Name: Korean BBQ Chicken Quesadillas with Kimchi Yogurt Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon minced ginger; Pinch of sea salt; 1 pound organic lean ground chicken or turkey (organic if possible); 1/3 cup barbecue sauce; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 2 tablespoons tamari; 2 tablespoons gochujang or sriracha; 4 cups finely chopped green cabbage, divided; 2 medium carrots, finely chopped; 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped; 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds; 4 large flour tortillas (8 inch); 1 1/2 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese; 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt; 1/2 cup kimchi (liquid squeezed out before measuring); 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup; Juice of 1/2 a lime; 1 ripe avocado, sliced; Sliced cucumber; Lime wedges; Cilantro

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These Korean chicken quesadillas with kimchi yogurt sauce are made with a chicken, cabbage, carrot, ginger, and garlic filling that’s infused with tamari, gochujang, barbecue sauce, and toasted sesame oil. It’s loaded into tortillas with cheese. The quesadillas are then baked or fried in a skillet, and served with kimchi yogurt sauce.

Hi everybody! Long time, no share recipe! Well, I’m back and I’m feeling more creative than I have in a very long time. I was not feeling all that inspired for quite a few weeks. Between taking the math class I had discussed a few posts ago, living in my parents’ place that was for sale (but has since thankfully sold), and feeling like a hot mess a lot of the time, I guess I had no choice but to hit the pause button on the blog for a couple of weeks. But my gosh, how I have missed it! I’m so incredibly happy to be back to share some new recipes with you all.

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for Korean chicken quesadillas with kimchi yogurt sauce. They could even be made vegan or vegetarian by swapping out the ground chicken or turkey for beans or lentils, using a vegan cheese, if need be, and a non-dairy yogurt in the kimchi yogurt sauce, too.

why you’ll love these quesadillas

These quesadillas are easy to make, so they are a great weeknight option. The filling comes together in under 30 minutes, and then cooking the quesadillas is a breeze, either in a skillet on the stovetop, or in the oven. I cooked mine in a skillet for the first time in awhile, and really loved how browned and crispy they got. But the oven will work just as well, especially if you brush the outsides of each quesadilla with olive oil before baking them.

The flavour profile of these quesadillas is unique. The chicken is cooked with lots of garlic, ginger, barbecue sauce, gochujang, sesame oil, tamari, and cilantro. Stuffed into a tortilla along with cheddar cheese makes this meal a true flavour bomb… especially with the addition of a simple kimchi yogurt sauce consisting of Greek yogurt, kimchi, honey, and lime juice!

I have been loving Korean food for the past couple of years, ever since I tried a vegetarian bibimbap bowl at a local restaurant. Korean cuisine makes good use of plenty of chiles, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil–all incredibly flavourful ingredients–and as a fan of big, bold flavours, it’s easy to see why so many of us love it so much.

And now, on to the ingredients you’ll need…

ingredients you’ll need

For the quesadilla filling, you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, ground chicken or turkey (organic if possible), barbecue sauce, toasted sesame oil, tamari, gochujang or sriracha, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds.

For assembling the quesadillas, you’ll need tortillas and cheddar cheese.

For the kimchi yogurt, you’ll need Greek yogurt, kimchi, honey, and lime juice.

For garnish, you’ll need avocado, cucumber, lime, and cilantro.

the method

Start by making the quesadilla filling. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the chicken and use a fork to break it apart into smaller pieces as it cooks. Brown the chicken, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Stir in the barbecue sauce, sesame oil, tamari, gochujang or sriracha, 2 cups of the cabbage, the carrots, and the cilantro. Cook for ten minutes, or until the cabbage and carrots are tender and the sauce has reduced substantially.

Assemble the quesadillas: Warm a bit of extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. (Cast iron works well here.) Place two of the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle on some shredded cabbage. Top with up to half of the chicken filling (depending on how full you like your quesadilla) and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with the second tortilla. Repeat to make a second quesadilla. Cook each quesadilla in the hot skillet, adding more oil to cook the second one, for 4-5 minutes per side. Be very careful as you flip your quesadillas!

Alternative to frying: Bake the quesadillas. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Follow the same directions as above, but lightly brush the outsides of the quesadillas with olive oil before baking. Bake for 17-20 minutes in total, gently flipping them halfway through.

Meanwhile, make the kimchi yogurt sauce: In a blender, combine the Greek yogurt, kimchi, honey, and lime juice. Blend until smooth and transfer into a container until ready to serve.

Serve the quesadillas with kimchi yogurt sauce, avocado, cucumber, cilantro and lime wedges.

a few final thoughts

I mentioned this in the introduction, too, but if you missed it, you can make these quesadillas vegetarian or vegan by using 3 cups of cooked lentils or beans in place of the chicken. If vegan, use a dairy-free cheese as well.
If you don’t love ground chicken or turkey, you can use diced chicken breasts instead.
Because the cabbage has a high water content, it’s best to assemble your quesadillas right before cooking. Leftovers tend to be a bit soggy!
You can swap out the cabbage for kale, if you like.

more quesadilla recipes

Finally, I hope that you love these Korean chicken quesadillas! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.

Enjoy!