Thank you to Perdue for supplying me with a coupon to purchase the chicken used in this recipe at a great price. Please note I received no monetary compensation for this post and as always, all opinions are my own. @PerdueChicken
You know why I love quesadillas?
Well, duh, yes, because they're delicious and easy but the main reason is the versatility. Not just in flavors, because yes, a quesadilla can be the ultimate blank canvas but also the versatility of when you can eat it. I mean, you can serve it as an appetizer on game day. You can make them into a quick lunch or you can even make quesadillas into a super quick and easy weeknight meal, like I do.
A lot of people think that quesadilla automatically means Mexican flavors or spicy. I beg to differ. Don't forget, I'm a nice Italian girl so I like to stick with the flavors I know.
I'm sure you're familiar with Caprese dishes (don't you remember my fantastic Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad ?). Basically the components are mozzarella, basil and tomato and usually balsamic vinegar. I thought it would be fun to make a play on Caprese by using sun dried tomatoes. Hey we can't all have fresh beautiful tomatoes every day of the year can we?
I like to reduce my balsamic vinegar. As a matter of a fact, I usually have some reduced in my fridge on any given day. To reduce balsamic vinegar all you do is pour it into a sauce pan and cook it about 5-10 minutes until it reduces by half. It will be nice and thick, almost like a syrup. Perfection.
Okay, so here's what I did. I cooked some Perdue Whole Grain Chicken Breast Strips according to the package instructions. I then layered fresh mozzarella, fresh spinach, basil, sun dried tomatoes, the prepared chicken strips and a drizzle of the balsamic reduction on half of a tortilla. I then folded over the tortilla and cooked it in a skillet for a few minutes just to melt the cheese and get my tortilla nice and toasty! Easy right? Well, it's pat yourself on the back, delicious too!
Chicken Caprese Quesadilla
Ingredients
- ½ C Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 Large Flour Tortillas
- 8 Perdue Chicken Breast Strips cooked to package instructions
- ½ C Sun Dried Tomatoes diced packed in oil, drained
- 4 oz Fresh Mozzarella sliced
- 2 C Baby Spinach fresh
- ¼ C Basil freshly torn
Instructions
- Pour vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5-10 minutes until thickened and reduced by half. Tip - reduce vinegar while chicken is cooking to save time.
- On half of each tortilla layer ingredients: mozzarella cheese, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, cooked chicken.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Fold tortilla over ingredients to form a half moon shape. Place in skillet. Cook 3-4 minutes until browned and crispy. Turn over and cook the other side the same.
- Cut in half and serve.
- Optional: Serve with additional drizzled balsamic reduction if desired.
KC the Kitchen Chopper says
That drizzle of balsamic has my mouth watering. Caprese is such a creative combo for a quesadilla...Love it!
Platter Talk says
Beautifully done, these quesadillas are a great use of Perdue chicken!
Agatha says
This looks so easy to make especially now that kids are in school and need a snack!
Patty Haxton Anderson says
Great job using the pre-cooked chicken from Perdue.
Peter @ Feed Your Soul Too says
I love the Mexican spin on these quesadillas.
Heidy L McCallum says
What a huge time saver using Perdue chicken, I love how you thought out of the box on this one.I actually love the idea of of a Chicken Capers Quesadilla !!!
Dee says
I love Perdue chicken, and this is a very creative way to use it! love the flavor combo. 🙂
April J Harris says
Wonderful quesadillas! Love the idea of using the Perdue chicken strips! What a deliciously versatile appetizer, snack or light meal!
Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says
What a great family-friendly meal for time-crunched nights!
Angela says
What a fantastic weeknight meal this one is!! Love the idea of an Italian quesadilla! So fun!
Erica Schwarz says
I love mixing up quesadillas like this. Looks tasty!
Kecia says
I have made caprese quesadillas, but never with the chicken! I love this idea!