CEiMB: Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

This week I got to pick the recipe for Craving Ellie in my Belly. A while ago I saw this recipe by Ellie for Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas on Foodnetwork and since I was in the mood for Mexican food I thought this would be the perfect time to try it!

The recipe was put together quite easily. I bought presliced mushrooms, pulled defrosted chicken out of the fridge (I always buy chicken when it's on sale, cook and shred it, portion it and pop it into the freezer), and started cooking: dinner was served within 15 minutes!

I slightly undercooked the mushrooms by accident, they could have used a bit more time.
Instead of topping one tortilla with the filling and another tortilla I topped half the tortilla and flipped the other half over the filling: this made it much easier to flip over the quasadilla in the pan without major loss of content.

I served the quesadilla with some salsa and sour cream, as suggested by Ellie.
In my opinion this recipe is another keeper: easy to make and tastes great. The cumin, oregano and chili powder work great together. Next time I might just add some fresh cilantro into the mix, I love that stuf!! I ate two halfs, so actually 2 servings according to Ellie.
Overall: two thumbs up!!

One tiny detail.... I got to enjoy this dish again later last night due to heartburn. Luckily for me this was quickly sorted by taking one of the Rolaid Chews that I brought home with me on my last trip to Canada. That stuff really works fast!! I'm not quite sure what caused the heartburn this time, maybe it was the salsa, the chili powder or the cumin....

Easy Chicken-Mushroom Quesadillas

4 servings

Ingredients

1 tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups cooked chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast (1 breast half)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

2 cups baby spinach leaves, sliced into ribbons

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

4 (10-inch) whole gran flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix or cheddar

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushroom water is evaporated and they begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add chicken, cumin, chili powder and oregano and stir until all spices are incorporated. Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.

Lay 1 tortilla on a flat work surface and sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken and vegetable mixture on top of cheese, then top with an additional 1/4 cup cheese. Top with another flour tortilla.

Heat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray over medium heat. Carefully place 1 quesadilla in pan and cook 3 minutes. Using a large spatula, gently flip the quesadilla and cook an additional 3 minutes until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Repeat with second quesadilla.

Slice each quesadilla into quarters. Place two quarters on a plate with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 2 tablespoons salsa.

Check out what my fellow Ellie-istas thought of this recipe here.

Up next:

October 29th: Pumpkin Pie Muffins (pg 21), hosted by Oddball Oven Mitt

November 5th: Linguini with Shrimp (pg 160-161), hosted by Confessions of a Novice Baker