- Prep time10 mins
- Cook time12 mins
- Servings2 (2 large quesadillas)
- DifficultyEasy
- CategoryMexican
A quesadilla is a study in heat management: medium heat, enough time for the cheese to fully melt and the tortilla to turn deeply golden — rush it and you get a pale tortilla around lukewarm cheese. The filling should be relatively dry (wet filling steams the tortilla soggy), and cheese goes both under and over the filling so it glues the whole thing together.
Ingredients
- 2 large flour tortillas
- 2 cups (250 g) cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar
- 1/2 bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 tsp taco seasoning or fajita spice
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- Salsa, sour cream and guacamole, to serve
Method
- Toss the shredded chicken with the taco seasoning, bell pepper and onion.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a thin film of oil.
- Lay in one tortilla. Scatter half the cheese over the whole surface, then the chicken mixture over one half, then the remaining cheese.
- Fold the tortilla over and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing gently, until deeply golden and the cheese is fully molten.
- Rest 1 minute, cut into wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Repeat for the second.
Tips for success
- Medium heat, not high — the cheese needs time to melt before the tortilla burns.
- Cheese on both sides of the filling acts as glue.
- Let it rest a minute before cutting so the cheese sets slightly instead of running out.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from YouTube walkthrough covers the same chicken quesadilla step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.