When I ask what to grill, quesadillas are the first thing that gets requested at our house. Well, after ribs, of course, but that’s a given. These quesadillas are made with smoked chicken thighs, so you can really taste that they came from the grill.
Not only are grilled quesadillas delicious, but they’re also healthier than the ones you typically make in the kitchen. The whole recipe uses only a tablespoon of oil, and then look at how many vegetables go into them.
We won’t talk about the cheese. You’re already doing so well with the veggies that the cheese balances everything. Don’t use low-fat cheese, though—it just doesn’t melt right.
Since we’re smoking the chicken thighs instead of grilling them, we still want to get a nice crust. That’s where the dry rub comes in. The spices mix with the chicken’s fat and smoke, forming what’s known as a “bark.” We use about 1 tbsp of dry rub per 500 grams of chicken thighs.
We set our Kamado Joe for indirect cooking at around 150ºC (300ºF). We used beech wood for smoking, aiming for light, transparent smoke. You don’t want heavy grey smoke that tastes likes soot.
We let the chicken thighs smoke for about an hour. The final internal temperature should be around 85ºC (185ºF), but you don’t have to be super precise with chicken thighs. You’re good as long as the temperature is between 80ºC and 90ºC (175ºF – 195ºF).
When the thighs are ready, we remove the platesetters from the Kamado and place a cast iron skillet on the grate. Add a tablespoon of canola oil, then toss in the onions and peppers. Grill them until soft.
Just before removing the skillet from the heat, stir in some cilantro, garlic, lime zest, and cumin. If you don’t like cilantro, you can leave it out—it’s up to you.
There are different ways to make quesadillas. You often see them stacking two tortillas on top of each other, but the tricky part is flipping them without spilling the filling.
We fill half of the tortilla with the grilled vegetables, chicken, and cheese, then fold it in half. Once folded, we wait until the cheese melts on one side. Then, we grab it by the open end and flip it over to the other side, keeping all the fillings inside the tortilla.
We use a cast iron griddle, but you could also clean the used skillet and use that for the quesadillas. As you can see, we didn’t use any extra oil here either, but if you want it even crispier, you can add some.
These are our smoked chicken quesadillas. We serve them with pico de gallo and sour cream. If you try these quesadillas, let us know in the comments below—or better yet, take a photo and post it on Instagram. Tag @bbqhelden so we can see what you’ve made.
Ingredients
For the quesadillas
- 500 grams chicken thighs
- Grated cheese (we used a mix of aged Dutch cheese and cheddar)
For the dry rub
- 2 tbsp paprika powder
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion granules
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
For the veggies
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 large sweet onion
- A handful of chopped cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- Juice of half a lime
- A pinch of salt, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the peppers and onion into strips. Finely chop the cilantro and mix it with the lime zest, cumin, and garlic.
- Mix the dry rub ingredients and coat the chicken thighs on all sides. Let them rest in the fridge while you prepare the barbecue.
- Set up your barbecue for indirect heat at around 150ºC (300ºF) with some smoking wood. Smoke the chicken thighs until they reach an internal temperature of about 85ºC (185ºF).
- Let the chicken thighs rest while you grill the peppers and onions in a lightly oiled skillet. Once soft and translucent, add the cilantro, garlic, lime zest and juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir everything together and remove from the heat.
- Heat a cast iron griddle or skillet. While it’s heating, slice the chicken into strips.
- Lay a tortilla on the griddle. Top one-half with the grilled veggies, chicken, and a handful of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half.
- Once the cheese on the bottom is melted, flip the tortilla and wait until all the cheese is melted. Then, remove and let the quesadilla cool slightly.
