Quesadillas don’t get the respect they deserve. At the Tex Mex restaurant near our house, they show up a squishy, greasy mess. It’s “just” chicken and melted cheese and I get that it’s the “plain” menu option… but that really is a sad sight and a painful way to give away $10.

Maybe they’re expected to be boring, but they don’t have to be. Throw in a quick wet-rub marinade and some flame-kissed tortillas and you get a pretty remarkable transformation!

These quesadillas are far from that $10 plate of sad – they became a house favorite the very first time we made them. They’re stuffed with avocado slices, fresh jalapenos, cheese, chicken, and and then cooked outside on the grill. The wet rub for the chicken is absolutely awesome: it comes together in minutes and is really flavorful.

And because it’s made of things that I keep in my house all the time, it eliminates most of the need to plan or be organized (two things that I stopped trying to be good at long ago).

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Grilled Chicken & Avocado Quesadillas

A flavorful wet rub transforms ordinary chicken quesadillas into a quick and delicious dinner.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 6-8 tortillas (fajita size)
• olive oil, for brushing
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar jack, shredded
• Sliced avocado
• Fresh jalapeno slices, optional
• For the Wet rub
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder, optional
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. Heat grill to medium-high. Whisk wet rub ingredients together in a glass bowl, add chicken, and turn to coat.
2. Place chicken on the grill and cook until the juices run clear (about 6-7 minutes per side). Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes.
3. Cut the chicken breasts into strips or small cubes. Top one half of each tortilla with chicken, cheese, and avocado and then fold the other half over, pressing down lightly. Brush or spray the outside of the quesadilla with olive oil and place on the grill. Grill two minutes on each side - keep an eye because they can scorch quickly.
4. Remove from heat and serve with salsa, guacamole, or your topping of choice.

Notes

Yields: 6-8 servings

Wet rub adapted from My Husband Cooks

Estimated time: 30 minutes