It’s all about the prep with this dish. Everything can be done ahead of time. Once all the components are cooked, when you are ready to eat it’s just a matter of assembly and heating up. For the chicken you will need the following:
2 dried guajillo peppers 2 dried ancho chili peppers 2 cups of chicken stock 1 can of diced tomatoes ½ an onion (full medium size onion is ok) 7 garlic cloves Bundle of oregano 2 tablespoons of tomato paste 2 bay leaves 1 lb of chicken breasts (thighs are ok too)
Heat up the chicken stock so it begins to boil. While it is getting hot, cut a slit in all the peppers and remove the seeds. Once stock boils, turn off heat, pour in a bowl, and add the dried peppers for about 20-30 minutes (till soft). In a pot add some oil and get it hot. On high heat sear the chicken breasts for about 2 - 2:30 minutes on both sides. Remove chicken, turn heat down to medium/medium high, and add onions. Saute onions till they turn translucent (about 5-7 minutes). Add tomato paste and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and set aside. Once the peppers are ready, remove from liquid, discard stems, and chop them up. Throw peppers and stock they soaked in, into a blender or food processor till it has a smooth consistency. Turn the heat on for the onions, add the chicken, add the liquid from the blender, and add the can of diced tomatoes. Make sure there is enough liquid to just cover the chicken (if there is more that’s ok). Tie up a bunch of oregano together with cooking twine and add to the pot (so you can easily remove later). Also add the bay leaves and some salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil, cover with a lid, and place in a 275 degree oven for 2 ½ - 3 hours. Check hourly and give a little sir. If liquid evaporates significantly (less than halfway down the chicken) then add a little stock/water. When ready, chicken should easily fall apart. TIP: If there is a lot of liquid after cooking, put chicken back on stove (medium heat) with the lid off to evaporate the extra liquid. Too much liquid with the chicken will make your quesadillas soggy!
Peppers and Onions
½ onion ½ poblano pepper ½ red pepper 5-7 cloves of garlic couple dashes of paprika
Chop the peppers into strips, and the onion into half moons and saute in olive oil, salt and pepper on medium heat for about 15 minutes (maybe a little longer). Everything should become tender, and the onions should develop some sweetness. Add garlic and paprika a few minutes before turning off the heat. Also, if you don’t think you’ll use the other half of the peppers and onions, just use the whole thing!
Assembly
To assemble, place one tortilla in a frying pan, add some cheese, chicken, peppers and onions, and more cheese on top (to act like glue) and place the second tortilla on top. You will probably want to use less filler than you think. Turn the heat on, and let both sides get nice and crispy. This recipe has left me with enough food for over 3 meals. I ran out of tortillas, so I bought some taco shells! Enjoy!
Check out my last post for dips that would go great with your quesadilla!