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Baked Crispy Chicken Tinga Quesadillas

Smoky chicken tinga layered with cheese and baked on a sheet pan until deeply crisp, then finished with avocado crema and fresh toppings.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garli
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon red paprika
  • salt + pepper
  • splash of chicken broth or water
Tinga Sauce
  • 1 (14 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo
  • Splash of chicken broth or water
Crema Verde
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Handful of cilantro
  • Splash of water
  • Salt to taste

Method
 

  1. Season chicken generously with seasonings
  2. Sear in olive oil until golden (don't cook through yet). Remore.
  3. In the same pan, soften onion until lightly caramelized. Add garlic and a splash of broth.
  4. Blend tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo and a splach of broth until smooth.
  5. Return chicken to pan, pour sauce over, cover, and simmer 20-25 minutes until shreddable.
  6. Shred chicken directly in the sauce and reduce slightly until rich.
Baking the Quesadillas
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  2. Genrously oil the sheetpan and run the sheetpan with your hands until fully coated.
  3. Layer tortilla, cheese, chicken tinga, more cheese, tortilla.
  4. Assemble the quesadillas on the sheetpan and firmly press them down; drizzling additional olive oil on top
  5. Bake for 9 minutes (this can fluctuate based on oven, keep an eye on them!)
  6. Flip and bake another 3 minutes
  7. Flip again and bake another 1-2 minutes for crispiness. Again, keep an eye on them and bake until deeply golden and crisp
  8. Serve and enjoy immediately with delicious fresh toppings like pickled red onion, crema verde and cilantro

Notes

Tinga should coat, not drown. If it's soupy, keep simmering.