Even restaurant chicken quesadillas pale in comparison to this creamy, tasty make-at-home version...
Sometimes the most loved family dinners come about when you decide to tackle a new dinner recipe, get lazy, and then improvise.
Such was the case with these amazingly simple and delicious Cream Cheese Chicken Quesadillas.
I had made these Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos from Dimples & Delights a couple of times before when I set out to make them for a third time one fall evening.
But it had just been one of those days where baby girl insisted on doing the very opposite of just about everything that I had asked her to do, and this mama was running out of juice... and most importantly, patience.
The thought of rolling taquitos and heating oil, and trying to prevent the frying taquitos from burning while a wild child toddler was on the loose just didn't appeal to me that evening.
The husband had just got home from work and unbeknownst to me, he happens to be a world class quesadilla flipper from his years of working the grill at a restaurant during his college years. ;)
I was more than happy to hand off dinner cooking duties to him that evening. So instead of fried taquitos, the chicken mixture and flour tortillas became pan toasted quesadillas.
And the result was some of the best quesadillas that have ever landed on our dinner table... or any table for that matter!
Yes, folks. Even restaurant chicken quesadillas pale in comparison to this creamy, tasty make-at-home version...
Quesadilla night (which happens at least twice a month in our home) has become a cherished family event in this house. I whip up the chicken cream cheese filling, and my husband assembles and flips the quesadillas.
Baby girl sometimes gets in on the action by helping daddy put together the quesadillas for toasting up in the skillet. My teenage son just helps eat them. ;)
Yield: Makes 8 quesadillas
Cream Cheese Chicken Quesadillas
Even restaurant chicken quesadillas pale in comparison to this creamy, tasty make-at-home version.
prep time: 10 min cook time: 25 min total time: 35 min
ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts, cooked & then cubed or shredded
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your heat preference)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes & chiles (like Rotel), drained
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or colby-jack cheese
- (8) 6-inch flour tortillas
- Margarine
- Sour cream & guacamole for topping, if desired
instructions:
How to cook Cream Cheese Chicken Quesadillas
- Combine the shredded or cubed cooked chicken, chili & garlic powders, cayenne pepper, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and shredded cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Mix well. Add in the softened cream cheese and fold in until well combined.
- To assemble your quesadilla, place about a 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on on side of a flat tortilla and spread, then fold over and press. Repeat this for the remaining 7 tortillas.
- Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is heated, add a small dollop of margarine. Place one of the prepared quesadillas into the pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown on both sides. Allow to cool slightly and then cut into 4 wedges with a pizza cutter (I have found this is the best and easiest way to cut quesadillas. :) )
- Repeat this with the remaining 7 quesadillas. Add more margarine to the pan, as needed.
- Serve the cut quesadillas topped with sour cream and/or guacamole, if desired. Enjoy!
Do you have a favorite family dinner that just kind of happened by accident?
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