Quesadillas

Quesadillas

45 min
Sometimes the simplest things are the best! Layered quesadillas are an amazing Mexican street food dish that has become quite popular around the world. The dish consists of tortilla pancakes that are stacked on top of each other and topped with cheese. Our tortillas are filled with a sweet bell pepper mixture, chicken, and cheese and served with spicy salsa, cucumbers, and fresh coriander. This recipe for chicken quesadillas is as delicious as it is easy. Enjoy the tasty layers for dinner or a quick snack – you will not regret it!
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https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/quesadillas/

Instructions

Sweet bell pepper mix
  • Let the butter melt in a large pan over high heat, but without browning.
  • Sauté onion and garlic for approx. 1 min.
  • Add sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, salt, and bell pepper. Sauté for an additional 4 minutes.
  • Pour the sweet bell pepper mixture into a bowl and wipe the pan.
Chicken
  • Melt butter in a pan. Once it becomes golden, fry the chicken fillet strips for approx. 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and bell pepper.
Layered quesadillas 
  • Preheat the oven to 225°C.
  • Put the tortillas together 3 and 3 as follows: Place 1 tortilla on a sheet pan lined with baking paper and spread out ¼ of the sweet bell pepper mixture, ¼ of the chicken and a bit of cheese.
  • Repeat and finish with 1 tortilla and some cheese on top.
  • Do the same with the last 3 tortillas on another sheet pan.
  • Grill for about 5 minutes at 225°C until the cheese is melted and golden.
To serve
  • Meanwhile, place cucumbers on a small flat dish.
  • Mix red onion and lime juice and spread the mixture over the cucumbers.
  • Cut the grilled quesadillas into triangular slices and serve them with cucumbers and salsa.
  • Top it all off with fresh coriander.
Enjoy!
Tips

Stick to the listed amount of sweet bell pepper mix and chicken strips when assembling the quesadillas, or the filling might spill out. This is also why you should not skimp on the cheese. Cheese is the glue that holds this amazing dish together. Make sure to cover the whole surface of your tortilla filling with cheese before adding another tortilla on top. If you do not use enough cheese, the filling will not stay inside. Go with shredded mozzarella rather than buffalo mozzarella, as the moisture will turn the tortillas soggy, and the whole dish will fall apart.

Questions about quesadillas

Enjoy a Mexican classic with our recipe for quesadillas with chicken and cheese. Our filling consists of a sweet bell pepper mix and tasty chicken fillets in strips. Read on and learn how to make quesadillas and get other useful facts about this delicious street food.

What is a quesadilla?
Quesadillas are a Mexican dish consisting of heated tortillas with melted cheese inside. Typically, the savoury dish is made with a mixture of meat and vegetables in addition to cheese. The mixture is layered between tortillas and then grilled or fried using an oven or griddle. As a finishing touch, the dish is cut into triangles and often served with guacamole or salsa.
How to make quesadillas?
Make chicken quesadillas with cheese and sweet bell peppers. For the sweet bell pepper mix, sauté onion, garlic, sweet bell peppers, and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Next, fry chicken fillet strips in a pan with melted butter and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Finally, assemble the dish and spread out ¼ of the sweet bell pepper mixture, ¼ of the chicken and a bit of cheese onto a tortilla. Repeat until you have 2 layers of filling stuffed between 3 tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese on top and grill the layered quesadillas in the oven for about 5 minutes at 225°C until the cheese has melted.
What to put in quesadillas?
Quesadillas hold a wide array of different ingredients, so you can take your pick when preparing the filling. We used the ingredients we found best for a flavourful Mexican quesadilla with onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, lime juice, hot salsa, and coriander – and, of course, chicken and cheese. No matter what you put in your quesadilla, you need good-quality cheese to hold the filling together.
What to serve with quesadillas?
Serve your quesadillas as a main course or a snack alongside spicy salsa and a quick and simple cucumber salad. Mix lime juice with thin red onion rings and spread the mixture on top of sliced cucumbers. Lastly, garnish with coriander for a fresh and citrusy taste. Other complimentary dishes include guacamole, corn fries, and chicken tortilla soup.
What cheese to use for quesadillas?
The best cheese for quesadillas melts well and is stringy. Authentic Mexican quesadillas are typically made with Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese, but mozzarella is a classic that melts well and has a delicious mild flavour. Mozzarella is a popular and great option, and it becomes perfectly stringy once it cools, making it perfect for this dish.
Can you freeze quesadillas?
You can freeze quesadillas for up to 2 months. It is simple and easy, and you always have a quick snack at hand whenever you get hungry. First, allow the assembled tortilla dish to cool at room temperature. Slice into triangles and place them next to each other on a tray covered with baking paper. Place the tray in the freezer for a few hours to shock-freeze the triangles. This step will prevent them from sticking together or falling apart in the freezer. Once they are frozen, wrap them individually in cling film and transfer them to a freezer bag or an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.
Can you reheat quesadillas?
The best way to reheat quesadillas is to thaw them in the fridge overnight and then warm them in the oven the next day. Alternatively, you can reheat them on a skillet at medium heat for about 1-2 minutes on each side. Both approaches ensure that the cheese melts and that the chicken remains moist. You can also reheat the quesadillas using a microwave. However, we do not recommend using this method, as this can turn them soggy if you are not careful.

Ingredients

Sweet bell pepper mix
Butter
10 g
Finely chopped red onion (approx. 75 g)
1
Mall, crushed cloves of garlic
2
Sweet bell pepper in different colours (approx. 400 g)
2
Tomatoes in small pieces (approx. 400 g)
4
Coarse salt
1 tsp
Freshly ground bell pepper
Chicken
Butter
10 g
Chicken fillet in strips
400 g
Coarse salt
1 tsp
Freshly ground bell pepper
Layered quesadillas
Whole wheat tortillas (approx. 370 g) – about 25 cm in diameter
6
Grated mozzarella cheese, organic
140 g
Sliced cucumber (approx. 300 g)
1
Red onion in thin half rings (approx. 75 g)
1
Freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp
Hot salsa – spicy tomato sauce
200 g
Fresh coriander
25 g
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Chicken quesadillas bursting with flavour

Experience the joys of Mexican street food with our recipe for layered quesadillas stuffed with juicy flavours. Filled with a sweet bell pepper mix and tasty chicken, this dish makes for a superb flavour experience. The delicious filling is stacked between 3 tortillas and held together with shredded mozzarella. Slice the quesadillas into triangles and serve with spicy salsa and fresh cucumber salad on the side. It is a quick and simple dinner option that will undoubtedly delight you and your guests.

Explore Mexican cuisine with our recipes for spicy nachos with avocado, salsa, and coriander and shredded beef tacos with homemade tortillas. Need a quick dip? Try our take on creamy, smooth guacamole.

Layered quesadilla with cheese

What are layered quesadillas without their cheese? This wonderful dish is cheesy inside and out. With 2 layers of sweet bell pepper mix, chicken, and shredded mozzarella stacked between 3 tortillas, you are in for a savoury treat. The best thing? The layers make it possible to use a lot of cheese and still get a nice cheesy balance because of the extra tortilla pancake in the middle. Also, once assembled, these beauties are grilled with a bit of mozzarella on top for a well-rounded flavour. The result is gooey, stringy melted cheese combined with a delightful filling that will make your mouth water.

A delicious filling and spicy salsa

All good things come in 3. At least, that is the case for this savoury recipe. The combination of shredded cheese, fried chicken fillet strips and a sweet bell pepper mix made with red onion, garlic, different coloured sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, and seasoning makes for an appetising filling that pairs so wonderfully together. Stacked between grilled tortillas and cut into triangles, these tasty beauties are just waiting to be dipped in spicy salsa to fire up your tastebuds.

Add your own touch

Turn up the heat by adding chilli to the sweet bell pepper mixture or decorate with fresh chilli slices or pickled jalapenos when you serve your homemade quesadilla. It gives the dish a spicy hot flavour with a smoky aroma, creating a delightful contrast to the cheese. It is also delicious to add 1 tablespoon of ground cumin to the chicken. Add after about 2 minutes of cooking time.

How to fold a quesadilla instead of layering

Though we stack and layer the filling for the quesadillas, you can use a neat little trick to fold them instead if you want to shake things up and try something new. Take a tortilla pancake and cut it from the outside edge to the centre. Place the fillings into quarter sections of the tortilla, so you have a quarter section with chicken, a quarter section with shredded mozzarella, and a quarter section with sweet bell pepper mix. Fold each section over the next, working clockwise around the tortilla until you have one small quarter-sized triangle.

You get the same layers as when you layer 3 pancakes but in a nice, ready-to-go single-serve version. Sprinkle with cheese, grill in the oven, and you are good to go.

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