This recipe combines leftover rotisserie chicken or roast chicken with quick-and-easy five-ingredient flour tortillas for a homemade take on a classic. Plus, it’s easily tailored to what you have on hand (or prefer). The fresh taste and aroma of just-made tortillas may make you swear off store-bought ones forever!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 quesadillas |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 quesadillas |
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Oaxacan, Cheddar, mozzarella or any other good-melting cheese)
- 1 cup pulled rotisserie chicken or preferred protein (such as refried beans or seasoned ground beef)
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Cilantro leaves, for serving
- Sour cream, for serving, optional
- Hot sauce, for serving, optional
- Pickled jalapeños, for serving, optional
- Guacamole, for serving, optional
- Salsa, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Mix in the lard with your hands or a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand. Slowly mix in the hot water, mixing the dough by hand or with a fork until it comes together in a ball; you may have a little water leftover.
- Knead the dough by hand on a clean counter until smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before portioning it into 12 equal balls. (At this point the dough can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to a day before use.)
- Roll out each ball of dough on a floured surface until about 1/8-inch thick. Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tortillas one at a time in the skillet until they blister and puff, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the skillet and stack on a plate; cover with a kitchen towel as you work to keep the tortillas warm.
- For the quesadillas: Place one tortilla in a medium nonstick skillet and cover with shredded cheese and chicken. Cook over medium-low heat until the cheese begins to melt, 3 to 5 minutes. (If you like, heat 2 separate skillets so you can cook 2 quesadillas at once.)
- Place another tortilla on top of the first and flip. Cook until the underside is golden brown and the cheese is completely melted, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the quesadillas into triangles and serve with lime wedges, cilantro and toppings of choice: Sour cream, hot sauce, pickled jalapeños, guacamole and/or salsa.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 236 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 384 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 236 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 384 mg |