Avocado Chicken Quesadillas

Avocado Quesadillas with Chicken are another San Diego County favorite.  There was a little local restaurant on the coast that served them.  It wasn’t fast food, but it was very casual dining frequented by locals.  Fresh avocados grow in many backyards there, so we ate them often.

The dish  was always so good that it was hard to order anything different. Since it is far away now, I had to try to copy it.  I think this recipe comes pretty close to the flavors I remember, though I imagine the Mexican restaurant used some heavier ingredients than I do now.

If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, it is perfect for a quesadilla.  It shreds easily and well.  You won’t need very much for each one.  Instead of the high fat cheese i know they used, I switched to low or fat free shredded cheese.  And of course, I had to add some spinach.  Traditionally it was not included.

It is fast and easy to layer everything on.  You can use more or less avocado.  The same with the chicken and all the ingredients.   That is part of the fun of preparing them at home.  You get to make them with your favorites.

If you have a griddler, it is excellent for grilling quesadillas.  You can use the grill side or the smooth side.  Since it cooks both the top and bottom at once, you don’t have to flip the quesadilla over halfway through cooking.  That is a big help when you have a lot of ingredients that would love to slip out the sides.  I use the griddler for so many meals now.  If you’d like to read more about, click here for the review.

epending on how you are serving it, one quesadilla may serve two.  They are rich and delicious.  The avocado is wonderful warmed within the tortillas, surrounded by the cheese and chicken.   Yum

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Avocado & Chicken Quesadillas

Rating  5 from 1 reviews

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  25 mins

Serves: 1 - 2

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tortillas
• ½ cup shredded chicken
• 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped or torn
• ¼ avocado, sliced into ½ inch pieces
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 1 - 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup shredded cheese
• salsa

Instructions

1. Butter one side of each tortilla. If you prefer you can spray with olive oil.
2. In a small skillet sprayed with oil, saute the shredded chicken with half of the cilantro for 4 to 5 minutes.
3. In the meantime, sprinkle half the cheese onto the unbuttered side of one tortilla.
4. Layer the spinach, avocado, and remaining cilantro.
5. Spoon the chicken onto the tortilla.
6. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the sliced green onion.
7. If using a skillet to cook the quesadilla, melt one tablespoon of butter in the pan.
8. Gently lift the loaded tortilla into the pan.
9. Put the other tortilla on top and cook.
10. Once bottom has browned, carefully flip to other side.
11. If using a grill or a griddler, heat on panini setting, then place tortilla onto it.
12. Bring lid down and cook until brown. It’s unnecessary to flip it.
13. When finished, cut into 6 pieces, then serve with salsa.

3.3.3077

Here’s the Griddler that I use to heat the quesadillas.  It’s fast and easy, with no flipping required.  One of my favorite things about this handy appliance is that the cooking plates go right into the dishwasher for a thorough clean.  Love it!

Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Merry Citarella, often writing as Merrci, writes on a wide range of topics. Recently relocated to the Oregon Coast in the northwest United States, she frequently writes travel features on the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She specializes in health and aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, food, lifestyle, and book reviews. For more information you can see her on The Writers’Door. You can read more articles here or at her websites Alzheimers HQ and Simple Living Ideas