It’s National Quesadilla Day!
Quesadillas originated in northern and central Mexico in the 16th century and means “little cheesy thing”. Corn tortillas were already popular among the Aztec people. They often STUFFED them with squash and pumpkin and baked them in clay ovens as a SWEET dessert. The Spanish settlers then started to create this FILLED tortilla with savory ingredients, such as meat, chicken and veggies.
Chicken or Beef Quesadillas
- 2 pounds boneless chicken BREASTS, steak STRIPS, or ground beef, turkey or chicken
- 1-2 packages Mission corn or flour tortilla shells/wraps
- 1 red and 1 green bell pepper
- 1 LARGE Spanish onion
- 1 packet Goya chicken boullion
- 2 tablespoons chipotle seasoning
- olive oil
- shredded cheddar cheese or any you DESIRE
- HANDFUL cilantro
- refried beans for the ground beef (optional)
For the chicken, I like to MARINATE it for a couple hours or overnight in a little olive oil and the spices. Keep tortillas at room temperature so they are PLIABLE. Pour olive oil in skillet enough to cover BOTTOM. When HOT, saute chicken, peppers, onions and spices until golden and TENDER. Once cooked, layer cheese, meat and veggies on half side of tortilla, as you will need to fold it over into a half moon shape. DO this to all of them and set aside.
IN a clean skillet, once again drizzle some olive oil IN and when HOT, add folded quesadilla and brown on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden. These are so much FUN to EAT with your HANDS and SHARE with your partner!
Buon appetito!
