4 servings; 10 min preparation; 40 min cooking time.

My food journey goes to Mexico this week where I’m spending some time now.
Let’s talk about Mexican food. What is the first that comes into your mind? I would make a rough guess and say – burritos, tacos, enchiladas. I’m sure that some of you will say quesadilla. This is definitely one of my favourite Mexican dishes. It’s light, crispy and so easy to make.

You can vary unlimited with the fillings of the quesadillas. If you can’t live without meat, use your favourite one to make it. Quesadillas are equally delicious with beef or chicken. If you are a vegetarian, use black or kidney beans. Or make a mix of kidney and cannellini beans. Just be creative and nothing could go wrong.

I prefer my quesadillas light and spicy, so I used two hot Mexican chili peppers to make the flavour. I also decided to poach the chicken so that it could stay juicy and healthy. For those of you who do not prefer spicy food, I made a different variation of those delicious quesadillas.

Ingredients
for the poached chicken

• 400 g chicken breast, chopped
• 1 l chicken stock
• 1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp ginger, chopped or 1/2 tsp ground laos
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder or 2 whole garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 1 red bell pepper, brunoise
• 2 Jalapeño peppers, brunoise (optional)
• 1 Habanero peppers, brunoise (optional)
• 200 g grated Emmental or Cheddar cheese
• 200 g grated goat cheese
• 160 g corn
• 4 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
• 8 whole-grain tortilla wraps
• 2 tbsp mild olive oil

Preparation

Poached chicken: Chop the chicken in small pieces. Put the chicken stock over a medium-high heat on the stove. Add the seasonings and the chicken pieces to the stock. Bring to the boil and reduce the temperature. Add the lime juice. Let it simmer for 20 min or  until the chicken is cooked all the way through. When cooked, remove the chicken from the stock and let it drain on a piece of kitchen paper.

Chicken/cheese quesadillas: Heat olive oil in a cooking pan. Put one wrap om the bottom. Cover with 25 g Emmental/Cheddar and 25 g goat cheese. Put 1/4 of the poached chicken. Add 40 g corn. Cover with 25 g of each cheese. Finish with another tortilla wrap. Keep an eye on the bottom, it could burn easily. When the bottom wrap becomes golden, turn the quesadilla. Bake until golden.

Chicken/pepper spicy quesadilla: Repeat the steps from the previous quesadilla. Add pieces red bell pepper, Jalapeño and Habanero peppers in the middle and finish with cheese and another tortilla wrap. Cook until golden. Serve with fresh guacamole and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!