Mojo Chicken quesadillas

I prepared the following for a pre-Cinco de Mayo event with friends and they were a great addition to my Mexican inspired menu. Quesadillas are a popular appetizer and this one involves a roasted whole chicken rubbed with a mojo seasoning, which was used as a filling.

*Special thanks to my friend, Eli, for his pic since I was without a camera yesterday!

Mojo Chicken Quesadillas
original Joelen recipe

1 whole chicken fryer
1/4 - 1/2 cup mojo seasoning (recipe follows)
large flour tortillas
queso quesadilla cheese
assorted quesadilla fillings of your choice
(green onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocadoes, cilantro, beans, etc)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prep your whole chicken by patting it dry and placing it in a roasting pan.

Rub the mojo seasoning liberally all over the chicken and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Allow the chicken to cool and then debone, reserving the bones/carcass for homemade chicken stock later. Shred the chicken and use to make your quesadillas.

Heat a large frying pan to medium high heat. Spray some cooking spray on the bottom of the frying pan.

Take one large flour tortilla and place it in the pan. Flip the tortilla over a few times, 10 seconds between flips. Air pockets should begin to form within the tortilla.

When pockets of air begin to form, take a handful of the quesadilla cheese, sprinkle over the top of the tortilla, making sure that the cheese does not land on the pan itself. Add some shredded chicken and whatever additional ingredients you choose. Try to go light on the ingredients so that they can cook evenly and the quesadilla can be flipped without too much of a mess!

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan to help all the cheese to melt. When the cheese is mostly melted, use a spatula to lift up one side of the quesadilla and flip over the other side, just as you would if you were making an omelette. Remove from pan, cut into wedges and serve with your choice of condiments (sour cream, salsa, guacamole, etc).

Mojo Seasoning
recipe adapted from Bella Online

3 large heads garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup fresh or bottled lime juice
1 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, minced

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to make a paste. Use this paste to coat the chicken before baking.