chicken & mushroom quesadillas

I thought I would share a recipe that I love. I always enjoy reading recipes on other blogs because I love to cook. I will try some occasionally and I always love finding a new recipe that works for Charlie and me. I always love quesadillas when I am out at a restaurant, and one day I was inspired to try and make them at home. The first attempt was not great, but I have made these so many times now that they are tasty. I had to find the right balance of spices and cheese and what to use in the frying pan.

You will need some shredded cheese, half an onion, some fresh mushrooms, a taco packet, some chicken and 10 inch tortillas. Sometimes I use fresh chicken breasts that I cook in advance, and other times I use chicken in a can, but today I used pre-cooked sliced chicken. It all depends on what I can find at the store that is on sale.

Dice your onions and mushrooms. Don't worry about them being perfectly chopped. Just get them bite size.
Get them in your frying pan and let the onions sweat out a little bit, and your mushrooms brown up a little bit.
While the onions are cooking, go ahead and butter your tortillas. I used my low fat Brummel and Brown spread, but use whatever works for you. The only thing I don't like is cooking spray. It doesn't crisp as well.
Add your chicken to the mix and then sprinkle on some of the taco packet. It will NOT take the entire packet. I keep one in my cupboard especially for quesadillas. You might use about half.
Add a little water like you would if you were making tacos. It lets the sauce get thick and yummy.

On another burner, get your big skillet ready and hot. Place your tortilla in the pan, butter side down. Sprinkle a little cheese down first and then transfer some of the chicken mixture from pan to tortilla, but place only on half. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top (the cheese is like the glue that holds it all together.)Fold over. and smush down. A spatula works perfectly for these quesadillas. At this point I usually flip it over, as the side you have been working on gets pressed to the pan harder and is already starting to brown.
See? Let the other side cook to let the cheese melt and then get it on a plate. Place your next tortilla in the pan and repeat. This recipe should make four large quesadillas, with cheese leftover.

I cut the quesadillas with a pizza cutter into four sections. Add a dollop of sour cream and some salsa and you are good to go. The variations are endless: add whatever veggies you like to the onions and mushrooms. Just make sure they are cooked before adding them to the tortilla.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I have to tell you that while making these I almost cut my finger chopping the onions and my camera fogged up from the steam while cooking. It is hard to cook and take pictures!