Corn & Black Bean Quesadillas

If you know my husband, then you know of his insane love for chicken and cheese quesadillas and basically Mexican food in general. It's totally a genetic thing, and I take it as a sign that I married into the right family! That being said, we have some various form of tacos, fajitas, quesadillas, etc. every week in our supper menu.


This meal came out of experimenting with different ways to make quesadillas because I need some variety in my life(i.e. food). I love to use fresh corn in the summer time that has been grilled for that extra charred taste, but canned works fine as well.


I'm not reinventing the wheel here. It's a basic quesadilla making method, but it's cheesy and flavorful with just the right amount of heat. The simple dipping sauce adds bright, fresh acidity to bring the whole thing together.

Making the filling starts with mixing the vegetables in a bowl. I grilled 2 ears of corn and cut all the kernels off, rinsed and drained a can of black beans, and added those to a bowl with diced red onion, jalapeño, and garlic.

In a large skillet, add oil and seasoning. Heating the spices in a skillet blooms them, meaning that the heat causes a reaction to help bring out more of their flavors.

Add the cooked shredded chicken to the spices & stir to coat. To make quick shredded chicken, I baked one breast at 300 degrees until it was just cooked through. After it cooled for 15 minutes it was easy to shred with 2 forks. Cubed chicken is also fine here, I just prefer the texture of the shredded.

Pour the corn & black bean mixture in with the chicken and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. If the pan gets too dry, a splash of chicken stock or water can be added. The goal here is to just cook the garlic and soften the onion and jalapeño.


Return the filling to a bowl, and wipe out skillet. I guess you could use a separate pan or griddle, but I say why dirty more dishes if you don't have to!


From there on it's the basic procedure: tortilla, cheese, filling, more cheese then the second tortilla on top.

I use a spray vegetable oil to coat the skillet, but butter can be used or even just cook it dry. Let it do it's thing until the cheese starts to melt and the bottom browns, then flip and repeat on the other side.

While it cooks, make the quick dipping sauce. Mix sour cream with pinch of salt, cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Simple and delicious. Another option is to add adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers for an extra kick.

Let the quesadilla cool for a few minutes; it gives the cheese time to set up a little more which makes it easier to cut (a pizza cutter works great). Slice up & serve with the sour cream sauce and a wedge of lime!


Look at those crispy edges where the cheese oozed out and fried. So Good!

I'll list out the ingredients I used, but there's not an exact science here. I did not measure any of the spices. Start small and add more after tasting. That's the best way to learn more about flavors and how taste buds work!


INGREDIENTS
2 ears of fresh corn
1 can of black beans rinsed & drained
half of a red onion diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 jalapeño minced
2 cups shredded chicken (1 chicken breast)
shredded cheese (I used colby jack)
tortillas (I used flour fajitas tortillas)

Spices & seasonings:
kosher salt
black pepper
cumin
cayenne pepper
smoked paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
oregano
chili powder
ground chipotle powder
dried onion flakes
hickory sea salt

*If using individual spices isn't your thing, the pre-made taco seasoning packets are just fine*

Dipping sauce:
1 cup sour cream
2 to 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
zest & juice of one lime
pinch of salt


INSTRUCTIONS
1) Mix corn, black beans, onion, garlic, and jalapeño

2) Bloom spices in small bit of oil over medium heat, stirring for a minute or two.

3) Add shredded chicken and thoroughly mix in with spices.

4) Pour in vegetable mixture. Let cook for a few minutes so everything is heated through.

5) Assemble quesadillas for cooking: tortilla-> cheese->filling->cheese->tortilla. Cook on both sides until browned and cheese is nice and bubbly.

6) Mix together ingredients for sauce. Cut up quesadilla into wedges and serve up!