These quesadillas are way more than just cheesy. That’s because they are grilled. Grilling adds a mildly smoky quality to most foods. I think it’s a great compliment to big, diverse flavors. Quesadilla with Anaheim Chiles.
Smoky Grilled Quesadilla with Anaheim Chiles and Chicken
Print This Recipe Yield 4Source Based on a recipe from Sunset magazinePublished
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breast cutlets
- 2 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 large anaheim chili peppers
- salt and pepper
- 1 chipotle chili pepper, canned in adobo sauce, minced
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonaisse
- 2 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro minced
- 8 (6‑inch) corn tortilla
- 2 cup monterey jack and cheddar cheese, grated and mixed
- home-made pico de gallo (see recipe)
Directions
Pre-heat the grill to medium high heat. 4 or 5 seconds of hand holding above the grate before pain ensues is perfect. Brush chicken breasts with about ½ of the canola oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side. It should be cooked through, but barely. Remove them from heat and let rest 3 or 4 minutes.
Slice the cooked chicken on the diagonal into about ¼‑inch thick slices. Keep the grill hot.
Brush the Aneheim chilis with the remaining oil and place them on the grill, covered. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes per side. Once you quesadilla making 4remove them from the grill, they should be quite charred. Put them in a paper bag and allow them to steam for 10 or 12 minutes. Then remove them from the bag, and slice them in half, lengthwise. Peel off all the skin, and slice them into 1‑inch slices. Set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the minced chipotle, sour cream, mayonaisse, lime juice, and cilantro.
Spread 1 scant tablespoon of the chipotle sauce onto each of the 8 tortillas. Working one at a time, top 4 ofthe tortillas with about ½ cup of the cheese mixture. Then about ¼ of the chicken slices. Top this with about ¼ of the Anaheim chili slices and then cover with the remaining chipotle sauced tortillas, suaced side facing inwards.
Again, working 1 at a time, slide each quesadilla onto a rimless plate. Then slide each quesadilla onto the grates. You may need to work in quesadilla making 5batches. These need your attention. Grill them, turning once, until the cheese has melted and the grill marks are gorgeous! About 2 minutes per side.
If you are working in batches, and you probably are, you may keep the finished quesadillas in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.
Slice each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve them while still warm, with the home-made pico de gallo on the side.
