I decided to try chicken quesadillas to use chicken, tortillas, and cilantro leftover from making chicken enchiladas recently. On allrecipes.com, I found a great-sounding chicken quesadilla recipe, with pico de gallo, which I had never tried before. The results were really tasty. However, it took me two attempts to get it right. I'll explain why in the useful tips below.
The URL for the recipe is http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pico-de-gallo-chicken-quesadillas/ I have added my own comments to the recipe and reworded it a little.
The pico de gallo sauce was wonderful. It is an uncooked condiment that contains tomato, white onion, peppers such as jalapeños or serranos, and may contain other ingredients. This version contained additional ingredients. The name means, "rooster's beak." It is also called, "salsa fresca." A full description is available on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pico_de_gallo.
The following are some useful tips for making this recipe. Thanks to my daughter for her contribution:
1. When cooking the tortillas with filling, either use a non-stick skillet or coat the bottom of the skillet with a cooking spray. My big mistake the first time was to use a regular skillet without cooking spray. The bottom tortilla stuck to the pan. The second time, I used a non-stick skillet and cooking spray.
2. Remember that the cheese is the "glue" that holds the quesadilla together. Therefore, spread cheese evenly across the bottom tortilla and then evenly across the top of the filling.
3. When putting the filling in, try not to include too much liquid, which would make the bottom tortilla soggy.
4. Let the bottom tortilla get a bit stiff before trying to flip the quesadilla over. Otherwise, it can be difficult to flip.
5. An easier approach is to use only one tortilla for each quesadilla, and to fold one half of the tortilla over the filling. That makes it much easier to flip.
6. An even easier approach would be to use a double-sided frying pan. I may have to buy one.
Ingredients
a. Pico de Gallo
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 tablespoons of chopped, fresh cilantro
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded & minced
- salt & pepper to taste
b. Remainder of recipe
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves cut into strips. (I did not cut the chicken into strips until after I cooked it. I feel it's juicier that way.)
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 12-inch tortillas (I used flour tortillas)
- 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
- 1/4 cup sour cream, for topping
Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño. This is the pico de gallo.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through and juices run clear. (When I cooked the chicken before slicing, 7 minutes on each side at medium heat on a gas stove worked. I had only done 6 minutes per side, and it needed another minute per side. It's best to let the chicken rest a couple of minutes before slicing.)
3. Put the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the hot skillet, and sauté the sliced onion and green pepper until tender. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté until the aroma is strong. Mix in half the pico de gallo and chicken breast meat. Set aside and keep warm.
4. In a heavy skillet, heat one flour tortilla. Spread 1/4 shredded cheese on the tortilla, and top with half of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of cheese over the chicken mixture, and then top with another tortilla.
5. When the bottom tortilla is lightly brown, and the cheese has started to melt, flip the quesadilla and cook on the opposite side.
6. Remove the quesadilla from the skillet and cut into quarters.
7. Use the remaining ingredients to make a second quesadilla.
8. Serve the quesadillas topped with the remaining pico de gallo and the sour cream.
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