Pulled Chicken Quesadillas
Quesadillas are very popular in our household. My daughter absolutely loves them. I don’t have a problem making them for her as I use whole wheat tortillas and low fat cheese. I usually pair them with snow peas or a salad on the side and we are both happy.
My daughter loves to take them for lunch to school.. I guess she doesn’t mind eating cold quesadillas. I also make them for dinner and try to change them up a bit. This particular one, I made with pulled chicken. I started with chicken thighs and marinated them with some smoked paprika and chipotle pepper. If you don’t want to put in the work, you could buy rotisserie chicken and doctor it up.. but nothing like making the pulled chicken at home.. it is delicious. I bought chipotle lime tortillas from Trader Joes. They have a wonderful flavor and a nice kick. I filled the tortillas with some low fat mozzarella cheese and the pulled chicken. I served it with rice and peach salsa… recipes to follow. It was a delicious meal…
- 1 pound chicken thighs
Spice Mix
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix the smoked paprika, chipotle pepper and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle all over the chicken thighs and keep aside for 2 to 3 hours.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 3 to 4 garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup cilantro
Heat a deep saucepan with the olive oil. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides on high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Take the chicken out and add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the orange juice and tomato paste. Mix well and add the adobo sauce and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and add the chicken pieces back. Lower the heat and cover the saucepan. Cook 30 to 40 minutes. Check for seasonings and cool with the lid off. Shred with a fork and add cilantro. Keep aside.
Use the shredded chicken to make quesadillas to your liking. I would recommend Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese. Serve with peach salsa, lime rice and guacamole.
