Crispy Shawarma Quesadilla
Crispy Shawarma Quesadilla is the Lebanese-Mexican fusion dinner nobody saw coming and now cannot stop making. Shawarma-spiced chicken thighs marinated in Greek yogurt and lemon. Then cooked until deeply golden, stuffed inside a flour tortilla spread with toum, loaded with melted mozzarella, folded, and pan-fried until the outside is crispy and the inside is perfectly melted!
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Servings: 6
Calories: 678kcal
Ingredients
- Shawarma chicken
- 2.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs sliced
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Quesadilla
- 4 large flour tortillas
- 4 tablespoon toum 1 tablespoon per quesadilla
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- Extra virgin olive oil for the pan
White sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup Kewpie mayo
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove grated
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon sumac optional
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
Marinate and cook the chicken
- Slice the chicken thighs into strips or bite sized pieces. Add to a large bowl with the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder, turmeric, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Toss until every piece is evenly coated. Marinate for up to 4 hours in the fridge or cook immediately.2.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes until a deep golden sear develops on the bottom. Toss and cook for another 4 minutes until cooked through to 170F. Remove from the pan and set aside.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Make the white sauce
- Whisk together the Greek yogurt, Kewpie mayo, lemon juice, grated garlic, onion powder, sumac, turmeric, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust lemon and salt as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.1 cup Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup Kewpie mayo, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp sumac, ¼ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp water
Build and cook the quesadillas
- Heat a small drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place one flour tortilla flat in the pan. Spread one tablespoon of toum evenly across the entire surface of the tortilla.4 large flour tortillas, Extra virgin olive oil for the pan, 4 tbsp toum
- Scatter about a third of a cup of shredded mozzarella evenly over the entire tortilla. Let it melt completely until bubbling and fully liquid. The cheese needs to be completely melted before the chicken goes on.2 cups shredded mozzarella
- Add a generous portion of the cooked shawarma chicken to one half of the tortilla only. Fold the empty cheese half over the chicken half and press down firmly with a spatula across the entire surface.
- Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottom is deeply golden and crispy. Carefully flip and cook for another 2 minutes until the second side is equally golden. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Serve
- Slice each quesadilla into thirds or halves. Serve immediately with the white sauce on the side for dipping and a Mediterranean salad alongside.
Notes
Nutrition facts are only estimates.
Storage
Store leftover cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the white sauce separately for up to 3 days. Assemble and cook quesadillas fresh each time rather than storing assembled quesadillas as the tortilla will go soggy. Reheat the chicken in a skillet before building. Leftover cooked quesadillas can be reheated in the air fryer at 375F for 4 minutes to bring back the crispiness. Not recommended for freezing once assembled.
Nutrition
Calories: 678kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 226mg | Sodium: 1167mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 754IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 3mg
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