Name: Chicken Quesadillas II
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken (from a 2 1/2-lb bird); 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 5 oz coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese (with or without hot peppers; 2 cups) 8 (7-inch) flour tortillas

Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Chicken Quesadillas II

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups shredded cooked rotisserie chicken (from a 2 1/2-lb bird)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 oz coarsely grated Monterey Jack cheese (with or without hot peppers; 2 cups) 8 (7-inch) flour tortillas

Directions

Prepare the filling

Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Cook onion with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes.
Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Transfer to a large bowl. Add chicken to onion mixture along with cheese.

Assemble the quesadillas

Put 1 tortilla on a cutting board. Spread 1/2 cup chicken mixture over half of tortilla. Fold other half over to form a half-moon, pressing firmly on seam.
Assemble 7 more quesadillas in same manner.

Grill and serve

Heat lightly oiled grill pan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Reduce heat to moderate.
Grill quesadillas, 2 at a time, turning over once, until cheese is melted and golden brown grill marks appear, about 4 minutes total per batch. Transfer with a spatula to cutting board and cut in half.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1052Calories

56 gProtein

31 gFat

133 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Tortilla	1 medium flour (45g)	140
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Pepper + clovetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together17,451 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Chicken + garlictop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,850 recipes

Shared aroma: 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).
Pepper + garlictop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together27,090 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Chicken + oniontop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,814 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Chicken: Provides the main protein and bulk of the filling.
Monterey jack cheese: Melts to bind the filling and gives the quesadillas their stretch and golden crust.
Onion: Softens and turns sweet as it cooks, adding flavor to the filling.
Flour tortillas: Form the outer shell that folds around the filling and crisps on the grill.
Garlic: Adds aroma and savory depth when cooked briefly until fragrant.

The step that matters

Grill over moderate heat after the pan is preheated. Starting on high heat until the pan smokes sears the tortilla quickly, then lowering the heat lets the cheese melt through before the outside burns.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chicken, pepper, onion, garlic, cheese):

Thymefits better
Cuminfits better
Oreganofits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against chicken, pepper, onion, garlic, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Chicken Quesadillas II