I've seen quite a few places with quesadillas on their menus, and a lot of them are forgoing the traditional Mexican theme. None of them ever appealed to me until I was having lunch at Chip Shots Grill and Sports Pub in Littleton, MA. On their weekly specials menu was a quesadilla with fried chicken, cheese, and broccoli. The chef called it "Cassie's Quesadilla" (after one of the waitresses that made the request). Since I have a strong dislike for broccoli, I simply smiled at it and commented (to Cassie) that if they replaced the broccoli with bacon, that might be a quesadilla I'd try.
Little did I know that Cassie talked to the chef. When I looked at the specials menu the very next week, they had a quesadilla named after me, which was fried chicken, cheddar cheese, and bacon. Color me impressed—I think it's nice when a restaurant chef would consider the opinion of a patron enough to name a dish after that patron!
I had the quesadilla, and I must admit that it was delicious! I had it a couple of times that week, bringing leftovers home to my family (like it or not, I can never finish a quesadilla at lunch time at Chip Shots!).
So, without further ado, I'd like to present, Barguy's Quesadillas.
Barguy's Quesadillas
| Source: | Chip Shots Grill and Sports Pub, sometime in 2005 |
|---|---|
| Yield: | One quesadilla (two servings) |
| Catalogued: | 20-Aug-2007 |
Ingredients
2 large (quesadilla or burrito style) flour tortillas
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz Chicken Tenders, fried as for chicken fingers, cut up into 1" pieces, cooled
2 slices bacon, crumbled
Parsley or cilantro for garnish (if desired)
Sour cream for garnish (if desired)
A grill pan and a heavy frying pan
Heat the grill pan on a burner over medium-high (at most) heat. On another burner, heat the large frying pan over medium heat. Put a tortilla on the grill pan and heat for about 30 seconds to a minute. Flip over. Meanwhile, put the second tortilla on the frying pan to heat.
On the (flipped) tortilla in the grill pan, assemble the quesadilla. Sprinkle the tortilla with half of the cheddar cheese, to cover the tortilla to within ¼" of the edge. Sprinkle half the bacon on top of the cheese, and then arrange the chicken pieces on top so that they cover the tortilla evenly. Add the remaining bacon on top of the chicken, and then sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top of everything.
Flip the tortilla from the second frying pan onto the top of the assembled quesadilla (hot side down), and then place the frying pan on top (turning off the heat of the second burner if you are only making a single quesadilla). Continue to heat until the cheese on the bottom of the quesadilla has melted nicely (about a minute to two minutes).
Flip the quesadilla by flipping the frying pan over the grill pan and turn both pans together so that the quesadilla is now upside down with the frying pan on bottom. Slip the quesadilla from the frying pan to the grill pan.
Grill for another minute until all the cheese is melted.
Move the cooked quesadilla onto a cutting board and cut into six slices, pizza style (a pizza cutter will work wonderfully here). Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro, if desired.
Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream on the side.
Bon Appetit!
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