Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

I haven’t eaten out much lately, but the Wife and I have been revisiting some of our old recipes using new tools, spices, or techniques to try and change things up a bit.  Recently we made grilled quesadillas.  I worked at a Mexican restaurant for many years as a cook and learned the basic technique of building a good quesadilla.  In my mind the perfect quesadilla has tender juicy meat, fresh slightly crunchy vegetables, a crisp tortilla, and tons of flavor.  Here’s what we did this time. 

I started out with three trimmed skinless boneless chicken breasts.  I seasoned them with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, ancho chili powder, and a dash of habanero flakes.  A store bought mixture will work just as well, but go for something smoky and slightly spicy.  Those were grilled on our outdoor grill (Yes, I grill in the winter).  

Using my new found favorite grill toy…I mean tool, I cut up a red and green bell pepper and a sweet yellow onion.  They were lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper.  I like to keep my veggies simple.  Those too were grilled, but not too much.  I like my veggies to still have a crunch to them when they are cooked and not turn into vegetable mush.

After the food on the grill was cooked, it was time to assemble and finish the meal.  After letting the chicken rest for a few minutes, I cut it up into manageable sized pieces.  I then take an 8” flour tortilla and add chicken, vegetables, and some shredded cheese.  I like to use pepper jack, but you can use anything you want.  I would suggest staying away from cheddar as it tends to be oily when it melts.  I then fold the quesadilla in half and finish it on my Panini grill (not pictured).  I could finish it on my outdoor grill, but then I’d have to go outside again, and it’s cold in Connecticut in the winter.  

After the cheese melts and the tortilla has a nice crisp to it, I remove it from the Panini grill, cut it into 4 pieces, and plate with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa.  In the past I have made a side dish of rice to accompany the main course, but this time I was out of rice.  

There are several variations to this meal that you can adjust to your own tastes.  Use beef instead of chicken, or a flavored tortilla.  Even use more vegetables such as yellow squash or mushrooms.  The possibilities are endless.