Verde Chicken Quesadillas

I’ve been on a health & wellness journey the last two weeks trying to lose weight and eat healthier.

You may be thinking, how can eating cheesy quesadillas possibly be “eating healthier”??

It can be, I swear! If you rethink your choices and options for ingredients, you’d be surprised at what you can do.

I’m currently taste-testing every low-carb, no-carb or whole wheat tortilla I can find. So far, I think I like the Ole brand best. Over the weekend I also tried La Banderita’s low-carb tortilla, which was pretty good. I’m hitting up Trader Joe’s tomorrow to see what I can find.

I live off of tortillas. One of my favorite snacks when I was a kid was a cheese tortilla: Kraft singles inside a tortilla and microwaved. Sounds gross, but I LIVED for that snack. Eating healthier now doesn’t mean I have to give up the tortilla craving, but I can at least swap it out with a lower carb version.

These quesadillas were jam-packed full of flavor and healthy goodness, too. I sliced up some zucchini, poblano peppers, and tossed in some corn for good measure.

This isn’t your typical chicken quesadilla. It’s got a lot more going on for it than you might think. It’s a great lunch or snack or even dinner if you want to pair it with a side salad or some chips and salsa.

Enjoy!

Verde Chicken Quesadillas

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A zesty chicken and cheese quesadilla packed full of veggies like zucchini, poblano peppers, and corn.

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 TBS. olive oil
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 cup green enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
• 6-8 tortillas

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and poblano and saute until onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in corn, zucchini, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until zucchini is slightly tender.
2. Stir in cooked chicken and enchilada sauce. Bring mixture to a simmer and then remove from heat.
3. Spray a large pan with cooking spray. Build your quesadillas: Take one tortilla and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Top with a spoonful of the chicken-and-veggie mixture. Sprinkle another tablespoon of cheese on top and then fold tortilla over, making a half-circle shape.
4. Grill tortilla in pan on medium-high heat until browned on both sides and cheese is melted. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Serve with verde salsa and sour cream.