Sweet Chili Chicken Quesadillas

Yes, I'm still alive! I took a bit of a blogging hiatus since John commandeered my computer to study for some certification tests. He's done with them for a little while, so I finally have my beloved MacBook Air back! The good news is that I had still been cooking and taking tons of pictures, so you have many posts coming your way! 

I thought I'd start back with one that John called one of my "top three meals ever made". (He didn't list the top two, just said that this one was way towards the top.) And good news - it's pretty easy to make! It's also a great way to use some pre-cooked chicken that's leftover from a previous meal. The recipe came from Closet Cooking. 

The ingredients:

These are ingredients for one quesadilla - increase depending how many you want to make.

• 1 tablespoon oil (I used vegetable oil)
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 1 (10 inch) tortilla
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (or whatever cheese you like)
• 1/4 cup habanero cheddar, shredded (or whatever cheese you like)
• 1/4 cup warm, cooked, shredded chicken
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon basil, torn
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, torn

The steps:

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and saute until they start to caramelize, about 7-10 minutes, set aside and reduce the heat to medium.
3. In a separate small pan, place a couple teaspoons of sesame seeds and turn on low for a couple minutes, toasting until they turn a light tan color. Be careful not to burn.
4. Put a tortilla on a plate, and on one half of it, sprinkle shredded cheese, carmelized onions, chicken, sweet chili sauce, sesame seeds, basil, cilantro and some more cheese.
5. Fold the tortilla in half, covering the filling. Spread butter on the top half of the tortilla.
6. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in the pan.
7. Put the quesadilla in the pan and cook until it is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.
8. Serve garnished with more chili sauce, sesame seeds, and herbs.

The photos:

Here are the ingredients! This is a great way to use leftover chicken from another recipe.

Freshly-shredded cheese is always better than the bagged stuff! It's worth the extra minute or two of work. 

Add the sliced onion to a pan with a bit of oil and cook until carmelized, about 7-10 minutes. 

In a separate small pan, toast a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds. These really add an extra fun flavor to the dish, so try not to leave them out!

Here's what they looked like when they were nice and toasted. 

Place the cheeses on one half of the tortilla.

And top with the carmelized onions and herbs. 

Add some sweet chili sauce. Mmm...mouthwatering already.

Add the sesame seeds inside the quesadilla.

Add a bit more cheese on top (the cheese helps glue the tortilla together).

Fold over the tortilla. I certainly did not skimp on the contents of this one!

Melt about a half tablespoon of butter in the pan per quesadilla. I was cooking two, so I did two half-tablespooons. 

Put the quesadillas in the pan, and spread butter on the top of the quesadilla, so that side will cook well once you flip it.

There it is after one flip!

Here it is after taking it out of the pan - oooey, gooey, and delicious!

Cut the quesadilla with a pizza cutter, add some more sweet chili sauce and toasted sesame seeds on top, and enjoy with a big smile on your face!