Recipe: Chicken, Cheese & Spinach Quesadillas

We were about 13-years-old when one of my best friends, Tara, taught me how to make quesadillas. It’s the first recipe I really knew by heart and something I’ve continued to make over the years. They’re very easy to make and you can swap the ingredients for anything you like. Just keep cheese of some variety, because that’s what holds it all together!

Ingredients:

1-2 chicken breasts or chunks
Tortilla wraps (the bigger the better)
Butter
A few cups of shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but your favourite will do)
A handful of tomatoes
A bag of spinach
Frank’s hot sauce (or similar)
Salt and pepper

Start by cutting up your chicken into pretty small pieces (slightly bigger than a dice). Cook over medium heat with a bit of olive oil until they are slightly brown. Be careful not to overcook or it can get a bit dry. Add salt and pepper to taste.

While the chicken is cooking, shred the cheese if you haven’t bought it pre-shredded. Then chop up your tomatoes.

You don’t necessarily have to pre-cook the spinach, but I find it easier when it comes to the whole assembly step later. I’d recommend it.

Once all of the ingredients are ready, have them all at hand near the stove. You’ll want to take out a tortilla-sized frying pan – either a new one or you can wash up the one you used to cook the chicken. Pre-heat on medium.

Lightly butter on side of a tortilla.

Place butter side down in the frying pan and cover one half with cheese, making sure to push it all the way to the edges.

On top of the cheese, place a layer of spinach.

Next, add a layer of chicken.

Sprinkle on some pieces of tomato.

Top it all off with another thin layer of cheese, concentrating mostly around the edges. Some people like to add hot sauce inside the quesadilla, but I leave it out and serve it as a dipping sauce at the end.

Keep an eye on the underside of the tortilla to make sure it doesn’t burn. You do have to work somewhat quickly. Once all of the ingredients are added, flip the empty side over the top and press down with a spatula. The cheese at the edges should melt together and somewhat seal the quesadilla so it doesn’t fall apart.

Flip it over a few times, letting it cook until it’s browned. It usually only takes a few minutes. To serve two people, I usually make two quesadillas and cut them into four pieces each.