Chori-Pollo Gluten Free Quesadillas (Mini-Machete Style)
Machete' style quesadillas are 12-24 inch long corn tortillas filled with your preference of ingredients and fried on a griddle until a crispy golden color. My sister Nicole introduced me to these when I discovered that I had an intolerance to wheat gluten, and missed the Mexican foods I knew and loved. While I do not live close enough to her for frequent visits, we often go to the restaurant Machete Cocina Mexicana when I am visiting the cities.
Today I was craving a machete type quesadilla and while I do not have the extra long tortillas, I was able to recreate my own version at home with one of my husband's and my favorite Mexican fillings- Chori-Pollo, or better known as Chicken with Chorizo sausage. Recipe is as follows:
Chori-Pollo
Here is where I sometimes cheat--the type of chicken used. Broasted chickens from the deli, pre-cooked to perfection, and then de-boned/skinned are perfectly acceptable to use for this recipe If you are fortunate enough to live near a Sam's Club or Costco, you can lovely sized pre-cooked chicken that cuts down on a little of your prep time. Just cool and remove bones and skin and use all the meat for the recipe.
But if you want to make this very flavorful dish with fresh chicken that you prepare, here is what I use.
2 lbs of chicken- I prefer boneless-skinless thighs for the flavor but you can use whatever boneless chicken you prefer. *Just note that you will have a drier end product unless you add some sort of fat.
In a large skillet, add 1 cup of water and add your uncooked chicken pieces to the pan. Set the pan on medium simmer and cover. I set the timer for 10 minutes and then flip the pieces over to cook another 8-10 minutes or until there is no more pink and the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Turn off heat. Transfer the chicken to a cutting mat and discard the juice (unless you have a cat who tells you otherwise, as ours does :) )Roughly cut or shred the chicken into bite sized pieces, about 1-2 inches each, and set aside.
(I actually wanted to make a large batch so we would have left-overs and we had the breasts from two broasted chickens-left overs-so I added those to the two packages of boneless thighs I defrosted. )
Next, in the same pan you cooked the chicken, add 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite cooking fat. I used some left over bacon grease from this morning's breakfast, but ordinarily I would have used lard. I do not use seed oils for cooking- the why would take too long to explain- but you can use whatever you prefer.
Heat the oil and add the chorizo sausage (often sold near the cheese section in a grocery store). The tubes are a little tricky to open...I have learned that slicing them lengthwise and inverting the wrapper works best. I look for the gluten free sausage- read labels!
Chorizo comes in long tubes.
Chorizo removed from the casing still has a tubular shape
Break up the sausage as it cooks. You want to make sure all of the pieces are cooked through.
Cook for 7-8 minutes stirring constantly. Turn off the heat.
*I do not drain this as it has very little fat in it.
Next transfer the cut up chicken and the fried chorizo to a large baking dish, stirring it so the chorizo coats all of the chicken.
Top with 1-2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack or other melty cheese and pop into a 350 F/175 C degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
There you have Chori-Pollo.
Now, for the Quesadillas, I sauteed some green peppers and onions, sliced an avocado, crumbled some queso fresco cheese, and got out my favorite Green Dragon sauce (Trader Joe's).
With soft white corn tortillas, fill desired number with about 1/4 cup of the chicken chorizo cheese mixture and fold over. In a non-stick pan, heat 1-2 tbsp of your favorite fat or oil and then gently lay the filled tortillas to fry. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side, carefully flipping over (I used a tongs from the open end so I didn't lose any filling) until golden brown. Remove to your plate, top with desired toppings.
So very good!
