Chicken Suizas Quesadilla Cakes Recipes

CHICKEN SUIZA CHILAQUILES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Spray the tortillas and toast until golden and crisp. Remove and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F.
• Char the peppers all over on gas stovetop burner or under the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover and cool to handle. Peel and seed the peppers.
• Dress the tomatillos, garlic and onions with the oil, and roast until charred and tender. Cool slightly and remove the skin from the garlic.
• Process the tomatillos, garlic, onions, poblanos, honey, cumin, cilantro, lime juice and some salt and pepper into fairly smooth sauce/salsa. Taste to adjust seasoning. Add to a pot and stir in the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, stir in the crema and then add the chicken.
• Fill a casserole dish with the crisp tortilla strips and top with half of the cheese. Spread around all of the chicken and creamy sauce, and top with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake the casserole until bubbly brown. Remove and top with sliced red onion rings and more cilantro leaves.
• Place the cleaned chicken in a pot on a bed of bay leaves, carrots, garlic, lemon, onion, celery and parsley. Fill the pot to cover the chicken to the top with about 12 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and throw in a couple of peppercorns. Bring the water to a low boil then gently cook at low rolling simmer for about 1 hour, turning the chicken occasionally. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool completely in its own juices. Remove the chicken and separate the meat from skin and bones. Strain and reserve all of the cooking liquids.

CHICKEN ENCHILADA SUIZAS (RICK BAYLESS)

Steps:

• For fresh tomatoes: Roast the tomatoes and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until they're darkly roasted (they'll be blackened in spots), about 6 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side-5 or 6 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatoes that are cooked through. Cool. Working over your baking sheet, pull off and discard the blackened tomato skins and, for round tomatoes, cut out the hard "cores" where the stems were attached. Transfer tomatoes and chiles to a food processor or blender, along with all the juices on the baking sheet. Blend to a smooth puree.
• For canned tomatoes: In a small dry skillet, roast the chiles over medium heat, turning regularly, until they're soft and splotchy-black, about 5 minutes. Place in a blender or food processor along with the drained canned tomatoes. Blend to a smooth puree.
• In a medium-size (4- or 5-quart) pot (preferably a Dutch oven or Mexican cazuela), heat the oil or lard over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, and, when noticeably hotter, stir in the tomato puree. Cook, stirring, until darker in color and thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the broth, partially cover and simmer 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. The sauce should be a slightly soupy consistency-not as thick as spaghetti sauce. If it is too thick, stir in a little additional broth. Keep warm over low heat.
• Other preliminaries. Stir the crema (or one of its stand-ins) into the sauce. Put the chicken in a bowl and stir 1/2 cup of the sauce mixture into it. Taste and season with additional salt if you think it needs it. Have the cheese at the ready.
• Heat the oven to 350°. Smear about 1/4 cup of the sauce over the bottom of 4 to 6 nine-inch individual ovenproof baking/serving dishes or smear about 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Lay the tortillas out on a baking sheet (2 sheets if you have them, for more even heating), and lightly brush or spray both sides of the tortillas with oil. Bake just to warm through and soften, about 3 minutes. Stack the tortillas and cover with a towel to keep warm.
• Working quickly so the tortillas stay hot and pliable, roll a portion of the chicken into each tortilla, then line them all up in the baking dishes. Douse evenly with the remaining sauce, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the enchiladas are hot through (the cheese will have begun to brown), about 15 minutes. Garnish with onion rings and cilantro sprigs. These are best served piping hot from the oven.
• MAKE AHEAD The sauce can be made a day or two ahead; refrigerate covered. Once the tortillas have been heated in the oven, you need to work quickly and steadily toward serving in order to preserve their beautiful texture. Once out of the oven, the finished dish softens to near mush over a period of 15 to 20 minutes.

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Grease a baking sheet.
• Toss the chicken with the fajita seasoning, then spread onto the baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the green bell peppers, red bell peppers, onion, and chicken. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
• Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and vegetable mixture, then sprinkle with the Cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and Monterey Jack. Fold the tortillas in half and Place onto a baking sheet.
• Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS SUIZAS

Steps:

• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rapid boil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the boiling water; cover. Cook 15 to 20 minutes; drain and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10x15 baking dish.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper in the melted butter until just soft, 5 to 8 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Add the chicken, Cheddar cheese, green chile peppers, salsa, cilantro, cumin, and chipotle peppers to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix.
• Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the edge of a tortilla; roll tightly into a tube. Place the enchilada, seam-side down, into the prepared baking dish. Repeat until all the chicken mixture is used. Sprinkle Monterrey Jack cheese over the enchiladas. Whisk together the whipping cream and chicken broth in a small bowl; pour over the enchiladas. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is completely melted, about 10 minutes.