Grilled Curry Chicken Quesadillas

^{This post has been sponsored by Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce. All opinions expressed are my own.}

If you're looking for something more than your usual Tex-Mex quesadilla, something that goes beyond the expected, today's quesadillas have got you covered - courtesy of our good friends over at Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce. Our Grilled Curry Chicken Quesadillas are packed with earthy warmth from Jamaican curry, herbal notes from Mexican oregano, fruit-forward smoky heat from Korean red pepper, and tangy heat from Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce. The quesadillas are grilled to golden perfection, and then packed with marinated chicken, grilled peppers, caramelized onions, and plenty of cheese.

These quesadillas feature a crisp yet pliable outer shell that gives way to melted cheddar, swathed over grilled peppers and silky caramelized onions, while the aroma of the spices greets you before you've even taken your first bite. However, the secret is Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce. Its tangy heat and chili-forward flavor help elevate this recipe to something truly special - but more Miller's below.

These quesadillas are perfect for casual weekend dinners when you want something exciting, but can also be made a day or two ahead and then reheated in the toaster oven, meaning they're great for meal prep. They can also be quartered and served as appetizers.

Read on for a complete ingredient checklist, a recipe overview, and a printable recipe card. Now, let's make some quesadillas.

Grilled Curry Chicken Quesadillas - Recipe Overview

Taste and Texture

Our Chicken Tortillas deliver a delicious fusion of flavors. We've got earthy heat from Jamaican curry, smoky and fruity spice from Korean red pepper flakes, and nutty notes from sesame oil. The grilling method provides beautiful caramelization, while the sugar in the rub helps achieve a lovely golden-brown color, balancing the heat. In terms of texture, the cheese brings a creamy contrast to the crisp shells. The shells themselves, however, retain moisture through the grilling, remaining pleasantly pliable despite their crunch. Seriously, these quesadillas deliver restaurant-quality results without a restaurant-quality price tag.

Difficulty Level

Intermediate. Sorry to say, this is not a set-it-and-forget-it recipe, nor is this a recipe I can safely call "quick and easy." This recipe involves multiple parts and multiple steps, as well as proper timing and patience.

Preparation Process

The total time for this recipe depends significantly on whether you're using pre-cooked chicken or cooking it fresh. Using leftover rotisserie chicken, for example, dramatically reduces the amount of active prep time, whereas grilling chicken breasts or roasting a whole chicken is basically an entire other recipe's worth of work on its own.

• Raw Chicken: If we were starting with raw chicken, we would need to marinate it for at least an hour, or up to overnight. Then we need to grill or roast the chicken (up to an hour's worth of time), plus all of the other steps included in this recipe.
• Precooked or Leftover Chicken: If we're using pre-cooked chicken or leftover chicken, the amount of time this recipe takes reduces quite a bit. We toss the chicken with the rub (about five minutes), then grill the peppers (another ten minutes), after which we caramelize the onions (up to fifteen minutes), then assemble and cook the tortillas (3-5 minutes each).

Pairings

• Mexican Lagers: A cold beer and a quesadilla are a classic match for a reason - it works. Aim for Mexican lagers, wheat beers, or IPAs.
• Wines: A nice Spanish Albariño or a pleasant rosé is what you're looking for here. These would be my go-to pairings, especially if you're quartering these quesadillas to serve as appetizers.
• Guacamole: Topped with a decent guacamole, these already delicious quesadillas are taken to another level.
• Salsa: A scoop of salsa would easily complement, rather than compete with, the quesadillas.

Grilled Curry Chicken Quesadillas - Ingredient Checklist

For the Main Components

• 2-3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • Convenience: Use rotisserie chicken for maximal convenience, and just shred the meat from the bones.
  • Leftover Chicken: Any leftover grilled or roasted chicken also works.
• 6-8 small tortilla shells
  • Flour Tortillas: In my opinion, flour tortillas are best for this recipe, since they are generally more pliable and remain pliable through cooking.
  • Fresher is Better: If available, opt for either homemade flour tortillas or fresh tortillas, as opposed to shelf-stable tortillas. The difference in flavor is real.
  • How Many? If using small tortillas, as I am, I recommend at least two per person. If using medium or large shells, I recommend aiming for one per person. This recipe makes about 4 servings.
• Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce
  • Essential: This sauce really helps to bring the flavors together and gives the quesadillas a rich, chili-forward flavor.
  • The Star of the Show: This is the sauce that ties the whole recipe together. Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce works beautifully in this recipe because it provides us with chili-forward goodness, some vinegar tang, and subtle, background sweetness with just a hint of fruit notes. These are quintessential quesadilla flavors. The real key here is the sauce's vinegar-forward profile, with subtle fruitiness and lush chili goodness.
  • Grab a Bottle: Seriously, check out our friends over at Miller's, I promise you won't be disappointed. I use this sauce on everything from eggs and sandwiches to steaks and roasts.
• 2 small sweet onions, sliced
  • Suggested Onions: Vidalia, Walla Walla, or Maui sweet onions will all work great.
  • Cut Size: Aim for roughly ¼ inch thick half-moons for evening cooking.
  • How Small? About 2-3 inches in diameter.
• 2 red bell peppers, grilled and sliced
  • Into the Fire: I grill mine straight on the burner. However, you can also grill them dry in a cast-iron pan.
  • How Long? Grill until the skin is thoroughly blackened and blistered, and the meat is pliable.
  • Can I Use Jarred? Absolutely. Jarred roasted peppers will work just fine.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Extra Virgin: As always, I recommend using a decent quality extra virgin olive oil.
  • Substitute: Any flavor-neutral cooking oil.
• 2 teaspoons sugar
  • Sugar for Caramelizing: You need sugar to caramelize, as the sugar draws out moisture and promotes browning. It also provides some sweetness to balance and bind the other flavors of the quesadillas.
• 2 cups chicken broth
  • Do Not Submerge: All we want to do is dip the sides in to help lock in moisture through grilling.
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
  • How Much? I'm using about two cups, but seriously, you can use as much or as little cheese as you want. It's entirely a preference. As a rule of thumb, however, aim to cover the interior of each tortilla.
  • Cheddar: I'm using cheddar, but feel free to use your favorite cheese.
  • Other Cheeses: Gouda, mozzarella, Oaxaca, or Monterey Jack would all work great in my opinion.

For the Spice Rub

• 1 teaspoon Jamaican curry powder
  • Color and warmth: Jamaican curry combines allspice, turmeric, fenugreek, and coriander. This blend gives a golden color and earthy warmth.
  • Essential: This spice is essential for the recipe's signature flavor profile. This is a cornerstone ingredient.
• 1 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
  • Fresh or Pre-Ground? Either works for this recipe, but I do suggest using coarse-ground in either case.
• 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes (Gochugaru)
  • Why Gochugaru? Korean red pepper is coarser than cayenne, but finer than Italian or Mexican red pepper flakes. It also has a fruitier, more chili-forward flavor, with background sweet and smoky notes that are absent in its counterparts. This helps elevate the spice blend with a mix of flavors that is difficult to replicate.
  • Substitute: By all means, feel free to use the red pepper flakes of your choice; you could also substitute with your favorite chili flakes. Cayenne, crushed red pepper flakes, or paprika would all work.
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Balance: Purely for balance. Sugar helps to bind the other ingredients and bring out their flavor, while helping to temper (rather than mute) the heat.
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Mexican oregano: Personally, I'm using Mexican oregano, which has a markedly different flavor from Mediterranean oregano. That said, which one you use is purely a matter of preference.
  • Crush it: I recommend crushing the oregano either between your palms or in a mortar and pestle (ideal).
  • Substitute: Oregano is a keystone spice/herb, so it's difficult to replicate. That said, you can use Italian seasoning, dried thyme, or dried basil as (imperfect) stand-ins.
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Why Not Fresh? Even distribution. We want to ensure even distribution of the garlic throughout the rub, and garlic powder helps with that. Also, the bite of fresh garlic would be slightly overpowering in this recipe.
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil:
  • Toasted: We want toasted sesame oil for the nutty flavor it provides.

Equipment You'll Need

Zip-lock Bag or Airtight Container

We need either a large, gallon-size zip-lock bag or an airtight container for marinating the chicken. This allows for easy distribution of the marinade over the chicken (either massaging it on through the bag or shaking the chicken in the airtight container). This also eliminates air exposure during refrigeration, which leaks away flavor and moisture.

Large Cast-Iron Pan

For caramelizing the onions, reheating (or cooking) the chicken, and grilling the tortillas. In my opinion, cast iron works the best due to its heavy construction and heat retention, but feel free to use any large frying pan of your choice.

Shallow dish or plate (for chicken broth)

The shallow dish is for dipping the tortilla in broth to lock in moisture through the cooking process. The dish needs to be wide enough to accommodate the sides of tortillas.

Print

And that's Miller's Chicken Quesadillas. If you enjoyed today's recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below! We always love hearing from you.

And, of course, be sure to grab a bottle of Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce; you won't be disappointed, I promise.

Happy Cooking!

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