On one of my recent grocery shopping trip, I bought a packet of flour tortillas without having any idea what I will be using them for. We’ve had quesadillas at American joints quite frequently and on those weekends when a lot of brain storming was going on what to cook between hubby and me, the idea struck me of making them in my own kitchen! My freezer was stocked with chicken and tortillas so the only few things that were needed to buy were vegetables. Adding veggies is purely optional, actually alot of recipes on quesadillas don’t call for them but I wanted to make this dish incredible and appetizing for the family. You can add your choice of vegetables if you wish to. The best part of living in Dubai is access to supermarkets and grocery stores. Some are just located down in the building and even if they are a few steps away, they always deliver at your doorstep. One quick phone call and my pantry had everything I needed to start making quesadillas for dinner.
This quesadilla recipe is simple to do and can be served both as a meal or as a snack in pot luck parties or simply served as a side dish.
Ingredients -
- Chicken breast – 500 gms, cut into small bite sized cubes
- Mixed Vegetables – French beans, Capsicum, Carrots and Corn – 250 gms, cut length wise or chopped.
- Onion – 1 medium, finely chopped
- Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
- Butter – 1 tbsp
- Chilli Paste - 1 tbsp
- Paprika Powder – 1tsp
- Zeera Powder – 2 tsp
- Garlic Powder – 1 tsp
- Ready made Tortillas – 5
- Mozarella Cheese – 2 cups grated
- Cheddar Cheese – 2 cups grated
- Salt to taste
Method :
In a large mixing bowl, season chicken cubes with chilli paste, zeera powder, garlic powder, paprika and a pinch of salt. Coat all the pieces well and keep it aside till you cook vegetables. In a skillet drizzle olive oil and butter. Add chopped onions and cook till translucent. Add in the vegetables and salt to taste.Let the vegetables cook without adding any water and stirring in between so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. After they are slightly cooked, add in the chicken and let it all cook on a medium heat in a closed pan for about 10 mins or till all the chicken pieces are fully cooked through. Turn off the gas and let the mixture cool. Preheat a regular frying pan or a grilled pan on a medium heat while you prepare the actual quesadillas. Brush one side of the tortilla with a little olive oil or butter and this is the part that will touch the pan or the grill. Flip it over on another plate and place about a tsp of cheddar cheese covering half of the tortillas (in a shape of a half moon). Place the vegetable-chicken mixture on top of the cheese and cover it with mozarella cheese. The mixture will lie between the cheddar and mozarella cheese which will act like a glue in sealing the tortillas and from the mixture falling off. Fold over the other half part of tortilla and place it in a pan with oil side down. Press a little bit and cook each side for few minutes till the cheese has melted and tortillas get nice brown color. Repeat the same process for remaining tortillas. Cut into 1/3rds and serve with some quesadilla sauce or salsa or any dip you like.
Note :
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