The Quesadilla is a dish made of corn tortillas and cheese.
Its name comes from the combination of the words cheese and tortilla.
Although Oaxaca cheese (or string cheese) is the most common filling, in the north of the country, quesadillas are accompanied by various ingredients in addition to the melted cheese.
These can include cooked vegetables, such as potatoes with chorizo, squash blossoms, different types of meat, chicharron, tinga of chicken, beef or pork.
Or avocado or guacamole sauces, chopped onion, tomato, serrano chilies, and cilantro.
A quesadilla must be folded and must have melted cheese.
We tried it on Isla Mujeres during our trip in November 2023, with a filling of cheese, carrots, lettuce, and chicken.
Not to be confused with a typical Spanish sweet from the Canary Carnival:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 corn tortillas (large)
- 14 oz boiled chicken breast (shredded)
- 5 oz Oaxaca cheese (or fresh cheese like mozzarella)
- 2 carrots
- as needed lettuce
Steps
If you want to prepare the corn tortillas, follow this recipe.
Place the tortillas on a comal, flip and heat on both sides.
Distribute the cheese, chicken, julienned carrots, and lettuce.
Fold.
Heat the quesadilla until the cheese melts.
FAQ
What are the variants of the Quesadilla?
Gringas and pochas.
Gringas are made with a flour tortilla accompanied by al pastor meat (used to make tacos al pastor) and Chihuahua cheese or queso menonita, a local cheese made by Mennonites.
Pochas are corn tortillas with the addition of beef taco meat.
The quesadilla culture is different in Mexico City, where they are not automatically accompanied by cheese unless requested.
There are traditional varieties in central and South America prepared with blue corn flour.What is chicken tinga?
Shredded or chopped chicken thighs with a sauce made from tomato, onion, olive oil, and chipotle chili.
