Name: Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: MexicanLatin America & Caribbean
Ingredients: 1 jar prepared salsa (16-ounces); Vegetable oil; 1 rotisserie chicken , skin discarded, meat shredded into medium bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups); 1 teaspoon taco seasoning (from packet); 1/4 cup minced canned pickled jalapeños; 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-style cheese; 4 flour tortillas (12-inch); sour cream for serving

Why This Recipe Works

Quesadillas are Tex-Mex cuisine’s answer to the grilled cheese sandwich. But the simplicity becomes complicated when other fillings are added and you need to cook the chicken separately, keep the salsa from making everything soggy, and use a laborious one-at-a-time skillet method. For a faster, easier Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas recipe, we used shredded rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. Another supermarket convenience item, shredded Mexican-blend cheese, shortened the prep time of our Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas recipe. Straining the salsa first allowed us to use it twice—the flavorful liquid was easily absorbed by the chicken and cheese mixture, while the remaining chunks made a simple final topping. Instead of cooking the quesadillas one at a time in a skillet, we baked our prepared quesadillas in the oven for just 10 minutes on each side until they were crispy and golden brown.

Before You Begin

Kraft Natural Shredded Four Cheese Blend is our favorite Mexican cheese blend.

Instructions

Drain salsa in mesh strainer over bowl. Reserve strained salsa and 1/3 cup juice separately. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Brush rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons oil.

Combine chicken, taco seasoning, jalapeños, cheese, and salsa juice in bowl. Spread 1 cup filling over half of each tortilla, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. Brush plain half of tortillas with oil, fold over filling, and press down firmly. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and brush tops of each tortilla with 1/2 teaspoon oil.

Bake until tops of quesadillas begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Flip quesadillas over, press with spatula, and bake until crisp and golden brown on second side, about 10 minutes. Cool quesadillas on wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Cut each quesadillas into 4 wedges and top with reserved salsa. Serve with sour cream.