Pinto Bean & Corn Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas are one of my go to dinners when I need something fast.

How easy is it to fold some fillings into a tortilla with some cheese and heat it?

More often than not, when I make quesadillas, I do kind of a Quesadilla Bar. But I wanted to try something different.

To start, I made a different version of my Smoky Mexican Chicken, by just doing it in the crock pot. I needed much less liquid in the crockpot. And since the liquids don't cook down and concentrate, it turned out to be a much more mild shredded chicken. So it was even more versatile AND convenient, because I just threw everything into the crock pot and went to work.

There are no real measurements here, I was just kinda winging it. Tweak it to your family's preferences.



Pinto Bean & Corn Chicken Quesadillas
Large flour tortillas
Shredded chicken
Pinto beans, drained & rinsed (about a cup)
Corn (a big handful or about a cup)
Onion, diced (1/2 - 3/4 of a smallish onion)
Garlic, minced (a couple of cloves)
Green Chiles, diced (a couple spoonfuls)
Lime Juice (about a tablespoon)
Cumin (a big pinch)
Salt & Pepper
ColbyJack & PepperJack cheese, shredded

In a skillet saute onion & garlic until tender. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 of a can of pinto beans. Or about a cup, if you're starting with beans you cooked from dry. Add a couple big spoonfuls of diced green chiles, and a handful of corn. I used frozen corn. You can use fresh kernels, canned, whatever you have on hand. Add lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper.

Cook until heated through.




Ok filling is ready!

Cover half of a large flour tortilla with cheese.

I put colbyjack on the bottom.


Top that with shredded chicken.


Then then bean mixture.


Top with some more cheese.


I used pepperjack this time to spice it up a little.

Now fold it in half.


This time I cooked them in a hot, lightly oiled, cast iron skillet, instead of my Foreman Grill.

Give it a couple minutes, until it gets nice and golden, then flip it.


Cook on that side until it's nice and crispy and golden and you're done!

Cut it into 3 or 4 pieces.

I love them with guacamole and salsa.


We really liked the pintos in the quesadillas. I'll definitely be making these again!

You know what makes the PERFECT dinner?

A Quesadilla paired with Tortilla Soup!

If you're looking for a nice little collection of Tortilla Soup recipes... check out girlichef's Tortilla Soup Challenge by clicking the badge below!


Find some new Tortilla Soup recipes or add your own to her list!

I had leftovers of chicken, the bean mixture, beans, corn, and green chiles... see what I did with them tomorrow!

Chicken Fajita Quesadillas

Well... they started out being Chicken Fajita Quesadillas. But now it's more like a Quesadilla Bar, with me manning the grill. I like Quesadillas because they are so versatile and you can fill them with whatever you like.



You'll need:
Large Flour Tortillas
Cheese - I usually use ColbyJack... or Colby & PepperJack
Meat - or no meat
Veggies

When these were just Chicken Fajita Quesadillas, they had grilled onions & peppers... chicken, Smoky Mexican Chicken, leftover chicken, already cooked seasoned chicken strips... whatever chicken I had on hand.

Jon doesn't like onions & peppers... so I started cooking up mushrooms for him... then he said he'd like some black olives.

So now I pretty much just figure out what meat & veggies would be 'convenient' for me to use and offer those up as choices to everyone.

Bob doesn't like his quesadilla folded and grilled... he likes it open with just cheese and microwaved until melty... or lately he's been adding pepperoni.

Tawny usually likes a little of everything in hers... but prefers her veggies raw.

Lilly usually keeps me guessing.

Jon typically just wants chicken, olives & shrooms... this time he opted out of shrooms... cool... more shrooms for me!

I like LOTS of veggies and although I almost never leave the chicken out of mine... I always say that I should have!

I start by cooking up the veggies. Sometimes I put a little oil in the bottom of the pan... but mostly I just cook them in a little bit of chicken broth.

A little oil today.


Onions, Peppers & Mushrooms.

Everyone at my house is so picky that I try to keep them separate while I cook them. Yes... my family is spoiled. It's no one's fault but mine!


I like to sprinkle them with a little liquid smoke too. It gives a bit of grill flavor to the veggies.


Lay out a flour tortilla and sprinkle half with shredded cheese.


Then the rest of your fillings...
For Jon... just chicken & olives this time.




Plus a little more cheese so that it seals shut when cooking.


Fold it up. I usually cook these in my Foreman Grill; then I don't need to flip them... but sometimes I cook them in a skillet.

If you cook it in the Foreman, make sure the folded edge is down so your fillings don't run out into the drip tray.


Mmmm.... see the cheese oozing out on the left side? I usually keep those little grilled cheese chips for myself. But I was feeling really nice and gave it to Jon.

Jon's Quesadilla (with cheese chip!)


Lots of veggies for me!

Chicken, Mushrooms, Onions, Peppers and Green Chilies












Into the Foreman Grill.




The Karma Faery rewarded my Cheesy Chip generosity with lots of Cheesy Chips!!
YUM!!!






And I like Salsa, Sour Cream and Guacamole with mine.





Quesadillas are often what's going on in my kitchen, since I usually have everything on hand!

Green Chili Chicken Quesadillas for a Crowd

These Green Chili Chicken Quesadillas are great for a crowd. I was looking for a quick easy appetizer a while back when I came up with these. Now I make them for parties & football games or just when a few friends stop by.

You'll need:
1 pkg large flour tortillas (8)
6 oz pre-cooked southwest style chicken breast slices,diced
4 oz can diced green chilis
3 or 4 green onions, cut into slices
16oz shredded colby/jack or pepper jack cheese

Start with a flour tortilla


Spread shredded cheese on half tortilla


Cover the cheese with diced chicken


Then green onions


Then green chilis


Then just a little more cheese


Fold in half, then go on to the next.


Place in a preheated medium hot skillet until golden and then flip and cook until golden & melty on the other side.


These work up really quickly. You can make them ahead and reheat them in the oven.


Cut into slices and serve alone or with salsa, guacamole or sour cream.