Cubed chicken breast cooked in butter with spices, placed between two layers of cheddar and mozzarella inside a tortilla brushed on the outside, and toasted on the grill.
A quesadilla at its simplest: chicken, two cheeses, and bread, with no vegetables and no sauces.
The cheese goes in two layers, under the chicken and over it rather than one, since it is what welds the wrap together as it melts so the bite does not fall apart in the hand.
Melt the butter in a pan over the heat until it liquefies without browning.
Add the chicken cubes and spread them in the pan without crowding so they touch the base and brown.
Season the chicken with the spice mix and salt, turning it until every cube is coated and the color evens out.
Keep turning the chicken with the spices until you are sure it is fully cooked and the liquid it released has dried off.
Take the tortilla bread and brush its outside with a mixture of water and oil; that brushing is what gives it crispness on the grill instead of drying out.
Put the cheddar and mozzarella on one half of the tortilla and spread the chicken over the cheese layer.
Add a layer of cheese over the chicken and close with the other half of the tortilla, since cheese on both sides is what welds the layers together as it melts.
Toast the quesadilla on the grill until golden on both sides and the cheese melts, and serve it with a plate of green salad.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Cheese Chicken Quesadilla, and how to fix them:
The cheese was in one layer or too little. Put it under the chicken and over it, and let it sit a minute after grilling before cutting.
The grill is too hot. Lower the heat and give it a little longer, since cheese needs time to melt.
It cooked too long. Lift it as soon as its liquid dries and it turns golden, since it finishes cooking inside the quesadilla on the grill.
It was not brushed on the outside, or the grill was cold. Brush it with the water and oil mixture and heat the grill well before putting it on.
In a sealed container for two days, reheated on the grill or a dry pan rather than the microwave.
Freeze the cooked seasoned chicken for up to two months and assemble the quesadilla at serving.
Cook the chicken and keep it a day, then assemble and grill when needed.
Hot, cut into triangles with a green salad or a yogurt sauce.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheddar | Grated Mexican cheese blend | 28 g | Closer to the original and melts more smoothly. |
| Chicken breast | Lean ground beef | 500 g | A beef quesadilla, and it cooks faster. |
| Butter | Olive oil | 28 g | Plant fats, and the chicken browns just the same. |
| Tortilla bread | Whole wheat tortilla | 190 g | More fiber and a slightly deeper flavor. |
| Servings | Chicken | Tortilla | Cheddar | Mozzarella |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 servings (half amount) | 250 g | 95 g | 14 g | 14 g |
| 4 servings (base) | 500 g | 190 g | 28 g | 28 g |
| 8 servings (double) | 1000 g | 380 g | 56 g | 56 g |
Brush the bread on the outside with the water and oil mixture as the source advises rather than butter alone: the water prevents quick scorching and the oil gives crispness, so the crust comes out golden rather than burnt. And press the quesadilla lightly on the grill so the cheese welds.
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