Chicken and Bean Quesadillas: A protein packed dinner!

Last week I went to Costco and  came home with forty whole-wheat tortillas and about four pounds of shredded Mexican cheese. As the old saying goes, when life gives you tortillas and cheese, make quesadillas.  Not one to argue with made up old sayings, I did as I was told. To be honest, I usually think of quesadillas as kid food.  Don’t get me wrong:  I think they are delicious and most certainly sneak bites of the kids’ when they don’t clean their plates.  I just don’t usually make them for grown up dinner, but they might be making regular appearances with this slightly dressed up recipe. These chicken and bean quesadillas are a perfect way to use leftover cooked chicken, or you can make extra chicken while you are cooking and have it on hand to throw in other recipes.  I should get in the habit of cooking and dicing a couple pounds of chicken on Sundays to have it on hand during the week.  I should do a lot of things though, like exercising, folding laundry in a timely manner, going to bed at a decent hour…  The list goes on, but I just added cooking extra chicken to the end. Wait, where was I?  Oh right, the recipe!  These chicken and bean quesadillas are very easy to make, and the whole family will love them!  I recommend that you serve these chicken and bean quesadillas with 5-minute Guacamole and Fresh Margaritas!

Chicken and Bean Quesadillas

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These protein-packed quesadillas make for a healthy, fun, easy dinner!

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 medium-sized tortillas whole wheat if you like
• 15 ounces canned refried beans
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
• 16 ounces container fresh salsa drained

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Instructions

1. Toss chicken with oil and Cajun seasoning. Bake or saute until cooked through. Allow to cool slightly, and dice into small bite-sized pieces.
2. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
3. While skillet heats, start assembling your quesadillas. Spread about 2 tbsp. refried beans evenly over one half of the tortilla. Arrange diced chicken over the beans, sprinkle 1/4 c. of cheese over the chicken, and spread 1-2 tsp. drained salsa over the cheese. Fold tortilla in half.
4. Place quesadillas in the hot skillet as you make them and have room. (This is a bit of an assembly line process.) Allow to cook 3-5 minutes before carefully flipping each quesadilla over. The first side should be nice and brown. Cook 3-5 minutes on the opposite side until both sides are brown and the cheese is melted. Transfer cooked quesadillas to a clean plate or cutting board.
5. Continue making, flipping, and removing quesadillas until they are all cooked. Cut each quesadilla into halves or thirds before serving. Enjoy!

• Author: Andi
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 30
• Category: Main
• Cuisine: Mexican