My Duck Quesadilla features slow cooker duck legs, sautéed bell peppers, onions, and gooey melted cheese, all cooked between two crispy flour tortillas. The perfect combination of flavors that will have you making this duck recipe on repeat!
Duck Meat For Fajita Quesadillas
I'm always trying to find more creative ways to cook up the ducks I love to hunt here in North Dakota. I live in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Midwest. Its name comes from a geological phenomenon from 10,000 years ago. It was at this point in history when glaciers from the last ice age receded and left behind millions of shallow depressions that are now wetlands, known as prairie potholes. The potholes help support a huge population of breeding waterfowl. As a result, it makes North Dakota a great place to come to hunt ducks and geese!
Why You'll Love Duck Fajita Quesadillas
I love Fajitas and my wife and daughter love Quesadillas. Both are Mexican night favorites at our house. So I decided to combine them for an even more delicious family meal.
You get all the flavors of fajitas with the caramelized onions and peppers combined with the warm and gooey melted cheese in a toasted buttery flour tortilla. Here’s why I love this recipe:
It’s packed with flavor. Get all the convenience of a quesadilla but with the rich and juicy flavor of duck legs. The shredded duck meat fajita filling is definitely the star of this recipe. Its got the Mexican seasonings like cumin and oregano, along with cooked bell peppers and onions.
Slow Cooker Duck makes it simple. There's no question that quesadillas are the ultimate easy and satisfying weeknight meal. Just let the duck legs spend all day getting tender in the slow cooker. Then they’re ready to easily assemble for a family dinner, or on the go if you have to rush a kid to piano lessons like we do.
Duck Quesadilla Ingredients
- Slow Cooker Duck Legs: I used duck legs and wings for this quesadilla recipe You can also use pheasant legs and wings or goose legs and wings, but keep in mind the cooking time will vary.
- Seasonings: I seasoned the duck legs with dried spices like cumin, oregano, paprika, and a few others.
- Onions and bell peppers: I used a yellow onion and a green bell pepper. You can use any color bell pepper you prefer and can swap out the yellow onion for a white onion or red onion if you prefer.
- Soy sauce: This adds a great flavor and a bit of salt. I used the low-sodium version so it would make me feel slightly healthier.
- Cheese: The best part of quesadillas is the cheesy goodness! I used shredded Monterey Jack, but feel free to use your favorite melting cheese.
- Flour tortillas: You’ll want to use large 10-inch flour tortillas for these quesadillas. You can use a different size, but you’ll need to adjust the meat and cheese measurements accordingly.
- Butter: Butter gives tortillas a more delicious flavor and gives your quesadilla that crispy golden brown outside. Feel free to use your choice of salted or unsalted butter.
How to Make Duck Fajita Quesadillas
1. Go duck hunting and keep the duck legs and wings.
2. Add the duck and seasonings to a large bowl and toss together to coat. Let them sit for 15 minutes to an hour at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and half the seasoned duck legs and wings and sauté for about 3 minutes until they are nice and brown. Turn them over to brown on the other side, an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker.
4. Repeat cooking process with remaining legs and wings.
5. Add beef broth to the slow cooker with the duck, cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours.
6. Shred the cooked duck meat off the legs and wings with tongs or a fork. Discard the bones.
7. Combine all of the quesadilla sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and set aside.
8. Make the peppers and onions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, and soy sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and begin to caramelize and the bell peppers are soft and tender.
9. Add the shredded duck meat to the skillet with the peppers and onions and give it a quick toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
10. Working in batches of 2, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
11. Layer half of each tortilla with 1 Tablespoon quesadilla sauce, ¼ cup shredded cheese, ½ cup duck fajita mixture, and another ¼ cup shredded cheese.
12. Fold it over and cook the quesadillas in the skillet for 1 to 2 minutes per side until the cheese has fully melted and the duck quesadillas are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas and butter.
13. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and your favorite salsa.
More Duck Recipes
If you are looking for more great ways to use some of that duck in your freezer, be sure and check out some of our favorite duck recipes:
- Duck Soup
- Cajun Duck Etouffee
- Duck Pizza
- Stuffed Mushrooms with Duck Hearts
- Duck Gumbo
- Fried Duck Gizzards
Come Duck Hunting in North Dakota
If you are headed our way for North Dakota waterfowl season, check out the North Dakota Game & Fish Department website. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.
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DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE
If you make this Duck Quesadilla Recipe, tag @wildgameandfish so I can share it on my Instagram stories.
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Duck Quesadilla
Ingredients
For the Duck
- skinless leg quarters and wings from 3 or 4 ducks
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 32 ounces beef broth
For the Quesadilla Sauce
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon pickled jalapenos, minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
For the peppers and onions
For the quesadillas
- 6 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cups shredded cheese (Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Monterey jack, or Mexican-blend)
For serving
- salsa
- guacamole
- sour cream
Instructions
- Add the duck and seasonings to a large bowl and toss together to coat. Let them sit for 15 minutes to an hour at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and half the seasoned duck legs and wings and sauté for about 3 minutes until they are nice and brown. Turn them over to brown on the other side, an additional 3 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker.
- Repeat cooking process with remaining legs and wings.
- Add beef broth to the slow cooker with the duck, cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours.
- Shred the cooked duck meat off the legs and wings with tongs or a fork. Discard the bones.
- Combine all of the quesadilla sauce ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and set aside.
- Make the peppers and onions. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, and soy sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and begin to caramelize and the bell peppers are soft and tender.
- Add the shredded duck meat to the skillet with the peppers and onions and give it a quick toss to combine. Transfer the mixture to a bowl.
- Working in batches of 2, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Layer half of each tortilla with 1 Tablespoon quesadilla sauce, ¼ cup shredded cheese, ½ cup duck fajita mixture, and another ¼ cup shredded cheese. Fold it over and cook the quesadillas in the skillet for 1 to 2 minutes per side until the cheese has fully melted and the duck quesadillas are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining quesadillas and butter.
- Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and your favorite salsa.
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