This cheese quesadilla recipe is loaded with Monterey jack cheese, roasted hatch green chiles, crispy bacon, and deep fried in a tempura batter and served with raspberry jam. They are absolutely delicious and a new family favorite way to make quesadillas.
If you love quesadillas as much as I do, then you’re in for a treat today. I took the classic quesadilla, loaded it up with delicious extras, and then I deep-fried it. And as we all know, everything is better when you fry it! This quesadilla variation has recently been added to my recipe rotation, and I don’t ever see that changing. They’re just so delicious and easy, and that crispy, fried exterior is pure perfection. Try these just once, and you’ll make them a permanent part of your rotation, too!
Cheese Quesadilla Deep Fried with Hatch Chile and Bacon
As with any quesadilla, this recipe starts with cheese – Monterey Jack, to be exact. I love using this cheese because it has a flavor that’s substantial but not too bold, and it melts so wonderfully. Then, I cook flour tortillas in a frying pan, stuff them with cheese, bacon, and Hatch chiles, and cook them until melty. Finally, we come to the part of the recipe that makes everything pop. I dip the quesadillas in a seasoned tempura batter and deep fry them until they’re crispy and golden. MmmmMMMM! They’re delicious.
Why You’ll Love These Cheese Quesadillas
- These quesadillas are deep fried which gives the quesadilla an extra crispy, crunchy and flavorful exterior.
- The hatch green chiles add a delicious, smoky flavor to the quesadillas, are a type of chile pepper that is grown in New Mexico, and are known for their mild heat and slightly sweet flavor.
- The crispy bacon adds a salty and crunchy element to the quesadillas and enhances the flavor.
Cheese Quesadilla Ingredients
With the added step of battering and frying these quesadillas, you might think there are a ton of ingredients to this recipe. However, there are actually not that many at all, and they’re all easily found at your local grocery store.
- Monterey Jack cheese, freshly shredded
- Hatch green chiles, roasted
- Olive oil or vegetable oil
- Bacon
- Tempura
- Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Water
- Flour tortillas
- Butter
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Raspberry fruit spread or strawberry jam
How to make Cheese Quesadillas
Making these quesadillas requires a bit more work than most, however, the steps are quick and easy, and they make this quesadilla recipe one of the most delicious ones that you’ll ever make.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Step 2: Roast the Chiles
Rinse and dry the chiles, then toss them in a bowl with oil. Place them on the baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Then, flip them over and roast for another 10 minutes until the skin is blistered and charred.
Step 3: Steam and Peel
Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Let them sit for 10 minutes to steam and loosen the skin. Then, peel the skin from the peppers when cool enough to handle and chop into ¼ to ½-inch pieces.
Step 4: Cook the Bacon
Cook the bacon until crispy, then place on a plate lined with paper towels. When the bacon cools enough to handle, break into pieces and set aside.
Step 5: Make the Batter
Mix all the batter ingredients in a 9×13 baking dish until smooth.
Step 6: Assemble the Quesadillas
Add ½ teaspoon of butter to a large frying pan over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan and cook on one side. Flip and add about 1 cup of cheese, crumbled bacon, and diced Hatch chiles to half the tortilla. Fold over and let the cheese melt a bit while one side of the quesadilla cooks. Then, flip and cook the other side. Set aside and repeat until all tortillas are filled and cooked.
Step 7: Batter and Fry
Add 2 to 3 cups of vegetable oil to a deep skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Then, dip a quesadilla into the batter. Fry in the oil on both sides until golden brown. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towels and continue until all the quesadillas are fried. Place quesadillas on a cutting board, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut into thirds. Enjoy hot with raspberry jam.
Recipe Tips
- If needed, add more butter between cooking the tortillas when stuffing them.
- Dip and fry one tortilla at a time to ensure your oil stays hot. This keeps your quesadillas crispy, not soggy.
- Cook the bacon until it’s crispy. After that, its level of browning is up to you.
Variations
- Change the flavor and heat level of this recipe by roasting different types of hot peppers.
- Try adding cooked ground beef or Chorizo to the quesadillas.
- You don’t have to batter and fry these quesadillas. They’re delicious when simply pan-fried.
- Use your favorite cheese for this recipe, such as, pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and Mexican cheese blends all work well, as well.
What to Serve with Cheese Quesadillas
Serve these as a main course, or add them to your next Taco Tuesday and serve them alongside all your Mexican food favorites like:
- Tacos
- Fajitas
- Burritos
- Enchiladas
- Chimichangas
- Mexican rice
- Spanish rice
- Cilantro rice
- Black Beans
- Mexican coleslaw
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Churros
Recipe FAQ
Hatch chiles are actually a bit milder than jalapenos, however, they still deliver a nice amount of heat along with their signature flavor.
Asadero, Oaxaca, and Chihuahua cheese are almost always used for quesadillas in authentic dishes. However, other cheeses that melt easily can be used.
Any green chile will work in place of Hatch chiles, however, for the closest match, chose Anaheim peppers.
Cheese quesadillas will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Quesadillas reheat well and are perfectly suited to freezing for later use. They’ll last for up to 2 months in the freezer.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Cheese Quesadillas
Refrigerate these quesadillas for up to 5 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat these quesadillas, place them on a wire rack in the oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees.
Try These Deep Fried Quesadillas Today
These delicious cheese quesadillas are filled with melty cheese, Hatch chile peppers, and crumbled crispy bacon, then, they’re dipped in a tempura batter and deep-fried to perfection! They’re crispy on the outside, cheesy on the inside, and oh, so easy to make. If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy classic quesadillas, then give this recipe a try. You’re going to love it!
More Delicious Quesadilla Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Here are some delicious Cheesy Ground Beef Empanadas that are delicious and would be a great addition to add to the dinner menu.
Cheese Quesadilla Deep Fried with Hatch Chiles and Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 cups Monterey Jack cheese, freshly shredded
- 6 hatch green chiles, roasted
- 1 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- 16 ounce bacon
- 2 cups tempura
- 2 teaspoons Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ cup water
- 6 flour tortillas, 10 inch
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
- 1½-2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
- Raspberry fruit spread or strawberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450° and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
Roast the Hatch Chiles
- Rinse and dry hatch chiles. Toss chiles in a bowl with oil, or spray with oil.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, flip over with tongs, and roast for another 10 minutes, or until the skin is blistered and charred.
- Remove from the oven and place in a bowl and cover with foil or plastic wrap, or place in a large sealable bag, and let steam for 10 minutes. This will allow the steam to loosen the skin on the peppers for easy removal.
- Peel skin from peppers when they are cool enough to handle and chopped into ¼-½ inch pieces.
Cook the Bacon
- Cook bacon until crispy. Remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess bacon grease. Break into pieces, set aside.
Make the Tempura Batter
- In a 9 x13 baking dish, mix all ingredients for the batter until smooth. Set aside.
Assemble the Quesadillas
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, add ½ teaspoon butter as needed in between heating quesadillas before deep frying them.
- Place a flour tortilla into the frying pan, cook on one side, flip over, add approximately 1 cup of cheese, crumbled bacon, and diced hatch chiles to one half of the tortilla. Fold over and let cheese melt a bit. Flip over and cook the other side. Remove from heat and cook the remaining tortillas and fill with cheese, bacon, and chiles.
Deep Fry the Quesadillas
- Once the tortillas are cooked and stuffed, place one quesadilla at a time into the batter, then into the hot oil and cook on both sides until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.
- Cut each quesadilla into thirds and serve hot with raspberry jam.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi, I was looking at the cheese Quesadilla recipe, I have couple questions about it. Can you use something else besides the green hatch chiles? I don’t know how hot they are (we don’t eat hot peppers) or where to find them. Thank you.
Hi Marie, Yes, you can use Anaheim chiles in place of the Hatch chiles. They are milder than Hatch chiles. I hope you end up making these and love them as much as we do. Thank you! :)