Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

I don't know about you, but I always have chicken on hand. Chicken is so versatile and many people are always looking for a new way to cook it. I decided to participate in a recipe exchange and the only criteria was the recipe had to involve chicken. When I received this recipe I was excited and a little hesitant. I had seen many great reviews for these quesadillas, but I typical shy away from mixing fruit and meat. But I must say that I really did enjoy this combination. Hopefully there will be another exchange soon to allow me to branch out a little.

From: A Taste of Home Cooking, originally from Pioneer Woman

INGREDIENTS

8 whole flour tortillas
butter
2 cups grilled pineapple, sliced
3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups Monterey jack cheese, grated
1 whole jalapeno, sliced
cilantro
3 tablespoons barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS

(To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices.)

(To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness.)

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done, brushing with barbecue sauce. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.

To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. (You’ll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)

Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

Recipe Rewind: Tomato Dill Soup and Chicken and Green Chile Enchiladas