Quesadillas with Chorizo and Chicken

Traditional Mexican food is simple, cheap and tasty. That’s why this basic quesadilla with a choice of fillings is one of my favourite backpacking recipes – you’ll find the ingredients in most parts of the world, and you’ll certainly make friends when you offer to share your guacamole and salsa with other travellers!

The basic concept behind quesadillas is creating a filling that is combined with grated cheese and fried between tortillas. You can either use two tortillas for each quesadilla and layer the filling like you would a sandwich, or you can use one quesadilla and fold it in half similar to an omelette.

You can use a range of fillings to accompany the cheese such as refried beans, ham, potatoes, mushrooms and even scrambled eggs. Here I’ve included two different fillings – one with chicken and one with chorizo.

Quesadilla with Chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons black olives, pitted
Handful of cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Turn the frying pan down to a medium heat and place in a tortilla. Sprinkle half the cheese across one half of the tortilla and then add half the diced tomatoes and olives.

Layer half the chicken over the top of the cheese, tomatoes and olives.

Using a spatula, fold the tortilla so that you have a half moon shape. Flip the tortilla over and cook the other side until the cheese is melted.

Quesadilla with Chorizo
1 tablespoon olive oil
200g chorizo cooking sausage, chopped
½ onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Handful of cheese, grated

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the chorizo, onion and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until the chorizo darkens in colour and becomes fragrant. Remove and set aside.

Follow the same process as above, by placing the tortilla in a clean frying pan and sprinkling the cheese across one half before adding the chorizo mix.

Fold the tortilla and flip so that both sides are cooked and the cheese is melted.

Quesadillas are usually served with some kind of accompanying sauce, such as soured cream or salsa. Below are a couple of recipes for sauces that can be enjoyed on their own with some tortilla chips, or served alongside the quesadillas.

Guacamole

To make your guacamole, scoop the flesh out of one avocado and mash with a fork. Add a finely chopped red onion, ½ large green chilli finely chopped and a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. Mix well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally stir through some freshly torn leaves of coriander – this isn’t necessary, but adds a bit of extra flavour.

Pico de Gallo

This fresh, spicy salsa is a great accompaniment to any Mexican meal and certainly packs a punch. All you need to do it mix together two diced tomatoes, one finely chopped onion, one finely chopped jalapeno pepper and the juice of two limes. Add salt and pepper to taste.