As seasons begin to change, I’m starting to clean out my refrigerator and cabinets to make room for all of my favorite fall foods. I’m notorious for buying condiments for some recipe and then forgetting about them until it’s time to throw them out. I can’t be the only one that does this, right? Well I’m trying to change these habits.
In an effort to change my ways, I rearranged my fridge and pulled all the near empty bottles to the front so I can start using them up and stop being so wasteful. First up, BBQ chicken quesadillas!
How to make the best BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
The filling:
Chicken — To make this recipe, start with the filling. Cook the chicken in a cast iron skillet. You can use any cut of chicken, just adjust your cooking time accordingly. When cooked, roughly chop chicken and toss in BBQ sauce. The best part is that you can cook the chicken the night before so it is even easier to make when it is time to assemble. The rest of your ingredients can be purchased right off of the grocery shelves.
If you’re looking to make this even easier, you could also use rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken from a meal the night before.
One of the questions I get asked the most is “How do you season your chicken?” For a simple recipe like this, I’m relying on the other filling ingredients to carry most of the flavors, but it is always important to season your chicken before cooking. Garlic salt and garlic powder are two staple spices that I always have on hand.
Assembly:
Once the chicken is cooked, it’s assembly time. For starters, I like making quesadillas in a non-stick skillet to make my life easier for flipping. You could also use a well seasoned cast iron skillet or a griddle. Regardless of the option you choose, heat your pan with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil before cooking.
Tortillas — Choose whatever variety works for your dietary needs. I usually use flour tortillas for quesadillas.
Cheese — There is no such thing as too much cheese! Quesadillas are meant to be cheesy!! Add a layer of cheese on your tortilla before adding other filling ingredients. This will guarantee each bite to be gooey and loaded with flavor. I like to use a combo of cheddar cheese and goat cheese. Feel free to substitute with your favorite cheese(s).
The extras — Red onion and cilantro. You could omit these or substitute however you feel. I add these in the filling, but also on top for extra garnish. Plus it makes me feel like this is healthy when I see some green! 🙂
Put it all together and cook in the skillet 3 minutes per side. Slice and serve with more of the extras and some sauce on the side! ENJOY!!
BBQ Chicken Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1 lb Boneless skinless chicken breast tenders
- 1/2 tsp Garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 3 tbsp Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
- Olé whole wheat tortillas
- Cheddar cheese shredded
- Goat cheese crumbles [optional]
- Red onion thinly sliced
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken tenders with garlic salt and garlic powder
- Spray skillet with nonstick spray and bring to medium-high heat. Cook chicken about 3 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Roughly chop chicken into bite sized pieces. In a small bowl, coat chicken with BBQ sauce.
- Lay tortilla flat, and sprinkle cheddar cheese on one side of the tortilla. Add layer of BBQ chicken. Top chicken with goat cheese, red onion, and cilantro.
- Respray skillet that was used to cook the chicken and reheat to medium-high heat. Carefully transfer tortilla to the skillet. Using a spatula fold the bare tortilla half over the
filling and press lightly to seal. Carefully flip and cook until crispy, about 3 minutes per side. - Slice into wedges. Garnish with extra red onion and cilantro. Serve with side of BBQ sauce for dipping.
Yum! Quesadillas are one of those things that are so interchangeable. Way to get creative! 😉