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!
Printable Recipe Card
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
- ÂĽ 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!