Growing up, quesadillas were a major staple in my house. My brother and sister are picky eaters, so their go-to dinner was some cheddar slapped on a quesadilla and microwaved until soggy. (That only somewhat counts.) My mom loves Mexican food, so they’re still on the regular rotation at home.
One of the hardest things about moving to the UK is that it’s hard to get ingredients for Mexican food over here, which is a jarring change from living in the western US. All the tinned tomatoes taste of metal, tortillas only come in measly packs of six, and heaven help you if you want to find a fresh jalapeño. It took me weeks to find Monterey Jack, hiding at the edge of the Asda cheese section next to the specialty Leicester and the Cornish brie.
Since tortillas are often only found in meal kits here, I usually have one or two packets of fajita seasoning languishing in my spice cupboard. It’s wasteful to just throw them away, but they can be boring on their own, so I mixed it with some Greek yogurt and a few household staples to make a marinade that yields surprisingly good chicken. Creamy avocado, pink pickled onion and a fresh cilantro sauce make this quesadilla a little more interesting and more colorful than the soggy cheddar childhood staple.
It looks like a long ingredient list, but you might be surprised at how many ingredients you already have in your cupboard. You can make these either on the stovetop or in the oven, but avoid the microwave on this one, no matter how much you may be tempted.
quesadillas with cilantro sour cream
makes 3 quesadillas
marinade time: 2+ hours
active time: ~35 minutes
for the marinated chicken
Chicken tenderloins
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
2 big cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp Salt
Pepper, to taste
Fajita seasoning packet (you can also make your own)
Vegetable oil
for the pickled onions
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thinly
vinegar, just enough to cover the onions
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
a generous grind of black pepper
for the quesadillas
3 large tortillas
1—1 ½ cup Monterey jack, shredded (you can also mix it with half cheddar)
½ avocado, sliced
vegetable oil
for the cilantro sour cream
1 bunch cilantro, roughly torn
1 cup sour cream
½ tablespoon lime juice
directions
- Marinate chicken. Combine all marinade ingredients except oil in a bowl and pour over chicken. Cover and marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
- Cook chicken. Heat oil over medium-high heat and add chicken, shaking off the excess marinade before adding it to the pan. Cover and cook for about 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side for the same time. It should be charred in some spots. Transfer to a plate, cover, and rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
- Make pickled onions. While the chicken is resting, combine the onions, vinegar, salt, sugar, and pepper in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
- Make quesadillas. Slice chicken width wise. Layer one half of each tortilla with cheese, chicken, onions (be generous), and avocados, and then fold in half. Brush lightly with vegetable oil and bake them in the oven for 5-6 minutes at 400, then flip and cook another 3-4.
- Make cilantro sour cream. While the quesadillas are baking, put cilantro, sour cream, and lime juice into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve.