Apr. 29 - BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

 I thought this was going to be a food fail as I started it. It's an intensely over-complicated recipe that honestly doesn't need to be even half as complex. The buttermilk dressing can easily be buttermilk ranch salad dressing, the smoked tomato relish can be a sweeter salsa (pineapple salsa, perhaps?), and the BBQ chicken could be regular old breasts shredded after barbecuing. But, I went through this step by step...and my god, it took forever. The result tasted pretty good, but nothing exciting. My buttermilk did NOT come out right (probably because of some substitutions) - it was watery and not nearly as creamy as it should have been. Ah, well, not every dinner can be fabulous?!

Bbq Chicken Quesadilla with Smoked Tomato Relish and Buttermilk Dressing
from www.foodnetwork.com
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs, boned (about 1 pound), skin removed
3 cups BBQ sauce, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder

Smoked Tomato Salsa
8 cold smoked plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 serrano chile, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Buttermilk Dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place chicken in a medium baking dish. Pour 2 cups of the barbecue sauce over chicken and let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator. 
2. Remove from marinade, season with salt and pepper to taste and grill for 7 to 8 minutes on both sides or until tender and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool. 
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
4. When chicken is cool enough to handle, slice. Toss with the reserved 1 cup of bbq sauce. 
5. Place 8 tortillas on a flat surface and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of each of the cheeses and onion slices. Top with some chicken. Stack another tortilla on top and repeat. Top with the remaining 8 tortillas. 
6. Brush the top of the tortillas with oil and sprinkle with the chili powder. Place tortillas on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown and cheese has melted.

For the Smoked Tomato Salsa: Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Buttermilk Dressing: Mix all ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: Place 1 quesadilla on each plate and cut into quarters. Top with a dollop of salsa and drizzle with the buttermilk dressing.

* I wish these were what mine looked like, but this is just from the Food Network page.