Grilled Chicken Quesdillas with Chile Pepper Spread

Good hell, these are delicious. These quesadillas are my kind of food, especially with guacamole. Remember how I don't like cheese? Well, I am slowly coming around. I am working on that problem all the time.

Quesadillas can tend to be toddler food. They can be made quickly and only require two ingredients. These quesadillas are a bit more adult. For one, they are grilled. The spread lends a mildly spicy, smokey taste. And with chicken, there is a bit of substance. These are also more convenient because you can fit up to 4 quesadillas on your grill at a time. If you want quicker prep, use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own like I have written in the recipe. And please don't be silly and try and make these without the spread. It adds such an incredible flavor.



3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 poblano chile, seeded and roughly chopped
1 Anaheim chile, seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
12 tortillas
Guacamole for serving

Set oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with non-stick spray and set aside. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the chicken breasts and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, just until browned, but not cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and put into the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and set out to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite size pieces. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the chiles and red onion. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 additional minute. Remove pan from heat and pour chiles and onions in the bowl of a food processor. Add chipotle chile and salt. Process until smooth. Transfer spread to a small bowl with a rubber scraper.

Heat grill to medium high. To assemble quesadillas, spread a thin layer of chile pepper spread on one side of two tortillas. On one tortilla on the side with spread, add a little of both cheeses and a small handful of chicken and spread evenly. Top with the other tortilla, spread side down. Carefully grill the quesadilla until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is crisp, 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and serve with guacamole.

Yields 6 quesadillas.

Rookie's Notes: Grilling quesadillas is tricky because you have to be so careful. Use the biggest spatula you have and flip them gently but quickly. FYI, there is no need to worry about these sticking on the grill.