Chicken and Cheddar Quesadilla
Golden tortillas filled with seasoned chicken, sweet peppers and melting cheddar. A crisp, savory stovetop dinner that comes together in one pan.
- Total
- 15 min
- Prep 6 · Cook 9
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Sautéing
- Savory
- Quick
- Mexican
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Slice the chicken into 1 cm strips and cut the peppers into 1 cm strips. Toss both in a bowl with 0.25 tsp salt and 0.125 tsp black pepper.
~4 min
Uniform strips cook evenly and seasoning now lets salt penetrate the chicken before cooking.
-
While step 1 waits
Grate the cheddar on the box grater.
~2 min
Grate the cheddar yourself instead of using pre-shredded: it melts into a smooth, stretchy layer rather than staying grainy.
-
Heat 1 tsp oil in the non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and peppers in a single layer and cook until the chicken is browned and reaches 74°C/165°F, about 5 minutes, stirring once.
~5 min
Cooking to 74°C/165°F ensures the chicken is safe; a single layer browns rather than steams.
Searing Pat the chicken dry and use medium-high heat; leave it undisturbed until it releases easily and is golden, not gray.
Sautéing Keep the pan hot and stir only once so the chicken and peppers brown instead of steaming in their own moisture.
-
Move the chicken and peppers to one side of the skillet. Lay one tortilla flat in the pan, scatter half the cheddar over it, then top with the chicken and peppers and the remaining cheddar.
~2 min
Layering cheese on both sides of the filling glues the tortilla to the filling so it doesn't slide apart.
-
Top with the second tortilla and press down with the spatula. Cook until the bottom tortilla is golden and the cheddar starts to melt, about 2 minutes.
~2 min
Pressing ensures full contact with the hot pan, so the tortilla browns evenly and the cheese melts.
Press the quesadilla with the spatula while it cooks so the tortilla makes full contact with the pan and turns evenly golden.
-
Flip the quesadilla with the spatula and tongs and cook until the second side is golden and the cheddar is fully melted, about 2 minutes. Slide onto a board, cut into wedges and serve.
~2 min