Quesadillas are a staple meal for New Mexico kids. They’re even served in the school cafeteria in place of grilled cheese sandwiches. My boys make cheese quesadillas themselves for lunch or a snack, but this version with chicken fajita meat is on our regular dinner rotation. The chicken fajita marinade is quick and easy to stir up. I like to marinate and cook the chicken the day before so this meal goes together quicker after work. Just remember to reheat the chicken before cooking up the quesadillas because they won’t be on the griddle long enough to heat cold chicken. I’ve shown my quesadillas with a side dish of pico de gallo. I like to scoop it up and spread it on my quesadilla immediately before I eat it. Pico de gallo is also outstanding as a dip for chips. Either way it brings some vegetables and color to the meal.
As an alternative, you can add green chiles as a filling, or as a topping. Green chilis have a lot of liquid in them, so adding them to the inside changes slightly the texture of the melted cheese. For this reason, I prefer the chili as a topping, whenever I don’t have the time or energy to make pico de gallo.
Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
For the chicken fajita marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper
The rest of the quesadillas:
- 8-10 tortillas
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins
- Chicken fajita marinade
- 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Margarine
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken and grill until cooked through. This step can be done a day ahead to speed up dinner.
- Slice the cooked chicken into long thin strips.
- Preheat a pan or electric griddle to 350 degrees.
- Spread margarine evenly on one side of each tortilla and place 1 (or 2) tortillas margarine side down on the heated skillet.
- Spread evenly with shredded cheese, then top with sliced chicken and a little more cheese.
- Finally, top with another tortilla, margarine side up. Carefully flip over to cook both sides until lightly browned.
- Remove from skillet and continue with remaining tortillas until all quesadillas are cooked.
- Cut into quarters for serving.
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