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Easy Quesadillas

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These Easy Quesadillas are stuffed with rotisserie chicken, seasoned broccoli and melty cheese. This is a super simple meal idea that comes together in just minutes, plus it’s really versatile. Use any leftover meat and veggie that you have on hand. Serve them with a Sriracha Greek yogurt sauce for dipping! 

chicken broccoli quesadillas on a small white plate

Quesadillas are such a great option for a quick lunch or busy weeknights when you want something that is nutritious and delicious, using what you have on hand. 

I highly recommend using leftovers or head start ingredients to keep this meal super quick and easy to make. 

For the easy quesadillas that you see here, I am using some shredded rotisserie chicken, which is one of my favorite short-cut ingredients to have on hand. I’ll buy an organic rotisserie chicken, shred it up while it’s still warm and then store it in an airtight container, so I have chicken available for simple meals like this during the week.

I am also using some leftover steamed broccoli that I had in the fridge! Feel free to use whatever veggies you have – from mushrooms to bell peppers, the options are pretty much endless!

easy quesadillas stacked on a plate

Easy Quesadillas Ingredients:

  • Broccoli or another favorite veggie
  • Chicken or another meat or beans
  • Seasoning – For this recipe, I used cumin and garlic powder, but feel free to use your favorite spices.
  • Flour tortillas or whatever tortilla you prefer to use (I love sprouted tortillas!)
  • Cheese – I always go for Monterey Jack cheese when making quesadillas because it gets super melty! Feel free to use your favorite cheese, cheddar cheese and pepper jack are also great choices.
ingredients for chicken and broccoli quesadillas divided into small bowls

How to Make Easy Quesadillas

This quesadillas recipe is so flavorful and super easy! Here’s the simple process, but for the full, printable recipe, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

  1. Prep filling. Start by giving your meat and veggies a rough chop. You will need about 1 scant cup of filling per 8-inch quesadilla.  
  2. Heat filling ingredients. Once you have your fillings chopped up, you want to toss them in a hot pan for a few minutes, so they heat through. This is important because you don’t want cold fillings in a hot quesadilla. This is also a great time to season the filling ingredients. I like to add a bit of garlic powder, smokey cumin, salt and pepper.
  3. Heat tortilla + add filling. Transfer the heated filling ingredients to a bowl and gently wipe out the pan. Now, place one tortilla in a hot-non stick pan – you do not need any oil or butter – you just want to let the tortilla heat a bit. Flip the tortilla and layer a few tablespoons of the cheese on one half of the tortilla. Then, top with the chicken and broccoli and a couple more tablespoons of shredded cheese.
  4. Cook quesadilla. Using a spatula, fold the tortilla over onto itself to form a half moon and top with another pan or teapot to help hold it down (you can also gently push down with your spatula for a minute). Cook for two minutes or until the bottom is lightly browned. Flip the tortilla and cook for another two minutes or until both sides are lightly browned and cheese is melted. Remove from pan, cool and cut in half! 
quesadillas served with creamy sriracha dipping sauce on top

Recipe Tips

  • Tortillas. For quesadillas it’s best to use larger tortillas. This gives you more space for all of the delicious fillings you want to stuff inside! You don’t want to overstuff the quesadilla or things will get very messy! I like to use a tortilla that is at least 8 inches in size (10-inch tortillas work great too). 
  • For gluten-free quesadillas, choose almond, cassava or corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are much smaller, so if that’s what you’re using, be sure not to overfill them!
  • Cheese. If you have the extra time, I do recommend using freshly grated cheese instead of pre-shredded bagged cheese from the store. The bagged cheese contains anti-caking agents and a cellulose coating and it doesn’t get as melty as freshly grated cheese.

Customize Your Quesadillas

As mentioned, you can feel free to make these easy quesadillas based off of what you have available at home. Mix and match and have fun! Here are a few suggestions:

  • Vegetarian. Omit the meat completely and load up on veggies! You could also add in black beans for some plant-based protein.
  • Meat. Aside from chicken, some other great options are cooked steak, pulled pork, fish, shrimp, ground turkey or lean ground beef.
  • Veggies. This is a great way to use up those veggies lurking in your fridge. If you don’t have broccoli, try roasted corn, zucchini, cauliflower, sweet potato, butternut squash, or Brussels.
  • Cheese. Any cheese works here! You can even use a combo of more than one cheese. If you need your quesadillas to be dairy free, just use your favorite dairy-free cheese.

What to Serve With Quesadillas 

As much as we love quesadillas as-is, they’re even better with toppings or dipping sauces. Here’s some tasty options:

  • Creamy sriracha dipping sauce – this is a mix of Greek yogurt and sriracha sauce. You’ll find the recipe in the recipe card, below.
  • Guacamole
  • Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • Pico de gallo or Salsa
  • Hot sauce
  • Fresh cilantro
quesadillas stacked on top of one another

More Easy Recipes to Try:

If you make and enjoy these easy quesadillas, be sure to leave a comment and ★ rating below letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is so helpful for me and our Clean & Delicious community (thank you!).

chicken broccoli quesadillas on a small white plate
Print

Easy Quesadillas

Course DIET, DINNER, LUNCH, meat + chicken, snacks + starters
Cuisine American, kids, nut free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 quesadillas
Calories 367kcal
Author Dani Spies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup steamed broccoli roughly chopped
  • 1 cup rotisserie chicken roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 8-inch flour tortillas (or whatever type of tortilla you prefer or love)
  • 1/3 cup shredded cheese (I like a mix of Monterey and cheddar)

Optional dipping sauce

  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1-2 tbsp Sriracha

Instructions

  • Toss broccoli and chicken in a non-stick skillet over a medium low heat.  Season with cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir well and cook until heated through. Transfer seasoned meat and veggies into a small bowl.
  • Place one tortilla into the hot pan and gently heat for 20-30 seconds or until heated through. Flip the tortilla and place a couple of tablespoons of cheese over one half of the tortilla. Sprinkle half of the broccoli and chicken mixture over the cheese.
  • Using a spatula, fold the tortilla over onto itself to form a half moon and top with another pan or teapot to help hold it down (you can also push down with your spatula for a minute).
  • Cook for two minutes or until the bottom in lightly browned. Flip the tortilla and cook for another two minutes or until both sides are lightly browned and cheese is melted. Remove from pan, cool and cut in half! 

For optional dipping sauce

  • Combine Greek yogurt and Sriracha sauce to create a cool and spicy dip for your quesadilla.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 527mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 441IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 3mg

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