Spiced Chicken, Cheddar and Jack Quesadillas with Pickled Jalapeños
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Spiced chicken breasts are pan-cooked to 74 °C and shredded, mixed with two cheeses, jalapeños and spring onions, then folded into tortillas and cooked until crisp.
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Method
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Equipment
- large non-stick frying pan (at least 26 cm)
- instant-read thermometer
- two forks
- box grater
- large bowl
- wide fish slice (spatula)
- wire rack set on a baking tray
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 609 kcal |
| Protein | 39.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 32.7 g |
| of which sugars | 2.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 1.7 g |
| Fat | 35.6 g |
| of which saturates | 12.7 g |
| Fibre | 2.1 g |
| Salt | 2.3 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Chicken
- 400 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
Quesadillas
- 120 g Monterey Jack, coarsely grated
- 60 g mature Cheddar, coarsely grated
- 30 g pickled jalapeño slices, chopped
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large flour tortillas (about 25 cm) about 60 g each
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
To serve
- 80 g soured cream, to serve
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 1
Cook the chicken. Rub the breasts with the oil, chilli powder and cumin. Cook in the pan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side until 74 °C in the thickest part. Rest 5 minutes, shred with two forks and wipe out the pan.
- 2
Mix the filling. Toss the chicken with both cheeses, the jalapeños and spring onions in the bowl.
- 3
Fill. Scatter a quarter of the filling over one half of each tortilla, leaving a 1 cm border, and fold over, pressing gently.
- 4
Heat up. Put the rack on its tray in a 100 °C (80 °C fan) oven. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pan over medium heat.
- 5
Cook. Cook 2 quesadillas for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden underneath, then flip and cook 2 minutes more until the cheese has melted and the filling is piping hot. Keep warm on the rack and repeat with the remaining oil.
- 6
Serve. Cut each into 3 wedges and serve with soured cream and lime wedges.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers within 1 hour and eat within 3 days. Reheat in a dry pan until piping hot (74 °C). Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
