A crunchy, buttery tortilla shell encasing a gooey mass of cheese with chicken and bacon and Pico de Gallo... quesadillas are like the thin-crust version of the best grilled cheese for adults ever. This chicken quesadilla is a popular version of the dish served in many American restaurants.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about a ½ inch or so dice. Mix with the seasonings.
Heat a 10–12-inch skillet with a small amount of oil (about1 tablespoon) over medium heat. I usually use Grapeseed oil. Add the chicken once the skillet is hot.
Sauté the chicken until cooked, about 7-8 minutes.
Using the same 12-inch skillet wiped clean, or a fresh 12-inch skillet, heat over medium heat until hot. Add some butter (roughly ½ a tablespoon or less) and let melt.
Place the tortilla into the skillet and quickly wipe it and spin it through the butter to fully coat the outside.
Add ⅓ of your shredded cheese, then ⅓ the bacon, and then ⅓ the Pico de Gallo almost like you’re adding pizza toppings. Finish with ⅓ the cooked chicken covering the bottom half of the tortilla only.
Cook until the bottom of the tortilla begins to brown and become crispy, and the cheese has melted. About 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, fold the quesadilla over the chicken into a half-moon shape and remove from the heat.
Cut the quesadilla into equal pieces and serve.
Notes
1) If making a full quesadilla, follow the directions the same until step 6. Spread the chicken evenly over the entire tortilla and cook until the bottom tortilla begins to brown. Add another tortilla on top of everything and gently flip over and cook into both sides are browned and crispy. Cut into 4-8 triangles and serve.2) As mentioned in the write-up, feel free to use any preferred chicken to make these. I’ve used tenderloins, breasts, thighs, and shredded before. All options are good, I just normally use the tenders because they’re sold in packs of about 1.1 – 1.2 pounds which is perfect for 3 quesadillas.3) Full disclosure: while Pico is used in a lot of restaurants that I’ve made quesadillas in, I’m not actually a fan of it myself. Pico de Gallo on its own is pretty good, but I don’t usually care for it in my quesadilla. If you’re not a fan either, I usually sprinkle a few shakes of crushed red pepper over my quesadilla while it’s cooking. Gives it a nice bite.4) If you wish to omit the butter you can. You can replace it with margarine or oil or even just cook the quesadillas dry if you wish. I find the butter helps evenly brown and crisp up the tortilla as well as adds flavor, but its not integral to the dish.5) If you have extras and want to reheat them, I suggest about 15-20 seconds in the microwave to remove the chill and then cook in a skillet for a few minutes until both sides are crispy again. No need to add butter or oil.