Skillet Chicken Quesadillas
Freeze-dried chicken, dried peppers and onion, and cheese pressed between tortillas in a hot pan.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 103
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried chicken | 3 oz | rehydrates in about ten minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Dried bell pepper flakes | 1/2 cup | |
| Dried minced onion | 1/4 cup | |
| Fajita or taco seasoning | 2 tbsp | |
| Large flour tortillas | 8 | |
| Cheddar cheese | 6 oz | a block keeps better than a bag of shreds |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | |
| Shelf-stable salsa | 1 cup | pouch or small jar |
Method
- Put the chicken, peppers, onion, and seasoning in the skillet with 300 ml of hot water. Let it sit off heat for ten minutes.
- Set the skillet over the fire or stove and cook the filling down until the water is gone and the edges start to catch. Scrape it into a mug or bowl.
- Wipe the skillet, add a spoonful of oil, and lay in a tortilla.
- Spread about a half cup of filling and a handful of cheese over half the tortilla, top with a second tortilla, and press it flat with the back of a spoon or the bottom of a second pan.
- Two or three minutes a side over moderate heat. If the tortilla darkens before the cheese melts, the fire is too hot.
- Cut into wedges and eat with salsa. Repeat for the rest.
The camp version of a quesadilla fails in two places: watery filling and burnt tortillas. Both come from the same mistake, which is putting wet food on hot bread. Cooking the filling all the way dry first solves it. Freeze-dried chicken and dried vegetables help here too, because you control exactly how much water goes in and it all cooks back out.
Sour cream and fresh peppers do not travel without a cooler, so they are gone. Salsa in a pouch keeps at ambient temperature and does the same job of cutting the fat. Cheese is the structural ingredient, not a garnish. Cut it thin so it melts before the tortilla is done.
Packing
Chicken, vegetables, and seasoning go in one bag so the filling is a single pour. Cheese in a block, wrapped, on the cool side of the food bin. Tortillas flat against the back of the pack or they arrive folded.
Variations
- A pouch of chicken or a tin of black beans works if you would rather not carry freeze-dried.
- Powdered sour cream mixed with a little cold water gives you the cool side without a cooler.
https://campfirefoodie.com/the-best-skillet-quesadilla-recipe