Skip to main content
Main

Chicken Quesadillas

A quesadilla filled with chicken, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese, cooked in a skillet.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Cumin and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,272 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Chicken Quesadillas

serves 8

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Place oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium‑high heat until hot.

  2. Add chopped pepper and onion.

  3. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.

  4. Add cumin.

  5. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often.

  6. Add chicken and tomato.

  7. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.

  8. Stir in minced cilantro, salt, and ground pepper.

Assemble and cook

  1. Place about ½ cup chicken mixture on half of each tortilla.

  2. Sprinkle cheese evenly over chicken mixture on tortillas.

  3. Fold tortillas in half.

  4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray.

  5. Place skillet over medium‑high heat until hot.

  6. Add 2 filled tortillas.

  7. Cook 30 seconds on each side or until lightly browned.

  8. Set aside, and keep warm.

  9. Repeat procedure with remaining 6 tortillas.

Serve

  1. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

  2. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1206Calories
59 gProtein
44 gFat
143 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chicken100g cooked165
Tortilla1 medium flour (45g)140
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Green Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Cilantro1 tbsp chopped fresh (1g)1
Salt1 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.

  1. Cumin + tomatotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,272 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Onion + cumintop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,498 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  3. Pepper + cumintop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together4,382 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  4. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

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

What each ingredient does

Monterey jack cheese
Melts to bind the filling and give the folded tortillas a creamy, stretchy texture.
Green bell pepper
Adds bulk and a fresh, slightly sweet vegetable crunch to the filling.
Purple onion
Adds savory depth and aroma as it softens in the hot skillet.
Chicken breast
Provides the protein base of the filling, adding substance and mild savory flavor.
Diced tomatoes
Contribute moisture and acidity that season the chicken filling.

The step that matters

Cooking the folded tortillas. Cook over medium-high heat only until the outside is lightly browned, since the skillet's heat must melt the cheese inside before the tortilla scorches or dries out.

Swap the cumin

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

  1. Garlicfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Cuminthe original
  4. Celeryfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, onion, chicken, tomato, flour, cheese, butter. 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.

You might also like

Tomato SoupTomato Soup526 recipesChicken BrothChicken Broth257 recipesChicken SoupChicken Soup156 recipesCream of Tomato SoupCream of Tomato Soup107 recipes