It’s time for yet another miraculously delicious tempeh recipe: a vegan chicken quesadilla! I wonder if you’re ready for this? Strips of tempeh, when soaked in an herbacious broth for a couple hours and then pan fried in a little olive oil, become hearty, crispy golden brown cutlets, which pair perfectly with spicy jalapeño pesto, brown rice, and melted vegan cheese, all wrapped in a crunchy, pan-fried tortilla, of course. Seriously, this scrumptious hand-held vegan chicken quesadilla was an incredible incarnation of the rather unassuming ingredient that is tempeh, and a dish that you simply must try!
Elements of a successful vegan chicken quesadilla
Crafting a well-balanced quesadilla is an art. You need a perfect layering of each element, so that one does not overwhelm the other or cause the inside layers not to cook through. As such, I have constructed this tier lists that you can use as a guide to layer your quesadilla for maximum efficiency.
- Tortilla
- Thin layer of hummus
- Little bit of brown rice
- Strips of vegan cheese
- Tempeh cutlets
- More vegan cheese
- Jalapeño pesto
- Close the tortilla into half-moon
With that done, you’re ready to fry the tortilla into a crispy, melty vegan chicken quesadilla!
How To Create An Herby Broth Marinade … The Easier Way
Honestly, I threw my entire spice rack at this brothy marinade; if it was a dried up and greenish plant thing, I seasoned the vegetable broth with it to ensure an herb-y marinade in which to marinate the tempeh. That being said, and if you’d prefer not to measure out the myriad herbs listed in the recipe itself, it’d likely work if you used a simple multi-herbed seasoning instead, like this pre-made herb mix from Bragg, or something similar.
Just make sure when you are seasoning this marinade with herbs not to overdo it; you don’t want little bits of herb to pepper your tempeh too much, but instead to flavor the broth and, consequently, the tempeh too.
The Best Tempeh and Vegan Cheese for This Vegan Chicken Quesadilla?
For tempeh recipes, the one brand that’s never failed me is Litelife’s Original Tempeh! The original tempeh is unflavored, easy to cut, and and generally holds up really well in marinades. I’ve similarly used Litelife’s original tempeh in other recipes of mine, like this amazing Pickled Tempeh Reuben, with equal success.
As for vegan cheeses, the ones that I’ve found melt the best in a quesadilla are Chao Cheese, specifically these Creamy Original Chao Slices, which pair really well with the other flavors in this quesadilla.
The Optimal Quesadilla Cooking Temperature
It’s important when cooking these vegan quesadillas to gauge the proper temperature of the pan before frying them. Let me explain in a Seinfeld-like rant:
If the temperature of the cast-iron pan or skillet is too low, then not only will the quesadilla take longer to cook, but it’s less likely to get that nice crispy crunch on the outside of the tortilla.
If the temperature of the pan is too hot, then the outside of the tortilla will cook more quickly than the inside, and the quesadilla filling will not be hot, un-melted cheese and all.
I found that a temperature approaching medium but not medium worked best for me. Optimally, you want a hot enough temperature that cooks the quesadillas all the way through and melts the cheese, but not so hot as to char the outside first.
Ideally, it takes about 3 – 4 minutes on each side to cook a quesadilla properly. This may vary depending on the pan you use and the kind of appliance, too.
Really, it’s best just to see how the first quesadilla comes out, and then adjust the temperature of the pan accordingly.
A Vegan Quesadilla Recipe
This is truly one of my favorite iterations of tempeh yet. There’s something so amazingly tasty about the combination of the fresh and vibrantly spicy jalapeño pesto along side the meaty, herby golden brown tempeh.
I encourage anyone who’s a newcomer to tempeh to give this vegan chicken quesadilla recipe a try – you won’t regret it!
Jalapeño Pesto Tempeh Chicken Quesadilla
Equipment
- Shallow Dish
Ingredients
For the Tempeh "Chicken"
- 1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, cut into ¼-inch slices
- Some olive oil, to fry the tempeh after marinading.
For the Tempeh Marinade
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ⅛ teaspoon dried sage
- ⅛ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon savory
- ⅛ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ⅛ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Jalapeño Pesto
- ½ cup walnut halves, toasted for 3 – 5 minutes
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups fresh basil, packed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 jalapeño, de-seeded and finely chopped
For the Quesadilla
- Some corn or flour tortillas
- Some hummus
- Some brown or white rice, microwavable rice works well
- Some vegan cheese, like Follow Your Heart or Chao Cheese
- Some sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
- Begin by slicing the tempeh into ¼-inch strips (not lengthwise strips, the other direction). Then, combine the broth and herbs, and marinate the tempeh slices in that for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Next, make the pesto. First, toast the walnuts in a skillet until fragrant, and then combining them in a food processor with the garlic clove. Then add the other pesto ingredients and process until relatively smooth. Store the pesto in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
- Once the tempeh has marinaded long enough, in a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil fry the tempeh strips 7 – 8 at a time, until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes for each batch.
- Now, assemble the quesadilla by laying down a tortilla, spread some hummus on it, then rice, then vegan cheese, then tempeh chicken, some more vegan cheese, and then pesto on the opposite side.
- Once your quesadilla is assembled, pan fry it in a clean skillet over medium heat with cooking spray or a little olive oil, until each side is golden brown and the cheese inside has melted fully. Serve with sriracha or ketchup, or whatever else you'd like!
Nutrition
Did you enjoy this vegan chicken quesadilla? Then leave me a comment and recipe rating before you go!
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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Jalapeño Pesto!? Yes please! Thank you for another drool-worthy recipe!
It’s almost as mouth-wateringly amazing as your kale pesto!
I never thought of making quesadillas with tempeh but this sounds delicious!
They were indeed! I would heartily recommend it.