Skills you will learn in this recipe
Filling, folding & frying quesadillas
Links to the last recipe
Using Mexican flavours; serving with guacamole
Quesadillas are probably our favourite of the Mexican wrapped dishes – thin corn or wheat tortillas folded over a filling rich with melted cheese. They’re very quick & easy to make, but are best enjoyed freshly made and hot from the pan, so you need to plan a little accordingly. We cook them two at a time, so nobody has to wait too long for this yummy, cheesy treat!
Quesadilla ingredients
You can fill quesadillas with anything you want, but our one non-negotiable is grated cheese, and lots of it. Traditionally, quesadillas would be made with a Mexican cheese called Oaxaca, but this is extremely difficult to find in the UK, and if you can find it, very expensive.
We replicate the stringy-meltiness of Oaxaca with a combination of cheddar and mozzarella, and it works extremely well. But the best mozzarella to use here is the dry, grated type you get in bags. We used to turn our nose up at this, favouring the more traditional balled mozzarella in liquid, and we’d still always use this in salads etc. But the grated version really comes into its own in quesadillas! It adds the needed stringiness, and adding cheddar brings both flavour and melt – perfect!
You can make lovely quesadillas with just cheese and perhaps a few herbs, onions or chillies. But we like to add a little more crunch & texture. Our current favourite filling has a little sliced roast chicken, some chopped raw peppers & spring onions, and a few black olives. It’s a lovely balance of sweet, crunchy, tangy & savoury. But you need to limit the quantity per quesadilla. Quesadillas should be thin and flat, not loaded with filling like a taco.
You can use corn or wheat tortillas to your taste. Today we found some that had a bit of both – and they were lovely, and crisped up well. We recommend using standard-sized (c.15cm) tortillas, as the larger ones can be trickier to fold. One tortilla makes two half quesadillas, and we plan for two tortillas, i.e. four half quesadillas, per person for a generous portion. Make one tortilla, or two halves, per person if you are less hungry!
You can put fresh chillies or pickled jalapeños in your quesadillas, and this is lovely too. But we like to serve some chillies on the side instead, so people can add to their spice taste. Today we also served our quesadillas with a side of our Crunchy Corn Salad, and a little of our Best Guacamole – a perfect combination.
We use pre-roasted chicken in our quesadillas for ease. You also don’t need a lot. Today, for three people, we bought two chicken breasts but ended up using only one. You can also make your quesadillas vegetarian without it, and they will still be delicious. We like a yellow pepper for colour contrast & sweetness, but any sweet pepper will do. We also like to add a few black olives – they give a lovely salty, savoury kick that is a nice balance with the rich cheese & crunchy pepper. Today we used kalamata olives, but any black ones will work. We also particularly like the dry type. Again, you only need a few. And if you really don’t like olives you can leave them out, or replace them.
Making the quesadilla filling
Start by slicing the chicken. You want it really thin to keep your quesadillas nice and flat. Remove the skin and any dry or fatty pieces from the chicken, then slice across into thin strips.
Now chop the pepper, fairly small. Slice off the top, then remove the seeds and white pith. Slice into rounds, then chop into small pieces, including the cap.
Dry the chopped peppers well with some kitchen paper, and place in a bowl. Now remove the rooty ends and outer layer from some spring onions – today we used three. Snip, quite finely, including some of the green, into the bowl with the peppers. This is easiest with scissors.
Jake sticks his nose in
Keep all your filling ingredients really dry. Your quesadillas will work better and stay crispier if you do.
Next chop the olives quite small, removing the stones if they are not already pitted, and dry them on kitchen paper. Add to the bowl with the pepper & onions.
Now prepare the cheese mix. Grate some cheddar (or use pre-grated, but we prefer to grate our own). We measure by eye, but like a lot in our quesadillas! Mix with the grated mozzarella. We like roughly a 50:50 blend. Today we used just over half a 250g bag of mozzarella (c.150g) and the same amount of cheddar. Mix well together with your hands so each quesadilla gets an equal mix of both cheeses.
Your filling prep is done!
Making the sides
Rather than load our quesadillas with fillings, we like to serve them with a few sides. Guacamole in particular with think works much better on top of a quesadilla than inside it! You can use shop-bought or make your own. Find our Best Guacamole recipe here. If you do make your own guacamole, we suggest you blend it down smoother than we would normally. Today we had some left from our last batch, and smashed it down a bit with a fork.
Jake sticks his nose in
We normally prefer our guacamole chunky. But it makes it easier to top the quesadillas – and to eat them – if it is smoother.
We also like to serve some chillies on the side. Today we used a mix of sweet piquanté peppers, kindly gifted to us by our friends at Peppadew, and hotter pickled jalapeños. This gives a nice balance, of colour, sweetness & heat. We chopped these into bite-sized pieces, and mixed about 50:50.
Today we also served our quesadillas with our Crunchy Corn Salad. Find the recipe here. It’s a lovely refreshing side to the rich, cheesy quesadillas.
You can make the filling, sides & toppings ahead, and store, covered, in the fridge. Take them out about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve.
Frying the quesadillas
Quesadillas should always be made to order. They only take a few minutes each in a hot pan, and should be cooked and served straight away. You can do your prep for the filling and sides ahead, then cook the quesadillas just before you are ready to eat.
You’ll need a small frying pan or flat griddle large enough to hold one flat tortilla. A heavy one, such as cast iron, is best, but any pan with a large enough flat surface will work. Each quesadilla will be halved, so can serve two people. But you will definitely want more than one piece! Today we cooked them two at a time in two separate pans so that three of us could all eat one at once. But make them individually if you are not confident doing this – they only take a minute or so each. You’ll also need a fish slice or palate knife handy for folding and flipping the quesadillas.
You’ll need to grease your pan well to cook the quesadillas. You can use a range of fats to do this, but we like groundnut oil – it takes heat well and has a neutral flavour. You only need a little, enough to just cover the surface of the pan, to ensure the quesadillas crisp up and don’t stick, but also don’t become greasy. Set the greased pan over a medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot – test by hovering your hand above it – add one tortilla, flat, into the pan.
Jake sticks his nose in
Don’t get the pan too hot. A medium-low heat, so the oil just sizzles is enough. Too hot and the quesadilla will burn before the cheesy filling melts.
Top immediately with the cheese, in a generous even layer, all over the tortilla. Leave a little border at the edge.
Now add a few strips of chicken, keeping them to one side. Top with a little of the pepper, olive and onion mix, again keeping to one side. Top with a little more cheese. Season with a little salt & pepper to taste, bearing in mind you have salt in the cheese, and can add spice with the chillies. Today we added only a little black pepper, and no salt.
Jake sticks his nose in
Remember not to overfill your quesadilla. If it is too full it will be difficult to fold and seal, and also difficult to eat. The finished quesadilla should be thin and flat.
Once the cheese starts to melt – a minute to two – you are ready to fold the quesadilla. The tortilla should also feel a little firmer when you move it in the pan. To fold, use a fish slice or palate knife to lift up the side with less filling and fold if over the fully-filled side, as in the pictures below.
Press down firmly on the quesadilla with your palate knife or fish slice to help it seal and brown. When it feels a little crisp on the bottom (this won’t take very long), flip it over.
Press down on the second side for a few seconds, again until the bottom feels crisp. Remove to a chopping board or plate.
The quesadilla should look golden, slightly browed, and flat & well-sealed, as below. Cut in half and serve immediately! We find it easiest to cut with a serrated knife like a bread knife.
Serve with the salad on the side, and the chillies & guacamole in separate bowls, for people to top with as they wish.
Jake sticks his nose in
As you want to serve each quesadilla immediately while hot from the pan, it is a good idea to have the salad plated up and the toppings on the table before you start cooking the quesadillas.
Top each half with a little of the guacamole, and some chillies to your taste.
Enjoy your oozy, cheesy quesadillas! ¡Provecho!
Our Ultimate Oozy, Cheesy Quesadillas
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Remove the skin from the chicken breast, and cut into thin strips.
- Slice the top off the pepper and remove any seeds and white pith. Slice into rounds then chop fairly small, including the cap. Dry on some kitchen paper, and add to a bowl.
- Snip the root off the spring onions, and remove the outer layer. Snip with scissors into the bowl with the peppers, fairly fine, including some of the green.
- Pit the olives, if needed, then chop quite small. Dry on some kitchen paper and add to the bowl with the pepper & onion.
- Grate the cheddar, then mix well in a separate bowl with the grated mozzarella.
- Chop the jalapeños & sweet piquanté peppers into bite-sized pieces. Mix together and set aside.
- Make the Crunchy Corn Salad, see our recipe & method here.
- Make the guacamole, if not using store-bought. See our Best Guacamole recipe & method here. For a quesadilla topping, it is best to smash the guacamole quite smooth with a fork.
- Keep the fillings, toppings & sides, covered, in the fridge until about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve.
- Place a little groundnut oil or other fat in a small, heavy flat-bottomed frying pan or griddle, just enough to cover the base. Place over a medium-low heat. When the oil is hot – test it by hovering your hand above – add a tortilla, flat. You can cook two quesadillas at the same time in separate pans once you are confident with the method.
- Top the tortilla with a generous handful of the cheese mix in an even layer, leaving a small border at the edge.
- Add a few chicken strips to one side of the tortilla, then top with some of the pepper, onion & olive mix. Add a little more cheese. Do not over-fill.
- Once the cheese begins to melt, a minute or two, fold the tortilla in two over the fully-filled side using a palate knife or fish slice. Press down on the quesadilla to help it seal & brown. When the bottom feels a little crisp (a few seconds), flip the quesadilla over, and press down again until that side crisps.
- Remove the quesadilla to a board or plate with your fish slice, then cut in half.
- Serve immediately! It is a good idea to have the corn salad plated already, and the sides & toppings on the table for people to add to taste. Quesadillas must be served hot from the pan!
- Enjoy your quesadillas topped with a little guacamole & pickled chilli, with the corn salad on the side.
- ¡Provecho!
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