Scrumptious Chicken Quesadillas | Family Friendly Food
In our house the whole family loves melty, tasty, chicken quesadillas. And because they’re such a simple family meal I make them time and time again.
The really great thing about quesadillas - apart from them being so delicious of course - is they can be adapted to use whatever leftovers you have in your fridge. I start with a base of salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, and chicken, and then add anything else that comes to mind or that needs to be used up.
What you will need:
To poach the chicken:
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1 liter of water
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2 teaspoons of fine sea salt
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3 - 4 chicken breasts (500g approx.)
For the Quesadillas:
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Olive oil
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8 tortilla wraps
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300g jar of mild salsa
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100g frozen sweetcorn
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100g cheddar, grated
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Cooked, shredded chicken pieces
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200g sour cream
How to make easy, mouthwatering quesadillas:
Firstly poach your chicken. Poaching the meat will ensure that it stays beautifully tender and moist and can be easily shredded once cooked.
Add the cold water, salt, and chicken breasts to a large pot (just cover the chicken - approximately one litre). I usually add a small carrot, half an onion, and celery at this point to flavour the water but this is not a necessary step. You need the water to come up to the boil, keep a good eye on it, and as soon as it starts to bubble immediately lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10-12 mins, or until the juices run clear in the thickest part of the breast. Remove the chicken from the poaching liquid, leave to cool and rest for 10 minutes and then tear or shred into bite-sized pieces. To easily shred the meat, slice the breast in half lengthways and shred apart with two forks. You could also buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat into pieces with a fork in the same way.
To make the quesadillas, heat the pan over a medium-high heat and brush with olive oil.
On one half of your tortilla wrap spread generously with salsa. Next, on top of the salsa, sprinkle the grated cheese and sweetcorn (no need to defrost as the corn will cook from the heat of the pan). And lastly, place pieces of chicken on top. On the other half of the tortilla spread the sour cream then fold in half and press down firmly. Assemble all 8 tortillas in the same way.
Place two folded tortilla halves onto the pan and cook on one side until golden, 4 - 5 minutes approximately depending on how hot the pan is. Once cooked on the first side flip the two halved tortillas and cook until golden on the other side.
Remove from the pan. Place each tortilla on a chopping board and slice each tortilla half into four slices. Cook the remaining tortillas on the pan.
Serve just as they are or with a side of fries or fried potatoes and guacamole for dipping.