A couple of weeks ago my husband randomly met me at my kick boxing class on his way home from work… just to give me a kiss! Crazy sweet, right?! For no rhyme or reason, the other day he surprised me with two cookbooks because he noticed that I had been eyeing a brand that doesn’t post recipes online. Then last night he surprised me with Mexican take-out for dinner. These sweet gestures make me feel special and I love the little things he does for me. Geesh, I’m so mushy today. Maybe it’s because the most romantic day of the year is approaching. Yes, let’s go with that. 😉
Almost instantly I tried some new recipes from the cookbooks and one of them is this chicken quesadilla pie. It’s not like anything I’ve ever eaten before. It’s a combination of a quesadilla, a quiche, and a savory pancake, all wrapped up in the form of a tasty pie.
Chicken Quesadilla Pie Recipe
(About 6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 (10 inch) flour tortilla
- 1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded into bite sized pieces (equivalent to about 3 cups)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided per the directions)
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided per the directions)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Grease a 9 inch pie plate.
- Lay the tortilla into the prepared pie plate (pressing the excess up the sides of the plate). Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, chopped cilantro, finely chopped jalapeno, 1 cup of the shredded cheese, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Then spread it over the tortilla.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Slowly pour the filling on top of the chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese on top.
- Bake the pie for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is is slightly browned. Let it cool for a few minutes before cutting into it.
Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken is a real time saver, but feel free to cook your own chicken if that’s what you prefer. In fact this would be a great meal to make after the holidays to use up that leftover turkey.
The pie is starting to take form. So far it looks like the beginning steps of a thick quesadilla, right? (Except there is no top tortilla coming to this fiesta.)
Here’s where it gets interesting. You add an egg mixture on top. So it’s a quiche? Among other ingredients, you also add flour and baking powder. Does that make it a souffle? What the what? I know, it’s crazy talk.
The liquid will seep into the chicken mixture and create something magical. 😉
There is no shortage of cheese going on here.
It’s amazing what a few simple ingredients can do here. This savory pie puffs up a bit and the cheese on top forms an chewy crust.
A tortilla must be the simplest pie crust on earth. Pull it out of the bag, throw it in the pie plate, uhm, crust, just like that. It sure works great to hold everything in place though. Mysteriously, the inside becomes a harmonious hodgepodge from all the various ingredients. Every bite is full of moist chicken, gooey cheese, herbs, and a light bread-like substance. In other words, there is a lot of deliciousness going on here.
Even though there is jalapeno in this pie, it’s not spicy.
To complete this Southwestern meal, I topped it with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro. If you want more heat, I’d add some finely chopped jalapeno on top too. My husband, true to form splashed Chipotle Tabasco all over the top.
What little things make you happy?
Slightly adapted from: America’s Test Kitchen: The Best Simple Recipes
Here are some other awesome Mexican meals.
Love it. This would be a big hit in my house!
Cool! Mexican food is a big hit in our home. 🙂
What a sweet husband! Sounds like a real prince charming. This dish looks amazing. i’ve been craving Mexican food lately. This should satisfy : )
He really is a sweetie pie. 🙂
Awwww… Your husband is so sweet. What lovely little stories.
This quesadilla pie looks so good. You are right – it definitely looks like something I’ve never had before. Definitely bona try it!
I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
Wow, go Tina’s hubsand! Scoring some major points I’m sure! This quesadilla pie looks SO good! Something that I totally would (and now probably will) make! Pinning 🙂
Hubby for the win! 🙂 Thanks so much Chris. 🙂
This is so different! I love it – it sounds awesome. All the flavors in here are right up my alley (and great idea to try it with leftover thanksgiving turkey). That’s so sweet of your husband – you got a good one : )
I sure do have a good one. 🙂
OMG. OMG. OMG. This is so amazing, and such a creative idea!!
Hehe, thanks! 🙂
Aww what sweetheart your hubby is!! He might need to teach the.boy a lesson or two. I keep hinting that if he does not come home with GOOD chocolate on Friday, he can just not come home at all. Kidding. Kind of.
This quesadilla pie looks awesome! We are always up for Mexican flavors.
Hehe, oh yes, good chocolate is a must for Feb 14th! Let’s hope both our guys come home with some. 🙂
Awwh, your husband is the sweetest!
And this pie looks unreal! Quiche + souffle + quesadilla?? Oh My – I t sounds too good to be true! And that cheesy goodness on top is calling my name. I need this for dinner today, oh please! <3
Sure, come on over! 😉
Your husband sure knows the way to a food bloggers heart! I’ll bet he got major points for that sweet gesture! And this pie looks amazing! I love savory pies and I love quesadillas so this pie is kind of perfect for me. Definitely going to have to add this one to my dinner menus! 🙂
Haha, that’s awesome! Cookbooks sure are a good gift for a food blogger. 🙂 I hope you love this pie as much as we do!
I LOVE the tortilla crust idea and can’t wait to try it. What a wonderfully romantic husband you have. I can only imagine the ways you spoil him too. 🙂
Hehe, we do spoil each other. 😉 Thanks so much! 🙂
What a delicious looking pie! Lots of little things make me happy 🙂
Yeah for the little things! 🙂
What a brilliant idea- would love to try the recipe! 🙂
Awesome!
Oh I love stuff like this, Tina! Anything enchilada wins my heart. Pinned!
Haha, I meant anything quesadilla. but anything enchilada does too. 🙂
Same page! 🙂
Wow! How cool is this? We love Mexican dishes, so I know this would be a bit. Can’t wait to try this. I love using rotisserie chicken.,
Awesome! I hope you love it as much as we do. 🙂