Chicken quesadilla-style grilled tortilla with chipotle sour cream

Seasoned grilled chicken and a three-cheese melt folded into a crispy flour tortilla, with chipotle sour cream for dipping. The Taco Bell take on a Tex-Mex classic.

Ingredients

• 2 large flour tortillas (25 cm / 10 inch)
• 300 g chicken breast, butterflied thin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100 g mozzarella, grated
• 100 g mature cheddar, grated
• 50 g cream cheese, softened
• For the chipotle sour cream: 100 ml sour cream, 1 tsp chipotle paste, juice of 1/2 lime, pinch of salt

Method

1. Season and cook the chicken. Mix the spices with salt and pepper. Rub onto the butterflied chicken breasts. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium-high and cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips.

2. Make the chipotle sour cream. Stir the chipotle paste, lime juice and salt into the sour cream. Taste — you want a smoky warmth, not pure heat.

3. Mix the cheeses. Combine the mozzarella, cheddar and softened cream cheese in a bowl. The cream cheese is the secret to that melty-stretchy Taco Bell texture.

4. Build the quesadillas. Lay a tortilla flat. Scatter half the cheese mix over half the tortilla, top with sliced chicken, then more cheese (cheese on both sides is what makes it stick together). Fold in half.

5. Cook. Heat the remaining olive oil in a clean pan over medium heat. Lay the folded quesadilla in and press down with a spatula. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until the tortilla is golden and crispy and the cheese has fully melted.

6. Rest for 1 minute, then slice each quesadilla into 3 wedges. Serve with the chipotle sour cream for dipping and lime wedges on the side.

Notes

Butterflying the chicken thin (or just buying thin escalopes) means it cooks in half the time and you don’t get raw middles. The cream cheese trick is what Taco Bell actually does — don’t skip it.