The food: Mexican food is such a great guilty pleasure. After all, it’s very often deep fried and loaded with cheese—and when you visit a hole-in-the-wall restaurant (the best kind), it’s likely also swimming in oil, butter, or lard. To save us all a few calories, I came up with this baked chicken quesadilla recipe. Although it has a fair share of cheese, it’s nonetheless a better alternative than what most restaurants dish up. Don’t worry, this is still a damn tasty treat that has a little kick, a little crunch, and plenty of cheesy and creamy goodness.
The music: Latin music is an obvious choice for latin food, but that doesn’t necessarily mean mariachi. Santana is great rock-and-roll band and lead guitarist Carlos Santana is a legend on the axe. Truth be told, however, I’ve never been a big fan of Santana, mostly because I never really listened to them. My boyfriend, on the other hand, adores the band and he is the one who picked their second studio album, 1970’s Abraxas, for our Mexican dinner. I recognized several tracks, including “Black Magic Woman,” and found myself dancing around the kitchen as I prepped and cooked. Good stuff.
The added benefit of baking, not frying, these quesadillas is that you can cook several at once. If you’re hosting a dinner party, it allows you to quickly serve everyone instead of pan frying one at a time. Cut the finished quesadillas into wedges for easy eating, especially if you plan to serve them as an appetizer to be shared.
Want another idea for using shredded chicken? Try my recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili, too.
Duet: Chicken Quesadilla / Santana “Abraxas”
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 large chicken breast
- 2 tbsp. taco seasoning
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño, diced
- 1 tbsp. cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 small or 4 large flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp. butter (or spray butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In large skilled, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breast until browned and shred using two forks. Add seasoning.
- Add pepper, onion, and jalapeño. Cook until softened. Add lime juice and cilantro; stir.
- On greased baking sheets, lay out half of the tortillas. Top the tortillas with half of the cheese. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture and then top with remaining cheese. Place remaining tortillas on top and spray or brush the tops with a light coating of butter.
- Bake for 10 minutes, carefully flipping after 5 minutes and lightly coating the other side with butter. Serve topped with cilantro garnish and sour cream, if desired.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipeshttps://www.cookingwithvinyl.com/duet-chicken-quesadilla/® Cooking with Vinyl (do not reproduce without permission)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 large chicken breast
- 2 tbsp. taco seasoning
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño, diced
- 1 tbsp. cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 small or 4 large flour tortillas
- 1 tbsp. butter (or spray butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In large skilled, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breast until browned and shred using two forks. Add seasoning.
- Add pepper, onion, and jalapeño. Cook until softened. Add lime juice and cilantro; stir.
- On greased baking sheets, lay out half of the tortillas. Top the tortillas with half of the cheese. Add the chicken and vegetable mixture and then top with remaining cheese. Place remaining tortillas on top and spray or brush the tops with a light coating of butter.
- Bake for 10 minutes, carefully flipping after 5 minutes and lightly coating the other side with butter. Serve topped with cilantro garnish and sour cream, if desired.
It never occurred to me to bake them. Great idea
I could go for one of these about right now!
Thanks, Sarah. And thanks for hosting the link party!
I know what you mean about typical Mexican food being deep fried, as I’m a huge chimi fan. I love the idea of baking the quesadillas and these look so hearty and yummy. I also love how you pair your recipes with music. What a fun idea!
Thanks! They say write what you love. For me, music and food always go together. I’m having such fun with the blog. I appreciate you stopping by and I hope we can connect on social sites so I can learn from you! Becky
These look delicious! Hole in the wall Mexican food is my favorite!
YUM! Totally craving quesadillas now. Thank you for visiting me today and leaving a comment…I’m so glad to have found you, especially since I love your food blog/music twist.
Thanks, Brandie! Always excited to hear from others who love the music/food combo, too. Come back often!
Some of the best food can be found at those scary-looking joints! Thanks for coming by and reading. Becky
I am pinning this one for sure. I always need Chicken recipes and I don’t know why but I never think of quesadillas. Thanks.
Thanks for reading and pinning! I hope you enjoy. Baked doesn’t have to be bad 🙂
I agree hole in the wall mexican restaurants are surely the best! I just love chicken quesadillas.
Too bad those places aren’t usually healthy 🙂 It’s all about moderation, I suppose! Thanks for reading and commenting. I hope we can stay in touch on social media and I hope you’ll come back to the blog again. Becky
This looks so delicious! xx
Thank you and thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll keep reading and that we can connect on social media sites to keep in touch. Becky
Yum! I think this is something that needs to make it on my plate – and soon! Thanks for linking up at Creative Spark!
Thanks for reading and for hosting the link party. Becky
Baked? Awesomeness! I would love it if you would share this post at our WIW Linky party. I hope you can join us.
Paula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
Thanks, Paula, for stopping by and for letting me know about your link party. I’ve added the quesadillas and will check out some of the other links! I’ve also followed your blog and social networks and hope we can connect. I look forward to reading more for your blog! Becky
Hi Becky! OMG your site is awesome! A true gem…I love the music and the food. Connected with you on all major social media sites.
These quesadillas look amazing. I could live off this for the rest of my life ^_^ Wishing you all the best with your adventures through blogging…it’s an exciting world and community to be a part of. If you ever have any questions feel free to drop us a note 🙂
My mom and I both share recipes over at LTG…it has become something of a family affair – occasionally you will even see a post by my brother. Have a wonderful day and thanks for reaching out.
xo
Thank you so much for the nice words! I’m glad to hear there are others out there who appreciate the idea of combining food and music. I’ve only been doing this a little more than a month, and my site traffic isn’t huge, so it’s great to hear good feedback from others who’ve been blogging longer. I really appreciate any advice or help you offer! I’m glad to have you reading and I look forward to reading more from you! Becky
Love this concept! I always cook with a glass of wine and some great music. These quesadillas look delicious too.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Music and food are a perfect pair 🙂