Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Is it Chicken Parmesan or a Quesadilla?



Actually, it is both.  Or neither.  If you ask Hey, Babe they are Chicken Parmadillas.

The three cuisines I make more than any other are Italian, Tex-Mex, and Chinese.  These three styles have very interchangeable components. I have come across and made recipes for Southwestern Eggrolls, Mexican style Lassagne, and one night I accidentally made the Chicken Parmadilla.

We were supposed to be having pesto chicken wraps for dinner.  Sauteed Chicken, mozzarella, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and onions, all drizzled with pesto and wrapped up in a pesto tortilla.  They are delicious, however, Little Man won't touch them.  All those vegetables falling out all over the place seem to turn him off.  So, knowing he wasn't going to eat a wrap with veggies and knowing that he likes chicken and cheese, I decided to make him a Quesadilla with his share of the ingredients and use some leftover tomato sauce to bind it together.  It was delicious.  Little Man ended up not wanting it anyway, but Hey, Babe and I were more than happy to polish it off for him.

Chicken Parmadillas
1 chicken breast chopped
salt and pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 to 1 cup chunky tomato sauce chilled
4 10" pesto tortillas
oil for pan
extra sauce for dipping
 Instructions
Heat a skillet over a medium flame, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the chicken until about half way cooked. Stir in salt, pepper and oregano and finish cooking. Remove chicken to a bowl, first chopping to smaller pieces if necessary. (I prefer them to be on the small side so I can get everything in each bite).

In still hot skillet saute chopped onion about 1-2 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add chopped peppers to the onions and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes until veggies are just starting to soften (don't cook them too long if you don't want them to loose their bite).

Remove veggies to bowl with chicken and add mozzarella and chilled sauce until mixture is thoroughly moistened and beginning to stick together. Be careful not to add to much sauce as it will make the filling too runny.

Divide the mixture evenly among the tortillas, spreading it on half of each one. Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the filling and press down. Cook one or more at a time (depending on pan size) with a drizzle of oil over medium heat about 2-3 minutes per side or until cheese is melted and tortilla is beginning to brown.
Serve with extra tomato sauce.

I think next time I may add mushrooms.

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