Southwest Chicken Quesadillas with Pineapple, Mozzarella and Pico

These Southwest chicken quesadillas bring together tender spiced chicken, sweet pineapple, sautéed bell pepper, red onion and melted mozzarella inside crisp flour tortillas.

A quick grape tomato pico with cilantro, lime and minced onion adds freshness, while sour cream makes each wedge creamy and satisfying.

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Ingredients

1 unit Red OnionView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit Green Bell PepperView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

4 ounce PineappleView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

6 ounce Chicken BreastsView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

4 ounce Grape TomatoesView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

0.25 ounce CilantroView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 unit LimeView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 tablespoon Southwest Spice BlendView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

3 unit Flour TortillasView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

1 cup Mozzarella CheeseView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

2 tablespoon Sour CreamView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

4 teaspoon Vegetable OilView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

SaltView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

PepperView ingredient guideLike ingredientDislike ingredient

Instructions

1. Wash and dry all produce. Preheat the broiler to high or heat the oven to 500°F.
2. Halve, peel and thinly slice the red onion. Mince a few slices until you have 2 tablespoons, then place the minced onion in a small bowl.
3. Core, seed and thinly slice the green bell pepper. Drain the pineapple. Cut half of the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes, reserving the remaining chicken for another use or cube it as well for a fuller quesadilla.
4. Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced red onion and bell pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the drained pineapple to the pan. Cook, tossing, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the mixture out of the pan and set aside.
6. While the vegetables cook, finely chop the grape tomatoes and cilantro. Halve the lime.
7. Add the chopped tomatoes, half the cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice to the bowl with the minced red onion. Toss to combine, then season with salt and pepper.
8. Add another drizzle of vegetable oil to the same large pan. Add the cubed chicken and Southwest spice blend. Cook, tossing, until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Return the cooked vegetables and pineapple to the pan with the chicken. Add a squeeze of lime juice and the remaining cilantro. Toss to combine, then remove from the heat.
10. Rub one side of 2 tortillas with a drizzle of vegetable oil. Place them oiled-side down on a baking sheet.
11. Sprinkle half the mozzarella evenly over the tortillas. Top with the chicken, pineapple and vegetable filling, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
12. Fold each tortilla in half to form 2 quesadillas.
13. Broil or bake the quesadillas until golden brown on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully and cook the second side until golden, another 1 to 2 minutes. Watch closely so they do not burn.
14. Cut the quesadillas into wedges and serve with the pico de gallo and sour cream on the side.

Recipe Tips

FAQ

Can I use all of the chicken in the quesadilla filling?

Yes. The method uses half the chicken for a lighter filling, but you can cube and cook all of it for a fuller, chunkier quesadilla.

How do I keep the quesadillas from burning under the broiler?

Broil them for only 1 to 2 minutes per side and watch closely the entire time. Flip as soon as the top is golden brown.

What is served with these quesadillas?

They are served with a simple pico made from grape tomatoes, minced red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper, plus sour cream on the side.