Larb Quesadillas

Begin by adding oil to a large skillet and warm it to medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the ground chicken and begin cooking until fully cooked. This is will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients. (If you have never toasted rice before, add about 1/2 cup of rice to a dry skillet. Bring it to medium heat, and give it a good shake about every 2-3 minutes. Your goal is to brown the rice, and once brown, add it to a coffee grinder to make into a coarse powder.)

Once the chicken is fully cooked, make sure you break it all up with a wooden spoon as you do not want any clumps. Drain off any excess water from the chicken, then add the chicken to a mixing bowl.

Add in all of the remaining chicken larb ingredients, and give it a good mix. If you are serving kids, I would suggest omitting the chile peppers from this recipe, or set aside a portion of the mixture for them before adding the chile peppers. I would recommend 1-2 chile peppers for the mild at heart, and 3-4 chile peppers for those that love the heat. Regardless if it is one chile or four, the balance is perfect.

To make the quesadilla, add a flour tortilla to the bottom of a skillet, and keep on medium heat.

Add 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese to the tortilla. Add about 1 cup of the larb on top of the cheese. Top with remaining cheese, and place the second tortilla on top. Lightly press. Cook for a few minutes, or until the tortilla lightly chars. You should be able to smell it; if not, lift with a spatula to check. Flip and cook on the remaining side for another few minutes.

Remove and slice, or eat whole—your call.

This larb quesadilla was ridiculously good. It had everything you love in a classic quesadilla, but elevated with great Thai flavors. Give this one a shot, and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy!