Chicken Quesadillas

A chicken quesadilla made with marinated chicken, homemade flour tortillas, melted pepper jack, cheddar and provolone, plus pickled jalapeños and chipotle ranch on the side.

Prep
20 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Marinate
15 minutes
Total
1 hour, 5 minutes
Cover image for Chicken Quesadillas recipe

Ingredients

Serves/makes 4

Chicken + Marinade

Tortillas

Mixture

Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce

Instructions

  1. 1.

    Pound chicken out into about a 1”/2.5cm thick cutlets.

  2. 2.

    Add to bag with other ingredients and massage to coat.

  3. 3.

    Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to marinate.

  4. 4.

    If you’ll be grilling the chicken…cook on a high grill for 5-6min on the 1st side then cook on second side for about 2 minutes. If baking the chicken… bake at 450F/230C for 12-15 min. The internal temp should reach 150F/65-66C.

  5. 5.

    Cut chicken into small cubes, about ½”/1-2cm.

  6. 6.

    For tortillas: Add ingredients to a food processor and spin until dough comes together into a cohesive ball. Alternatively you can mix in a bowl with a sturdy spoon.

  7. 7.

    Flip onto a work surface to knead and further develop gluten for 60-90 seconds, flouring surface/dough ball if it gets too sticky.

  8. 8.

    Divide ball into four equal pieces (125g each). Round each piece into a ball then cover and set aside to relax for about 5 mins.

  9. 9.

    Roll out into about 10”/25cm diameter rounds.

  10. 10.

    Cook each in a nonstick pan over medium heat for about 60 seconds on the first side until tortilla is bubbling. Flip to side 2 and cook for another minute.

  11. 11.

    When done, transfer to bowl or basket and cover with a towel to keep moist and pliable.

  12. 12.

    Shred cheeses using largest holes on grater and mix together.

  13. 13.

    Spread cheese blend over ½ a tortilla followed by chipped chicken, pickled jalapenos, and another sprinkle of cheese blend and fold over.

  14. 14.

    Add a long squeeze of neutral oil into a preheated nonstick pan (over medium heat) and lay folded quesadilla into pan to cook for about 90 seconds, using another pan on top to ensure good contact for max crisping.

  15. 15.

    When the first side is nicely browned and crisp, flip quesadilla to the second side, returning the top pan to press down, and continue to cook for 1.5-2min.

  16. 16.

    Add ingredients into a tall sided container and spin with an immersion blender until smooth.