Chicken pesto quesadillas are filled with dried cranberries and served with a side of tangy cilantro lime sauce.
The chicken is coated with a southwest rub, and cooked until it’s juicy for your quesadilla.
It’s best to make fresh pesto for your quesadilla, instead of using store bought pesto.
Homemade pesto has much for flavor and earthy notes. Store bought tends to be more bland and very oily.
Serve your chicken pesto quesadilla with a yogurt cilantro lime sauce.
Cilantro lime sauce has a light, refreshing citrus taste to it which goes well with chicken pesto quesadillas.
Chicken Pesto Cranberry Quesadilla with Cilantro Lime Sauce
How to make a chicken pesto cranberry quesadilla
Yield: 3 quesadillas
Materials
Chicken
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/3 tsp paprika
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp salt
Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup olive oil extra virgin
- To taste Salt and Pepper
Quesadilla Fillings
- 1.5 cups mozzarella grated
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3 tortillas
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (5%)
- 1 tbsp lime juice fresh
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- To taste Salt and Pepper
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves fresh
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Taste test and adjust as necessary. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pesto
- Place basil leaves and walnuts in a food processor. Beat on low speed until walnuts are in small pieces.
- Add garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
- Stream the olive oil through the top of the food processor while beating on low speed.
- Beat until the olive oil has completely gone through the food processor. Scrape down the sides and beat again until smooth.
Chicken
- Combine olive oil and spices in a small bowl.
- Coat chicken in the spices.
- Cook chicken in a medium frying pan over medium heat.
- Dice chicken and set aside.
Quesadilla Assembly
- In a a large frying pan over medium heat place half of the tortilla on the frying pan with the other half draping over the edge of the pan.
- Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Add pieces of chicken, and sprinkle a few dried cranberries.
- Add spoonful's of pesto around the tortilla. You don't have to full cover the tortilla in pesto, just spoon is an inch or 2 away from the last spoonful.
- Add another layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Close the tortilla by folding the draped half of the tortilla over the filled quesadilla. Press the tortilla down into the fillings.
- Let the quesadilla cook until the bottom cheese has melted, and the bottom tortilla has browned.
- Flip the quesadilla and cook until the other side has the cheese melted, and the tortilla browned.
- Serve the tortilla with a side of cilantro lime sauce.
