Mini Quesadillas

Mini Quesadillas

Here's a great recipe for any party or get together you're having. They definitely go over well at game day parties and they look so cute!

Mini Cilantro-Lime Chicken Quesadillas:
2 whole chicken breasts, prefer bone-in

I prefer bone in because then you make a really good chicken stock at the same time!

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 lime
2 teaspoons jalapeno sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Gouda (or any cheese that you like)

I used Gouda because it melts nicely but doesn't melt too much so that it gushes out of the mini quesadillas. I also like the mix of gouda and cilantro.

4 large tortillas (I like using different flavors for the mix of colors, but just plain flour tortillas work, too)

Start by boiling your chicken breasts. Make sure to add salt to the water so the chicken gets some flavor in it. I boil the chicken breasts for about 1 hour that way I also get a good chicken stock out of the deal. And don't throw away this stock. I used it later to make rice (by substituting the water with the stock and believe me...this makes the best rice you'll ever have!) You can also freeze the stock and make soup with it later.

See the nice stock that's forming? Also, my prep cook Maribel says they use boiled chicken a lot for Mexican dishes because the meat stays moist and you can add any flavor to the meat with different sauces and spices and make several different dishes with one big batch of boiled chicken.


While your chicken is cooking, make your cilantro-lime sauce by mixing the olive oil, garlic, cilantro, salt and jalapeno sauce in a bowl. Top it off by squeezing the lime juice into the sauce.

I like using jalapeno hot sauce because it adds a unique flavor to my cilantro-lime sauce. If you can't find this sauce, you can add any of your own favorite hot sauce instead.


To make the mini quesadilla tortillas, take your large tortillas and either use a cookie cutter or any small round bowl and cut out your quesadilla circles.
You'll have some extra pieces of tortilla left from cutting out circles, you can cut these pieces to make fresh tortilla chips later either by frying them or baking them so you don't have to waste any of the tortilla.

Once the chicken breasts have boiled and are cooked, remove them from the water and using two forks, take off the skin from the breasts and start shredding off the chicken meat with the two forks. While the chicken is still hot, toss the meat in your cilantro-lime sauce. You can now begin to assemble your mini quesadillas. To assemble the quesadillas, begin with a little cheese then add your chicken and then more cheese and top with another tortilla circle.
When you place the top tortilla on, make sure to flatten it just a bit to help "glue" the quesadilla together.
Fry the mini quesadillas in a non-stick pan that's been sprayed with oil.
Flip them when they are golden brown. These don't take long to cook and can be kept warm by placing them on a pan or plate and covering them with foil. Just make sure to poke a few holes in the foil so the quesidillas don't get soggy and stay crisp.

I also made some beef and cheese quesadillas for my party. I had some leftover ground beef that was seasoned with just salt, pepper and garlic. I used a shredded mexican blend cheese for the beef quesadillas.
I made the beef and cheese quesadillas a little smaller for variation.
It's ok if some of the cheese falls out when you are frying up your quesadillas.

Some of the cheese that has fallen out will get golden and crispy and stick to your quesadilla which will just give it more flavor.


I cut up some Roma tomatoes and avocado and placed them on the tops of the quesadillas with a skewer for added flavor and color.
Serve your quesadillas with some shredded lettuce, salsa and sour cream. I promise these will be a hit at your next get together!


Doesn't this look so good?!?

And when you take a bite.....it looks and tastes even better!!!

Authentic Mexican Tomatillo Salsa

Maribel's Tomatillo Salsa
A few of the culprits
Yes...this salsa has avocado in it...

Another game day recipe.....

I was taught how to make this salsa from my favorite prep cook...Maribel. She is the most wonderful woman. My mother and I love her so much. She is such a hard worker and cares so much about doing a good job. She worked for us at our restaurant for four years and probably would've stayed years longer if we hadn't closed. She knew my love for Mexican food and would teach me how to make some pretty amazing dishes...most very simple...but all so good and authentic. The first thing she taught me was what she called a "must." This "must" was her family's tomatillo salsa. The first time she made it for me I was hooked! I loved the flavor and freshness. I never thought it would be so easy to make. Most tomatillo salsas require you to cook or roast or broil the tomatillos, not this recipe, which makes this salsa taste so fresh and tart. I make it for parties and always make sure to have enough to save for later because it is an amazing sauce on chicken and shrimp!

Maribel's Tomatillo Salsa:
6-8 tomatillos, husked and washed
2 avocados
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped Serrano Chile pepper
1 tablespoon chopped Jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon chopped Cayenne pepper
1 chopped Habanero pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Make sure to wash your tomatillos well with warm water and cut them into chunks.

Also, make sure to cut your peppers open, take out the seeds and chop before adding to mixture.
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for flavors to flourish. You can adjust how much water you use depending on how "saucy" you like your salsa. A good tip to get the juice out of a lemon or lime easily is to microwave the lemon or lime for about 10 seconds, let it sit for a couple seconds then slice open and squeeze. If you don't have or don't like all the different kinds of peppers, just use whatever you have, and adjust to how spicy you like your salsa. This is a pretty spicy recipe and this is using about half of the amount of peppers that Maribel used when she'd make it. I loved her salsa, but not many people could eat it...it was so spicy, so I adjusted it to make it a bit more bearable.