This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mission®. All recipes, opinions and ideas are entirely my own. #MissionPartyKit
My four favorite things? Football. Food. Family. Friends. And I love it when they all come together on game day. Especially during playoffs, when the stakes are higher, the crowd is rowdier, and the food is spicier. Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas are inspired by our favorite team, the Tennessee Titans. Tangy, sweet heat topped with dill pickles and blue cheese crumbles on mini corn tortillas? Yep. A new game day classic.
Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas (and Tacos).
If you ever make it to Nash Vegas, there are at least two things you have to do. Visit a hot chicken joint and catch a Titans game. Our team’s town is full of big hits.
This recipe is a way to bring a little Nashville flavor to your own playoff party.
Get the step by step recipe at the end of this post.
These crispy breaded chicken strips are fried, then tossed in an easy Nashville hot chicken sauce that is out of this world. Cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika and more are whisked into hot oil to create an addictive sauce.
Like it really hot? Add more cayenne. Need to tone it down a little? Reduce the amount. However, I think we’ve nailed the perfect level of heat for your next game day party.
Of course, to do game day the right way, you’ve gotta have your favorite Mission® products.
Mission Tortilla Chips are the perfect crunchy chip for dipping in your favorite party dips. Parties don’t happen without chips and dips.
We knew right away that we had to use Mission® Street Tacos Corn Tortillas for our Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas. These authentic corn tortillas are the perfect portion for game day snacking.
Plus you have a chance to win this awesome Mission Party Kit. Let me tell you, this is a killer prize box. The Mission Party Kit is loaded with game day fun. Sunglasses, noisemakers, beads, pom-poms…and a cool $150 in Visa gift cards for you to throw the best playoff party ever.
Check out everything that comes in the kit below and ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN.
Celebrate the Big Game and cheer for your team by visiting www.MissionPartyKit.com between 1/1/18 and 1/19/18. Prizes may include a Roku® Streaming Stick®, party decorations, and a recipe card for your favorite team. The Grand Prize winner could receive a 70 inch 4K TV!
Visit the Mission Party Kit site for more info. (And good luck!)*
Plus you get Mission SWAG. Our party kit came with chips, tortillas, a tortilla warmer, a chip clip and more.
Mission Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips came in our party kit. These chips are perfect for dipping and tasty enough to eat right out of the bag. Plus they are restaurant-style quality made from four simple ingredients and sea salt. (And they are certified gluten free so your gluten sensitive party-goers can enjoy with no worries.)
Now let’s capture some of this playoff magic and make these Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas. On a large baking sheet, arrange your mini corn tortillas.
Mission Street Tacos Corn Tortillas are great for snacking and appetizers. Enjoy them with your favorite meals (tacos, beans, tostadas, and more).
Sprinkle a little cheddar cheese, then top with spicy hot chicken, chopped dill pickles and a sprinkle or two of blue cheese crumbles. Add a little more cheddar to hold it all together, then top with another tortilla.
I am loving the combination of flavors. Spicy cayenne-coated chicken with sharp cheeses and dill pickles.
Big Game = Big Flavors.
I have a confession. While my lovely Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas were baking in the oven, I had a Hot Chicken Taco.
These tacos, though. Warm a tortilla or two (prepared warm is best for full flavor), top with shredded cabbage, Nashville hot chicken, pickles and blue cheese crumbles. Enjoy your Nashville Hot Chicken with Mission two ways.
PRO TIP: Go for two tortillas for a more authentic taste. (And two tacos…because…tacos.)
This game day recipe for Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas is the ultimate way to cheer on your favorite football team, too.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR 5 MINUTE GRID IRON GAMEDAY SNACK MIX.
Looking for more Game Day Inspiration:
Easy Pizza Sliders
Cheddar Stuffed Meatballs
Sweet Carolina Mustard Wings
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📖 Recipe
Nashville Hot Chicken Quesadillas (and Tacos)
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into strips
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup mayo
- ½ tablespoon hot sauce
- ½ cup flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- Vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 packages Mission® Street Taco Corn Tortillas
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup chopped dill pickles
- ¾ cup blue cheese crumbles
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk, mayo, and hot sauce. In another shallow bowl, combine the flour and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Heat vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high. You want to use about ½ an inch of vegetable oil to the size of your skillet. Heat until droplets of water sizzle when dropped in.
- Dredge each chicken tender in the flour, then in the milk mixture, and again in the flour. Shake to remove the excess flour.
- Fry the chicken tenders for about 4 minutes on each side. Cooking times will vary based on the heat of your oil and thickness of chicken. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part.
- Transfer the fried chicken strips to a wire rack over a layer of newspaper or a catch pan. Repeat the process until all chicken is cooked.
- Carefully scoop out about ½ a cup of the hot frying oil. Pour into a medium sized bowl and whisk in the cayenne pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and remaining salt. Whisk until smooth.
- Brush the hot cayenne mixture over the chicken, or toss in a large bowl until well coated.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Top evenly with cheddar cheese, slices of hot chicken, chopped pickles, blue cheese crumbles and more cheddar cheese. Top with another corn tortilla.
- Bake for 5 minutes, flip with a large spatula, and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve warm.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WON’T INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. Open to 50 States/DC residents, ages 19+ in AL&NE, 21+ in MS, 18+ in all other states and DC. One entry per calendar day. Sweepstakes begins 12:00:01 a.m. ET on 01/01/2018 and ends 11:59:49 p.m. ET on 01/19/2018. For prizes, odds & official rules, go to www.MissionPartyKit.com.
Kate | Veggie Desserts
That marinade sounds delicious! I adore anything with paprika. And so perfect to add flavour in quesadillas.
Teri
Thanks so much. I love the color it gives, too.
Joyce
That Nashville hot sauce sounds fantastic! and I LOVE quesadillas, they are so much easier to eat and so much more cheesy with the melty cheese! Love love love it!
Teri
These were a lot of fun to make. They are pretty spicy, but the cheeses and signature pickle cools it down. My 11 year old could eat them, so they aren't overly hot.
Beth
Mmmm! They look so good! I love spicy chicken AND tacos so I definitely have to make these soon!
Teri
They turned out great! Thanks for checking out the recipe. 🙂
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake
Hot chicken has taken over LA! I love the idea of putting it into tacos - amazed I'm not seeing this all around town yet 🙂
Teri
It is pretty addictive. Maybe I should buy a food truck and drive out to LA? HA!
serena
That marinade sounds delicious! We don't fry much at home, but thinking this would be awesome with a slow cooked shredded chicken also. Or maybe we do a special fry day for Superbowl 🙂
Teri
Oh, I wonder how they would do in an air fryer? Hmmm...thing is one of the key ingredients in the finishing sauce is hot frying oil. (Sometimes we get a little carried away ..:) )
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
These chicken quesadillas look so delicious! The marinade sounds divine and I love Mission tortillas! It's the only kind I use!! Great recipe!
Teri
Thanks Elaine! The cheese, chicken and spice make these super tasty for game day.
Celia (Chicago Jogger)
This looks sooo good! My husband loves Nashville hot chicken.
Teri
It is almost addictive, isn't it? Thanks so much for checking it out.
Molly Kumar
What a fabulous looking Quesadilla and I'm literally droooooooling over the fried chicken n the marinade. This would be such a 2-in-1 meal, serve for gameday or weekend menu. I'm going to try this soon.
Teri
Awesome, Molly! The only thing I would change is to add more chicken and more cheese. I have a tendency to overdo it. Ha!
Rae
I need that marinade in my life, like right now. I LOVE using spicy chicken in my tostadas, so I can only imagine how great this version will be in quesadillas.
Teri
Thanks, Rae! Easy to control the heat, too.
Jessica Robinson
Ooooohhh. These look amazing! Perfect for our Football party!
Teri
Thank you, Jessica. Who are you cheering for this playoff season?
Catherine
Your chicken looks absolutely wonderful! These quesadaillas are packed with so much flavor...I know my family would love these.
Teri
Thank you Catherine. Coming from you I will certainly take that as a compliment.