Recipe: Deliciously Healthy Chicken Quesadillas

I really enjoy cooking - so much so that I will create my own versions of restaurant meals. I update them with different meats, different spices, and different sauces, creating a completely new dish each time I prepare it. Many times, I prepare my dish in a much healthier manner than the original that we receive at the restaurant.

This particular quesadilla recipe is a great one that my husband and I love to eat, and I have updated it to be a bit healthier than the kind that you get in today's Mexican restaurants. First, I use the multigrain tortillas instead of the normal flour tortillas to add a bit of additional fiber to the quesadillas. Second, I use reduced fat cheese if I can find it to lessen the fat content. And finally, I cook the quesadillas without any oil on the skillet because it makes the end product less greasy than at the restaurant.

Enjoy!

Deliciously Healthy Chicken Quesadillas

4 - 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning
Juice and zest of 2 limes
15 multigrain tortillas
1 small red onion, chopped
1 green or yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies, drained
1 package fresh baby spinach, washed and stemmed
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
2 cups grated reduced fat (2% milk) sharp cheddar cheese
your favorite salsa

Preheat large skillet over medium high heat. In a medium bowl, toss chicken breast pieces with seasoning, lime zest, and lime juice. Cook in skillet for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside.
Mix pepper jack and sharp cheeses together and set aside.
Place a tortilla on a plate. On one half of the tortilla, add 1 teaspoon onion, 1 teaspoon bell pepper, 1/4 teaspoon chilies, 1 tablespoon cooked chicken, 1 handful (about 8 - 10 leaves) spinach, and 1 handful (about 1/8 cup)cheese. Fold other half over the top to make a filled half circle with the tortilla.
Preheat a flat skillet over medium heat. Slide filled tortilla onto skillet and cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until cheese starts to melt. Turn with a spatula and cook for another minute or until cheese is fully melted and tortilla sticks together on its own. Remove from skillet and cut into three triangles.
Serve hot with your favorite salsa. Makes 45 triangles.