I’ve written this up before but blogs are not meant to be read through so new readers may have missed it. One of our favorite ways of using up leftover chicken is to make chicken quesadillas.
The other night I roasted a chicken. As is often the case, I bought 2 or 3 when they were on sale and roasted one immediately and the froze the others. I pull out the innards when I get home from the grocery store and rub them with a dry spice rub, sometimes pour a marinade in, or just freeze them plain (although that’s usually only if I’m in a hurry). I find it very convenient to pull out a “pre-rubbed” chicken, let it thaw, and just throw it in the oven one night with no prep work needed. One advantage of the dry tub is that you can use your vacuum sealer if you have one. Otherwise just use a gallon size freezer bag.
That’s what I’d done a couple of nights ago. We nibbled on the leftovers for lunch yesterday and today I made chicken quesadillas to use up the rest. Even then I ended up with another lunch’s worth of quesadillas for someone.
Chop up the chicken. If you like it spicy, sprinkle some chili powder, cumin, or what have you over it. You could also heat it up with some water and spices, which I do when we’re making burritos. For quesadillas I usually leave it “dry.”
Spread a flour tortilla with some butter and lay butter side down in your frying pan over medium heat. Sprinkle grated cheese and chopped chicken over it. Top with another tortilla, butter side up. Heat through, then flip over and cook till lightly browned. You can also make a smaller portion by using a single tortilla. Just lay your chicken and cheese down half and fold it over.
Slice into wedges and serve with:
- salsa
- sour cream
- refried beans
We had sliced tomatoes as well, from the garden. Every dinner has sliced tomatoes these days.
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