Out-the-Door Quesadillas

Dinner in a hurry was the order of business tonight at The Wright Place. We'd been out most of the afternoon gathering VBS games gear and some household necessities and we screeched into the garage with an hour and a half before VBS was to begin. No left overs in the fridge and hungry kids were circling. An hour later we were seated around the kitchen island eating and chatting and learning our memory verses for VBS...we always like to wait until the last minute to cram food and Scripture into our bodies before church...good for digestion.

Our dinner-in-a-hurry was chicken quesadillas. A paired down version of the full-on taco night we celebrate almost weekly.  There was a time when, quite honestly, we were quesadilla-ed out. I made them every other day for lunch one winter, or so it seemed and since then I just couldn't get jazzed about a half circle of meat and cheese and tortilla.

Desperate times though...AND I found a way to jazz things up just a bit...cilantro sour cream sauce!

Quesadilla Ingredients:
{printable recipe here}
8 large flour tortillas
2 cups cheese (your choice, we used cheddar), divided
2 chicken breasts
1 12 oz. bag frozen corn or about 2 cups fresh (more or less to your liking)
taco sauce (optional...Molly and I do NOT add this to ours, everyone else does)

How to get out the door quickly:

Put a skillet on the burner and let it get good and hot. If the chicken breasts are frozen you can add them straight from the freezer and what a sizzle they make. If they are not frozen, like my chicken was, reduce the cooking time a little.  Cook for about 4 minutes on each side to get that golden brown color and the yummy grilled flavor adding salt and pepper to each side as they cook. Then one at a time, pull the chicken from the skillet and slice each piece into half inch strips which will still be pink in the middle, add it back to the skillet to finish cooking until there is no pink left, but while chicken is still juicy.

Remove the chicken to a plate and to the same hot skillet add fresh or frozen corn. Stir the corn about so it cooks evenly and maybe even browns a bit.

While the corn is cooking, tear or cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and place the cheese in an easy-to-reach-into dish. Also uncap the taco sauce. You are going appreciate having everything handy for the next part.

On a hot griddle or in the hot skillet you cooked the chicken and corn in, place one flour tortilla on half of that add 1/4 cup cheese (more or less to your liking) add to the top of the cheese add a hefty sprinkle of the chicken and then about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of corn. If you want, drizzle with taco sauce and fold the empty half of the tortilla shell over the food-covered half.

Allow that to cook for a minute or two, peeking inside to check if the cheese has melted then gently turn the quesadilla over to crisp the other side for one to two minutes. Remove to a plate and cut into four wedges with a serrated knife.

Repeat process with the remaining 7 tortilla shells adding or removing ingredients as your family's tastes dictate. Serve with cilantro sour cream (recipe below) or just plain ole sour cream and a pile of salsa if you're feeling really fancy.

There are approximately seven thousand variations on the quesadilla theme you can create. Some of our past favorites have even included squash! No kidding, but I'm certain that meal was a Daddy's Gone Dinner if ever there was one!

Other options include chicken with barbecue sauce and cheddar cheese, black beans and cheese and green onions, left over pork chops and rice, rice and beans and peppers...and so forth. Basically, you need melted cheese, meat or beans, and something to add a pop of flavor like grilled corn or chopped onion or red pepper. Your options are limitless.

An easy meal that fills busy bellies AND gets you to Bible School on time! Hope you enjoy.

Cilantro Sour Cream Sauce
Ingredients: {printable recipe here}
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped green scallion
1 tablespoon buttermilk (or regular milk)

Mix all ingredients together and serve with quesadillas, burritos, on salad, over tomatoes and cucumbers...it's so very wonderful!