pepper mix:

• 1 green poblano pepper
• 1 large onion
• 1 orange pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro-lime sour cream:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Pinch of salt
• Juice from one lime

Additional toppings:

• scallions
• cilantro
• salsa (your favorite)
• 2-3 avocados, sliced

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Instructions

1. Slice your orange pepper, green poblano pepper, and onion. Set aside. 
2. Chop ½ bunch of scallions. Set aside. 
3. Chop ½ bunch of cilantro. Set aside.
4. 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.
5.  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. 
6. After chicken has marinated – start cooking your pepper 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. 
7. 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. If you crowd the pan the chicken will steam and your pan will fill with water. 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 3-4 so they get a nice brown seat on that side too. Again, don’t touch them just let them sear. Repeat the process for the remaining chicken. 
8. 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: 

1. 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. 
2. Add cheese to the whole area of each tortilla. 
3. Add chicken mixture to HALF of the quesadilla. Let tortilla get crispy on the bottom as the cheese is melting. 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. 
4. 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 – everything your little heart desires!

Notes

1. 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. 
2. 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.