Last Night A (Quesa) Dilla Saved My Life

Welcome back, readers and friends! Seems I took a bit of an 11-day absence there. Unintended, to be sure. Just working on a lot of projects these days. I’m back now, so let’s get to it.

I’m sick of cooking! Sick of being stuck indoors! And I’m sick of being too squirrely to go out to eat because I assume a third lockdown is coming any day now! It’s only a matter of time, once those virus variants start bouncing around Ottawa, and Ontario at large. I mean, I hope it doesn’t shake out that way, but let’s be honest with ourselves here.

Anyways, help came from the unlikeliest of sources. Rather than just the same old chicken, steak and pork, I remembered a dish from long ago, something I haven’t made in years. You can take all those proteins and easily turn them into… quesadillas!

Now, I love Mexico and its many regional cuisines. I’m no Mexican cook, I love the food, especially when in the country, but I make no claims to be anything at all authentic. Besides, when I think quesadilla, my mind goes to sports bars and pubs before it goes to any real Mexican restaurant. Those are the ones I want to recreate and improve upon.

We’ve all had the lousy sports bar chicken quesadilla. Sandpapery-dry chunks of overcooked chicken breast, a blend of pre-shredded cheese and salsa from a jug sandwiched unceremoniously between a crusty flour tortilla and baked in a convection oven before being sliced and served with the requisite portion cups of more salsa and sour cream. We can do better than that.

The first step would obviously be to make our own flour tortillas. I’m going to be honest; this was a Sunday afternoon project and I didn’t go that far. Look out for homemade flour tortillas on the next episode of HCTP, coming to a unpredictably-updated food blog near you.

So, if we’re not making our own tortillas, we’d better address everything else. Chicken thighs will eliminate the dryness problem with the meat nicely. Plus, getting them skin on will give us some crispy chicken crackling for later. Shredding our own cheeses allows us to adjust flavour again, and keeps the anti-clumping cornstarch found in pre-shredded cheese out of our quesadillas. Showing some love to the peppers and onions is a great step, too. And by replacing the weak, watery jug salsa with re-fried beans, we’ve added another layer of rich, savoury flavour.

Some sour cream and an easy homemade guacamole finish everything off super nicely. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s make ourselves a dang quesa-dilla!

Sports Bar Style Chicken Quesadilla

Ingredients:

• 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, pat dry
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 250mL re-fried beans, either freshly made or from a can, don’t @ me
• 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and seeded, medium diced
• 75g Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 25g old cheddar, grated
• 1 TSP garlic powder
• 1 TSP ground coriander seed
• 1.5 TSP ground cumin
• ½ TSP cayenne pepper
• 1 TSP sweet paprika
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• ¼ red onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, cored and finely diced
• 1-2 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1-2 limes, juice only
• 3-4 sprigs cilantro, leaves only, roughly chopped
• Sour cream, as needed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the chicken thighs well with salt on both sides and place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until just cooked, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, place the beans in a small saucepan set over the lowest heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stirring occasionally. If the beans start to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in a drizzle of water. Set aside once warmed through.
3. Meanwhile again, in a medium cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottom pan, heat a film of canola oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and a large pinch of salt. Allow the onions to cook and brown a bit for about 10 minutes before adding the red peppers, sweating until soft.
4. As the onions and peppers cook, remove the skins from the chicken thighs and set aside. Pick the meat off the bones in chunks, placing into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Discard the bones. Once all the meat is picked into the bowl, drizzle a bit of canola oil on the chicken and add the garlic powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne, paprika and chili powder. Mix well with two forks, shredding the chicken and mixing in the spices. Set aside.
5. Add the chicken to the onions and peppers, and allow to cook until the spices become fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add the green pepper, toss to combine and set the pan aside, off heat.
6. In a large cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan, place the chicken skins outer skin side down. Turn the heat on to medium-low and allow the remaining fat to render out of the skins. Cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping often until all the fat has been rendered and the skins are crisp. Drain on paper towels and roughly chop when dry.
7. Mix the two shredded cheeses well.
8. For the guacamole, place the red onion, garlic and jalapeño in a small, non-reactive bowl. Halve and pit the avocado, adding the flesh to the bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add lime juice to taste. Mash to desired consistency with a fork, add the cilantro, then cover, pressing plastic wrap right onto the guac, leaving in the fridge until needed.
9. Bring the pan the skins were cooked in to medium heat, adding a drizzle more canola oil if not enough chicken fat rendered to coat the bottom. Spread a dollop of re-fried beans over one side of two large flour tortillas. Add a large handful of mixed shredded cheese and a hefty helping of the chicken and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle some crispy chicken skin onto the filling, then fold each tortilla in half. Place into the pan, cooking until crisp on the outside and melty and delicious on the inside, about four minutes per side.
10. Blot the quesadillas on paper towels, slice each into four wedges and garnish with a dollop each of sour cream and guacamole and if desired, a drizzle of hot sauce.

Is it hyperbole to say that quesadillas have saved my life? Probably, yes. Have they saved my sanity? Absolutely. It’s just a fun, easy, all-in-one way to eat all the things you’re already eating, and sometimes that’s all you need. While I never really find myself at a sports bar, and even if I was, I doubt I’d order THEIR quesadillas, I’m really in love with making my own right now. Hence the fascination with learning how to make my own (next week?) tortillas.

While the most traditional quesadilla I could find is just the perfect marriage of local cheese on a freshly made tortilla, I do like the more zuzhed-up versions. Chicken thigh is a great go-to, but strips of medium-rare steak, some medium pork or even lamb or duck would be welcome fillings. The sky may not be the limit, but why not shoot for it anyways? Do you have a go-to quesadilla filling or recipe? Any thoughts on mine? I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an email or leave a comment down below and we’ll see you soon!