Green Chile Chicken Quesadilla Sticks — The Night We Told Everyone

The first ultrasound was this week. We went to the OB on Thursday — Jessica on the table, gel on her belly, me standing beside her holding her hand with the force of a man who is trying very hard to be cool and is failing completely. The technician moved the wand and there it was: a blob. The most beautiful blob I have ever seen. A flickering heartbeat in a gray sea of static. Our baby. Real, alive, eight weeks old, approximately the size of a raspberry, and already — I'm certain of this — the second most incredible thing I've ever helped create, after Sofia.

Jessica cried. I cried. The technician smiled in the way that ultrasound technicians smile, which is patient and practiced and genuinely kind, because they see this every day and it never stops mattering. The due date: October 15, 2017. Which is — and I am not making this up — the same weekend as the Arizona State BBQ Championship. Jessica looked at me. I looked at Jessica. She said "the baby comes first." I said "obviously." She said "even if the baby comes during turn-in." I said "obviously, Jessica." She said "say it one more time." I said "the baby comes first, the baby always comes first, the baby is not a brisket and I will be in the delivery room even if it means forfeiting the state championship." She seemed satisfied. I was too. Mostly.

We told my parents on Sunday. I didn't plan a big reveal — I just said, over carne asada, "Jessica's pregnant. Due in October. We saw the heartbeat." My mom dropped a serving spoon into the guacamole bowl. My dad stopped chewing mid-bite. Then Elena was around the table hugging Jessica so tight that Jessica made a sound, and Roberto reached across the table and squeezed my arm — just a squeeze, no words — and his eyes were wet, which I have seen maybe three times in my life and which I filed away as one of the most important moments I will ever witness.

Sofia, informed that she would be getting a baby brother or sister, said "I want a dino." This is not the reaction we hoped for but is, Jessica says, developmentally appropriate. We assured Sofia that a baby is even better than a dinosaur. She was not convinced. Neither, honestly, am I — dinosaurs are pretty cool — but I believe in the product, even if the marketing needs work.

Cooked a celebration dinner when we got home: my dad's carne asada recipe, grilled on the Weber under the new ramada, with Elena's rice and beans that I've finally figured out how to make properly (the secret is lard in the beans; I'm sorry, Jessica's cardiologist). Some meals are about nourishment. Some are about celebration. This one was both. We ate in the backyard, the three of us — soon to be four — under the Arizona sky, and I thought about the fold-out table at my parents' house, and how every major moment in my life has happened around food, and how this moment was no different. Life is what happens between meals. Everything else is just waiting for the next one.

That Sunday dinner — the carne asada, the dropped serving spoon, Roberto’s wet eyes — is one I’ll be trying to recreate the feeling of for the rest of my life, and recreating the food of for pretty much every family gathering going forward. These green chile chicken quesadilla sticks have become our go-to alongside grilled meat nights: they’re fast enough that you can throw them together while the carne asada is still resting, smoky enough to hold their own against it, and shareable in a way that feels right when the whole family is crowded around a table with news too big to sit still with. Elena approved. That’s the only review that matters.

Green Chile Chicken Quesadilla Sticks

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4 (about 3 sticks each)

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking oil, divided
• Sour cream and salsa verde, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir until the chicken is evenly coated and the chiles are well distributed.
2. Build the quesadillas. Lay two tortillas flat on a clean work surface. Spread half the Monterey Jack and half the cheddar evenly over each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Divide the chicken mixture evenly over one half of each cheesed tortilla, then fold the tortilla in half to form a half-moon.
3. Cook the first batch. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush with about 1/2 tablespoon oil. Add one folded quesadilla and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, pressing gently with a spatula, until the tortilla is golden and crisp and the cheese is fully melted. Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with the second quesadilla.
4. Cut into sticks. Let the cooked quesadillas rest for 1 minute, then slice each half-moon into 3 even strips (sticks) using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. You should get 6 sticks per quesadilla, 12 total.
5. Serve immediately. Arrange sticks on a platter and serve hot alongside sour cream and salsa verde for dipping. Best eaten the moment they hit the table, before anyone can announce more life-changing news and cause someone to drop a serving spoon.

Nutrition (per serving, approx. 3 sticks)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 680mg