Quick and Easy Quesadillas

Last night we had chicken quesadillas for dinner. This is the second or third time we've made them recently, and they are really good and easy to make. They start with Darren's chicken. He makes chicken enchiladas, and cooks the chicken in the crock pot with chicken broth, onion, chile powder, bay leaf, cayenne, black pepper, and cumin. I copied his chicken recipe for the quesadillas. Poke some holes in two chicken breasts and cook on low in the broth-seasonings mixture for 4-6 hours. Remove from the crock pot and chop or shred, as desired. [TIP: I have also used Italian seasoning mix to make chicken for pasta dishes, and the seasonings or spices could easily be adapted for all sorts of casseroles or dishes that require chopped, cooked chicken. We used to use those rotisserie chickens from the grocery store to short cut recipes, but this is just as easy, and much less greasy!]

Shred some cheese. We like pepper jack for Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, but just about any smooth melting cheese will work. Then set up an assembly line! We have a griddle pan that covers two stove burners. I heated it up to medium heat, and lightly oiled it with cooking spray. Then I put down two tortillas flat on the griddle top, sprinkled them with cheese and chicken, and then folded them in half and let them cook a bit. Once they were folded, I moved them to the front half of the griddle and re-sprayed the back half with a touch of cooking spray. Then I added another tortilla to the back half, filled it, and flipped the quesadillas on the front of the griddle. Then I folded over the one on the back, removed the ones on the front to a plate, and moved the back to the front, and kept going. This method keeps things moving for me, and the quesadillas are ready fast. I usually move them onto a foil-lined baking sheet in the oven to keep them warm.

We ate these quesadillas with refried black beans from a can, and roasted corn guacamole that I made earlier in the afternoon. Yummy and easy!