Chicken Quesadillas with Salsa Verde

I was dying to try a fellow food blogger's recipe for Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde. And off I went to the grocery store, making sure I got everything on my list. I was ready to make some enchiladas.

And then I remembered: duh, I don't have a working oven right now.

So I did a wee bit of tweaking, took out the chicken broth and cream cheese, and swapped the corn tortillas for flour. Added some cheddar, and mushrooms/chiles I still had in the fridge. And of course, had to prepare it a bit differently, decided on a quesadilla method. This recipe is very very yummy - I love the heat from the salsa verde and the mix of ingredients is just perfect. Nice kick, fresh-tasting thanks to the cilantro, and very healthy I would imagine (given the ingredients list).

Will try the enchiladas, for sure, once I get my oven back. Promise.

Chicken Quesadillas with Salsa Verde

(Adapted from Amanda's lovely Enchiladas)

Ingredients:

1 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp. chili powder

2 c. shredded cooked chicken breast

1/4 c. crumbled queso fresco

1 c. shredded "light" (reduced fat) cheddar cheese

Olive oil

8 flour tortillas

Salsa verde

In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Sauté the onion until soft and beginning to brown. Add garlic, and sauté for a few more minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat.

Combine sautéd onion mixture and next 5 ingredients cilantro, chili powder, chicken, and cheeses) in a large bowl.

Put 1 tortilla on a cutting board and spread 1/2 cup chicken mixture over half of tortilla, then fold other half over to form a half-moon, pressing firmly on seam. Assemble 7 more quesadillas in same manner.

Heat lightly oiled grill pan over high heat until it begins to smoke, then reduce heat to moderate and grill quesadillas, 2 at a time, turning over once, until cheese is melted and golden brown grill marks appear, about 4 minutes total per batch. Transfer with a spatula to cutting board and cut in half. Top with salsa verde, and serve.