Time: 30 minutes
Feeds: 2-3 people
Ingredients:
- 3-4 chicken thighs, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 onion, thinly sliced into half rounds
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips
- 1 packet McCormick’s fajita seasoning
- 1 cup water
- 1 can black beans, undrained
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- pinch of salt
- pinch of dried oregano
- smallest pinch of MSG (optional)
- 1 package Queso Chihuahua
- 2-4 burrito sized tortillas
Directions:
For fajita filling: Heat avocado oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once heated, add onions and peppers and sautée until softened and starting to color. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chicken thighs and spread evenly in the pan so they can sear and get nice color. Cook through to at least 165. Add onions and peppers back to the pan along with the fajita seasoning and 1 cup of water. Let simmer so the sauce thickens and flavors meld. Remove from pan and set aside for assembly.
For black beans: Although this step is completely optional, I like to doctor my beans a bit for extra flavor. Add canned black beans with the juices to a small saucepan. Add garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, and dried oregano to the beans and heat on medium. I also will sometimes add the smallest pinch (usually no more than an 1/8 teaspoon) of MSG to the beans as well as they can take the salt and sometimes need that deeper umami flavor. Simmer for at least 5 minutes to let the flavors come together. Remove from heat and set aside for assembly.
For quesadilla assembly: Heat griddle, flattop, or large sautée pan to cook the quesadillas. Place tortilla on griddle and cover completely with cheese. Use as much or as little as you like the cheesiness is all up to preference! Add fajita chicken, onions, and peppers to one side of the quesadilla. Add beans to the other side. Usually when adding the beans, I like to use a slotted spoon as to not add too much of the juices just because it can get a bit messy. Fold tortilla over and continue heating on griddle until it’s reached your desired doneness – as crispy as you like but at least until the cheese is melty and delicious. Remove from griddle and let sit for 3 or so minutes for the cheese to come back together a little bit before cutting in half or quarters. I usually use a pizza cutter for this but a knife works great as well.
Notes: These quesadillas can be made with so many different variations. They would be great with steak or shrimp also done fajita style. You can change up the cheese. You could even make whole quesadillas with two tortillas instead of just one if you’re making this for more people. Make these your own and enjoy!