Recipe courtesy of Gary Sunbury
and
Gordon Carbone
Gordon and Gary's Pesto Chicken Quesadillas
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings as an appetizer
- Total: 52 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 22 min
Ingredients
Fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
Roasted almonds
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 flour tortilla
Directions
- First make the pesto:
- In a sturdy and large plastic cup put a large handful of fresh basil leaves, 1 clove of garlic, a 1/4 cup of roasted almonds, 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use an immersion blender to blend it all together, until smooth and bright green. Reserve.
- For the chicken:
- Mix together the paprika, pepper, and cumin in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt. Dust the chicken breasts with the spice mixture and rub in. Grill on a medium hot grill, turning occasionally until chicken is just cooked through. Depending on how thick the breasts are, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove from grill and let rest. Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch slices and set aside. Lay a tortilla over low heat on the grill and spread a thin layer of pesto over it. Lay the strips of chicken over the tortilla and sprinkle with Parmesan, cover with another tortilla. Cook until you get color on the bottom and carefully flip it over to cook the other side. Once it is done, remove from heat and let rest for 1 minute. Cut the tortilla like a pizza and serve.