Easy Chicken Quesadillas #GayLeaMom

This summer was a busy one!  During the summer I was able to get together with some of my friends from high school.  It’s always great to get together with old friends especially now that we don’t all live in the same city.  Our friend who was hosting was so kind to make lunch for all of us.  The lunch included Chicken Quesadillas.  We all loved them and I was getting requests from my boys to make some at home.

The recipe I am sharing with you is very easy to put together.  I took the Chicken Quesadillas with me when I picked my boys up for school and they devoured them!  This will make a great lunch which I plan to make often.

To make the Chicken Quesadillas, I butterflied the chicken, marinated it and then cooked it in a skillet.  Next time I would cut the chicken into strips to reduce cooking time.  The cheese I used in my quesadilla was Ivanhoe Medium Cheddar.

Ivanhoe is known for it’s high quality aged cheddar cheese and specialty cheeses.  They are the oldest cheese factory of its kind in Canada.  They offer Kosher and Halal varieties as well!

Today I would also like to share with you news about Gay Lea’s newest product, Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese.  It has all the benefits of regular cottage cheese but the texture is smooth.  It is available in Vanilla Bean and Salted Caramel flavours.  It has 10 grams of protein and 110 calories per serving.  They are packed in 100 gram cups.  Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese is available in Ontario in most major grocery stores, excluding Wal-Mart and No Frills.  I’m looking forward to giving Nordica Smooth Cottage Cheese a try!

If you are looking for more recipes be sure to check out Gay Lea’s recipes.  Gay Lea also sends out a monthly newsletter where they share tips and coupons!  You can sign up here.

Easy Chicken Quesadillas
Adapted from Annie’s Eats

1 lb chicken breast
1 tbsp chilli powder
2 tbsp minced coriander
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (we prefer more)
half an onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced (if your tomatoes are very juicy, seed the tomato)
8 tortillas (6-7 inch wide)
shredded Ivanhoe Medium Cheddar
Cooking spray

In a pie dish, combine chilli powder, coriander, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, cumin and red chilli flakes.  Butterfly chicken, transfer to pie dish.  Turn to coat with marinade.  (Note: next time I would cut the chicken into strips to make it faster to cook).

Heat a skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook until cooked through.  Remove to a plate and shred with 2 forks.  Wipe skillet with a wadded up paper towel.  Add 1 tsp of oil.  Add the onion to the skillet and cook until golden (about 5 minutes).

Combine the shredded chicken, onion and tomatoes in a bowl.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Heat a clean, non stick skillet over medium high heat.

Spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray.  Turn over and place chicken on one half of the tortilla.  Top with shredded cheese and fold over.  Transfer to skillet.  I usually make two at a time.  Cook until bottom is browned, then flip over and cook until the other side has browned.  Remove from skillet, cut into two pieces and serve immediately.