Lime Chicken Quesadillas
Just chicken, onions, peppers and lime pep up ordinary quesadillas and make dinner a cinch.
Ingredients:
1 Onion
1 Red bell pepper
2 Chicken thighs
2 stalks green onions
1 teaspoon.
Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon
Chili Powder
2 tablespoons
Lime Juice
Sharp Cheddar Cheese (shredded or grated)
Refried Beans
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt
A delicious quesadilla adorned with a lime wedge and black olive slices. (CU Independent/Ana Faria)
Tools: ?Grill press (or something heavy and flat to press the quesadillas down)
2 frying pans
Knife
Cutting board
Bowl
Pastry brush
Begin by seasoning the chicken with salt, spices and limejuice. Let them sit for up to an hour. Once the chicken has time to sit in the seasonings, chop it into bite size pieces. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in one of the frying pans. Slice the onions and the red bell pepper into bite size pieces and then add to the hot oil. Stir a few times and then add the chicken. Cook all these together for about eight minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. There should be no pink left inside of the chicken.
Chop the green onions into small pieces and add to the chicken mixture. Chop off the very tops and the rooted ends and throw those away. Stir. The green onions shouldn’t cook very much. They add a light flavor and a beautiful bit of color to the chicken.
Ground cumin (1 teaspoon) or whole cumin seed (1 teaspoon) added to the chicken can add more flavor to the chicken mixture while sliced jalapeno peppers and olives can help pep up the prepared quesadilla.
Heat the second frying pan over medium high heat. Using a small amount of the oil, brush the tortilla until a sheen of oil covers one side. Sprinkle with salt. Turn over and spread a thin covering of beans onto the tortilla. Place the tortilla in the frying pan oil side down. Sprinkle cheese over the beans and then add some of the chicken mixture on top of the cheese. Fold the quesadilla in half. Using the grill press, flatten for about two minutes. Flip the quesadilla and repeat. Place on a plate and serve.
Serve with sour cream and a lime wedge.
Although this recipe is simple, it easily pleases and makes a quick weeknight meal that will impress.
If making quesadillas for multiple people, prepare the quesadillas without folding like you would pizza and place another tortilla on top of the loaded one. Heat until the cheese is bubbly and flip to crisp both sides. To keep warm once the quesadilla is finished, place on a cookie sheet in a 325°F oven until ready to serve. When ready to serve, cut the quesadilla in half and then again into wedges.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Faria at Ana.faria@colorado.edu.
