Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadilla

aka Make Yerself a Dang Quesadilla, Napolean!

(imagine the heavenly voices of cilantro angels singing in chorus)… ♪Ahhhhhhhh!♫

Our menu called for quesadillas tonight, but I wanted to change things up a little. I’m a pretty lazy with my quesadilla assembly: cheese, grilled chicken, cheese. Blah. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good…and cheesy (did I mention the cheese?), but…blah.

Anyway, I’ve been growing some herbs in my windowsill the last few weeks (you can see my basil and cilantro in the picture above!), and have been dying to do something with the cilantro. I just happened to have some limes on hand as well. And nothing pairs with cilantro better than lime. I can’t believe I actually had them BOTH at the SAME TIME! Now, you may call it luck. And you may call it fortune. But meself, I call it fortuosity…(I can hear an Irishman singing “"Fortuosity"” in my head now. You too? Uncanny!) *ahem*

So I grilled up a couple of chicken breasts seasoned with seasoned salt and then shredded them. Then I chopped up the cilantro really fine. I watched this video and this video on how to chop herbs and found them very instructive. (I can’t do it like the second guy, but it was fun to try anyhow.) I added a dash each of cumin and garlic powder. Then I squeezed half a lime over the chicken and gave it a quick toss. I layered the chicken with shredded mozzarella between two medium flour tortillas and voila! Quesadilla City, baby. Population: us.

As a means of self-gratulation, I would like to add that the “Picky Three” scarfed these down almost as fast as I could make them. The youngest, pickiest of the gang even ate his full share. That. Is. Amazing.

Next time, I think I’d like to add some black beans and red or green peppers, and this would be fantastic with Sarah’s guacamole.

Here’s the breakdown:

Cilantro Lime Chicken Quesadillas

(makes 5 quesadillas)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
dash ground cumin
dash garlic powder
juice from half a lime
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
10 flour tortillas

In a small bowl, combine chicken, cilantro, cumin, and garlic powder. Add lime juice and toss. On a flour tortilla, layer chicken mixture with 1/4 cup cheese and top with a second tortilla. Place in quesadilla maker and cook 6 minutes or until slightly crispy. Serve with sour cream (we like to substitute plain yogurt), salsa, and guacamole.

I used a quesadilla maker, but you can also bake two quesadillas at once on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes at 400°.

Enjoy!

Simple Sour Cream Enchiladas

Okay, I’ll admit it. I haven’t “actually” tried this recipe (it’s on my ever-growing list of recipes to try). BUT, the list of ingredients is similar to that of the Chicken & Cream Cheese Casserole Adrie & Josh love so much (except it uses sour cream instead of cream cheese). It looks DELISH! Centsational Girl provides a fully illustrated how-to on her blog. Check it out here!

Also, if you haven’t tried the aforementioned Chicken & Cream Cheese Casserole, feel free to email me & I’ll send it to you (I can’t post it here unfortunately because it’s copywrited, sorry).

Mandy

Photo belongs to Kate at Centsationalgirl.com

**UPDATE**

So, I tried the recipe tonight. In a word, yum! This made enough to fill an entire 9x13'” pan as well as an 8x8” pan, so keep that in mind when you make it…you may need to half the recipe. Also, next time I make this, I’ll probably just dice the chicken because, let’s face it, shredding chicken sucks.bigtime. And canned chicken…also.sucks.bigtime. ;)

If you wanted to give this recipe a little extra “something,” I think a little lime and cilantro would be fantastic. Just fyi.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb breaded chicken strips (already cooked)
2 C carrots (chopped into circles)
1 med onion
½ C peas
2 C celery (chopped)
¾ C milk
2 C cream of chicken soup (or one 10 oz can)
2 Pillsbury Pie Shells

Sauté onions in butter. Add carrots and celery.
Cook for a couple minutes and then add peas.
Add cream of chicken soup and milk (add more milk if you
want it more soupy). Add chicken. Pour into pie shell and cover it with
other pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Paprika Chicken

Total cook time: 30-40 minutes

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves

1/4 cup butter

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1/4 cup diced onions

3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. ground red pepper (optional)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Mix the flour, paprika, garlic powder, and pepper(s) on a plate or large bowl. Thoroughly coat chicken with the dry mixture. Cook chicken uncovered for 10-15 minutes or until browned on both sides. Set chicken aside.

Stir in onions and soup, bring to a boil (will only take a minute or two.) Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Plate chicken and stir sour cream into soup/onion/butter sauce.

It should look like this:

This is spicy, but not too much so that the little ones can't eat it. It goes great with corn on the cob or green beans.

Mandy's Favorite Chicken Casserole

6 cooked chicken breasts, diced
1 cup chopped celery
Spread in greased 9x13" dish

Mix together:
1 cup melted butter
2 cans cream of chicken soup
12 oz sour cream
Pour over chicken

Mix together:
2 rolls Ritz crackers, crushed
½ cup melted butter

Sprinkle mixture over top and bake at 350° for 30 mins.

Serve topped with La Choy Rice Noodles for extra crunch.

Mediterranean Chicken

Total cook time: 30 minutes
2-4 chicken breasts
3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary and/or oregano
1 Tsp. minced garlic
1 Tsp. minced onion
salt & pepper
1 loaf of bruschetta or focaccia bread

Combine oil, vinegar, and seasonings into a bowl and set aside. Pan grill chicken in large frying pan until lightly browned. Reduce heat and add oil mixture. Cover and simmer, turning chicken regularly, for 8-10 minutes.

Plate chicken and spoon oil mixture onto a plate. Add ground pepper and use for dipping bread. (Steamed zucchini goes really well with this.)

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Total cook time: 1 hour
3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup diced onion
1 clove galic, pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup masa harina (corn flour)
3 cups water
1 cup enchilada sauce
16 oz. Velveeta
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
Garnish: shredded cheese, crumbled or shredded corn tortilla chips, pico de gallo

In a large pot, cook chicken breasts until browned and set aside to cool. In the same pot, saute onions and garlic for approximately 2 minutes or until onions begin to become translucent. Add chicken broth. In a medium bowl, combine masa harina with 2 cups of water and whisk until blended. Add masa mixture in pot of broth. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, velveeta, and spices to pot and bring to a boil. Shred chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and add into pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until thick.

Serve in bowls or large cups, garnish with shredded cheese, pico de gallo, and top with tortilla chips.