I fell in love with green chiles on my first trip to the southwest back in 2012 for residency interviews and have never looked back! The southwest, especially Albuquerque, is famous for their green chiles! And it is the perfect ingredient to take your favorite Mexican foods to another level. They are so savory with just the right amount of spice and citrus! Really, if you haven’t tried them yet, come to Arizona and we will go out for Mexican food!
But in the meantime, you can sample the taste using the recipe below!
I’m always looking for easy and quick recipes and we know nothing is easier than quesadillas! But I decided to kick up the taste with these green chiles and it was delicious! This recipe takes all of 30 minutes to make and it is so filling.
Recipe below is for 2 people. But ingredients are flexible for taste and quantity.
Ingredients
Green chile chicken filling
1-1.5 cup cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
¼-½ cup chopped onions
1-2 tablespoons oil
¼ tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
A pinch of cumin powder (can be omitted)
A pinch of corriander powder (can be omitted)
½ of Knorr chicken cube (can be found in all major grocery stores)
Red chili powder to taste
⅓-½ cup Green chilies
½ cup Salsa verde
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Quesadillas
Tortillas of your choice. I used corn tortillas
Pepper jack cheese slices
Red pepper flakes
Chopped spinach and bell peppers
Sliced avocados
Recipe
Green chile chicken filling:
In a saucepan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and let them cook until slightly brown.
Add the shredded chicken to the onions and toss it around for about 1 minute.
Then add ¼ cup of water along ½ of the Knorr chicken cube (add a whole cube if you are making a larger quantity).
Add a pinch of cumin powder, coriander powder, and pepper. This step can be omitted if you do not have these ingredients. Mix these spices with the chicken and onions. Be sure to ensure there is still some water in the pot so that the chicken does not burn or stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
Add ⅓-½ cup of green chiles. These are not very spicy so you can add more without making the filling too spicy.
Add ½ cup of salsa verde. Mix the ingredients well.
Sprinkle some red chili powder to taste along with lemon juice.
Cook the filling on low to medium heat until most of water has evaporated.
Set the filling aside to add to your quesadillas.
Quesadillas
Add 1 tsp of oil to a non-stick frying pan on low to medium heat
Place one tortilla on the pan and add an even layer of the chicken filling
Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, chopped spinach, and bell peppers
Add one slice of pepper jack cheese on top and cover with a second tortilla
Allow for the cheese to melt a little then carefully flip the quesadilla to cook the other side. Once cook, remove to plate
You are almost ready to dig in! Serve with sliced avocados on the side and top with your favorite taco sauce. And you’re ready to dig in!
I hope you enjoy it! Comment below and let me know what you think!