Chicken Quesadillas with Caramelized Onions
This was one of my first “at-home” meals so I didn’t think to take a picture to document the goodness. I was craving Mexican but didn’t want to spend the money on over-priced takeout so decided to make something myself. It ended up being cheaper, better and bigger (a meal that lasted for two people for two days).
INGREDIENTS:
- 1lb thin-sliced chicken breast
- 1 8oz. package shredded cheese (I prefer the Mexican mix for added flavor)
- Hot chopped peppers (I use B&G Sandwich Toppers – however much you like, I love it spicy so I use a lot)
- 1 can corn
- 1 can black bean
- 1 package tortillas (I prefer the big ones)
- Caramelized onions (recipe follows below – Caramelized onions make a huge difference)
- Salsa (optional as topping)
- Sour cream (optional as topping)
DIRECTIONS:
Season chicken breasts with grilling seasoning (I prefer the Weber Grilling seasonings: Mesquite or Sweet & Tangy BBQ). Cook chicken breasts in non-stick pan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove from pan and slice into bite-sized pieces.
Combine black beans and corn over low-heat until warmed through; remove from heat.
Time to build the ‘dilla.
Lay one tortilla in non-stick pan (no oil) over medium heat. Layer in cheese, chicken, bean/corn mixture, hot chopped peppers, caramelized onions and more cheese. Top with second tortilla. Cover pan with tinfoil to heat tortilla, melt the cheese and get it all stuck together.
Monitor the bottom tortilla until golden brown then flip. If you’re using the Big Daddy-size tortillas, careful when flipping. When second side is golden brown, remove from heat and serve with salsa and sour cream. Each will feed 2 people.
Caramelized Onions:
- Several medium or large onions (at least 5) - I prefer the yellow/sweet onions vs regular white
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Sugar
1. Slice off the root and top ends of the onions, peel the onions. Cut the onions in half. Lay them cut side down and slice the onions lengthwise to desired thickness. If you want, you can cut a little wedge in the tough rootball end of the onions and discard that part, but we haven't found this to be necessary, as this part of the onion softens and cooks with the rest over the long cooking time.
2. Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum pan contact with the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter (about 1 teaspoon per onion). Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. Depending on how strong your stovetop burner is you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. (I add only about a teaspoon of sugar for 5 onions, you can add more.) One trick, by the way, to keeping the onions from drying out as they cook is to add a little water to the pan.
3. Let cook for 30 minutes to an hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn. The trick is to let them alone enough to brown (if you stir them too often, they won't brown), but not so long so that they burn. After the first 20 to 30 minutes you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning. A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find you need to scrape the pan every minute, instead of every few minutes. Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the cooking process you might want to add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring some additional flavor to the onions.
Store refrigerated for several days in an air-tight container.
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