Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

This recipe is AMAZING! I promise you if you try it just once you will make it over and over again. Our friend Perry got me hooked on these when he brought a slice over for a taste. Now I try to make these at least once a month. I know the recipe looks long and time consuming, but you marinate the chicken and combine the cream the night before. So the day of you just need to make the salsa and cook the chicken. I half the salsa recipe because it makes a ton and double the chicken for leftovers the next day. I hope you give this a try, it's worth the time!!



Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas
adapted from Wolfgang Puck

Mexican Cream
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa
5 Roma tomatoes
2 dried chipotle chiles, reconstituted in warm water to cover until soft, then drained
1/2 CUP fresh lime juice
1/2 CUP chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Quesadillas
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
Peanut oil
1 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (1/4-1/2 cup for 6 servings)
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
butter

Instructions:

Make the Mexican Cream: In a nonreactive bowl, stir together all of the ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Make the Fire-Roasted Tomato Salsa: Over a hot grill, roast the tomatoes until blackened all over. Transfer to a bowl and add the chipoltes. Cover and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Add the lime juice, basil, and garlic and marinate for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until chunky. Transfer to a nonreactive bowl and add the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.

To start the Quesadillas: In a mixing bowl, stir together the peanut oil, ginger, garlic, cilantro, green onion, and red pepper. Add the chicken breasts, turn to coat them well, cover with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough peanut oil to coat the bottom. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove the pan from the oven, leave the chicken to cool slightly, and then cut it into 1/2-inch dice and put the dice in a mixing bowl.

Preheat a grill or grill pan. Drizzle the onion slices with oil and place them on the grill. Cook until the onions are tender and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill.
Add enough of the barbecue sauce to the mixing bowl to coat the chicken to your taste. Place 4 tortillas on a flat work surface. Evenly distribute about half of the cheese mixture among the 4 tortillas. Then, evenly spread all of the chicken and the onions on top of the cheese and top them with the remaining cheese and the 4 remaining tortillas.

Heat a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook until it is foamy. Carefully transfer 1 quesadilla to the pan and cook, pressing down with a spatula to seal the tortillas together as the cheese melts, until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, turning the quesadilla very carefully. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas, adding more butter to the pan as necessary.
With a sharp knife, cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges, transferring them to a serving plate. Top each serving with Mexican Cream and Salsa, or pass them for guests to add to taste.