Chicken and pepper quesadillas

Pulled chicken works perfectly in these quesadillas from the Hairy Bikers. The taco seasoning is so easy to make and will keep well in a jar.

Ingredients

For the shredded chicken

• 4 tbsp taco seasoning
• 3 chicken breast fillets, boneless and skin removed
• 5 chicken thigh fillets, boneless and skin removed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250ml/9fl oz passata
• 250ml/9fl oz chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the filling

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 lime, juice only

For the quesadilla

• 12 flour tortillas
• 400g/14 oz cheese, such as Monterey Jack or cheddar, grated
• 4 avocados, thinly sliced (optional)
• bunch spring onions, shredded (optional)
• 2 fresh or pickled jalapeño chillies, chopped (optional)
• bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped (optional)
• soured cream, to serve
• lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. For the shredded chicken, rub the seasoning all over the chicken.

2. Heat the oil in a large lidded saucepan or casserole and fry the chicken for 5 minutes, or until golden-brown. Pour over the passata and stock and tuck in the bay leaves. Add the cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, cover and leave to simmer gently for 2 hours.

3. When the chicken is very tender, carefully remove from the sauce and transfer to a plate. Shred with a couple of forks. Continue to simmer the sauce for 30 minutes, or until very thick. Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce.

4. For the filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Add the onion and peppers and fry on a fairly high heat for about 6–8 minutes, or until lightly browned but still with some bite. Add the garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the shredded chicken, taco seasoning and lime juice and cook until heated through.

5. To make the quesadilla, heat a flat skillet or large frying pan and add a tortilla. Spread some of the filling on half of the tortilla and sprinkle generously with cheese. Top with avocado, spring onions, jalapeños and coriander, if using.

6. Fold over the other half of the tortilla and cook for a few minutes. Flip the tortilla over and cook for another few minutes, until the tortilla is golden. Transfer to a chopping board and cut into wedges. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Serve with soured cream and lime wedges.

Chicken and pepper quesadillas