Monday, February 15, 2010

artichokey goodness

I asked my mom what I should make for dinner with chicken and she gave me some new recipes she wrote down awhile back. One of them was for Chicken and Artichoke Quesadillas. I'm not going to lie: they sounded completely disgusting. Mozzarella cheese? On a tortilla? Blagh! As I was writing the recipe down, though, it started to sound alright. Whatever. It's good to branch out, right?

THEY WERE SO GOOD! SOOOO GOOD! Even Devin, who is normally very apathetic about what he is eating, said "Hey, this is good!" That translates into "this is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life!! I can hardly stand it!!" in case you were wondering.

Try some.
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 can artichokes (14 oz), drained and chopped. I chopped them up pretty small. I don't like big chunks of artichoke on anything.
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated. (or my friend: the green can)
1 clove garlic, minced
tortillas (I used the whole wheat kind, and I think it must have canceled out the fat in the cheese and mayo. I'm sure it did.)
mozzarella cheese

Mix the chicken, artichokes, mayo, parmesan and garlic together. Spray some pam in a skillet, throw a tortilla in there and let it warm up a bit, flip it and let it get warmed up on that side. Spread the mixture on the tortilla, add some mozzarella cheese and cover with another tortilla. Cook for about two minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted.

I burned the first two and yelled for Devin to come make them because he is the quesadilla master in this family. His were perfect. It made about 4 fajita size quesadillas for us.

The recipe says to serve them with salsa, but we didn't really need anything extra.

DON'T READ THIS NEXT PART AUNT SHEL! I'M WARNING YOU!
I've been buying bone in split chicken breasts when they go on sale. I buy about 4 or 5 pounds and throw them in the slow cooker for about 3 hours on high. After they're cooked I shred up the chicken and measure about 3 cups into ziplock freezer bags and throw them in the freezer for whenever I need shredded chicken. I have loved doing this because the meat ends up tasting like rotisserie chicken meat like you get at the store, much more flavorful than boiled chicken. Split breasts go on sale for really cheap too.

7 comments:

Angela said...

Nathan and Devin are SO similar! And I laughed when you made Devin cook the quesadillas, b/c there is a whole list of things that Nathan ends up having to cook too. Mostly things like pancakes, grilled cheese, and quesadillas now that I think about it. All things that require patience (I always turn the burner up so I can cook them FASTER!!) and paying attention - LOL!!

jenifriend said...

oh my goodness this sounds delicious! i have a can of artichokes in my cupboard right now; thanks for the tip!!

Michele said...

blech to the chicken, but i am definitely going to make the quesadillas for the kids. they will love them.

Amanda said...

That does sound good! I have a recipe for some really delicious artichoke bread. It's basically french bread with this heavenly artichoke spread on top. DELISH! I'll have to try this!

Steve, Amanda, Kyle , Owen, and Madilyn said...

I love artichokes! I am going to have to try this...although, I am not so sure how that will go over with Steve. He isn't so excited about them. :) Boys, they just don't know what they are missing.

Keri said...

It sounds just like artichoke dip on a tortilla....genius.

roz said...

Genius about the chicken! I will have to copy that! Then, chicken whenever we want.
I do the same with ground beef, season and cook some up (usually homemade taco seasoning) and freeze...great for tacos, salads, or as a topping on potatoes for a full meal.
Rachel Ray had an episode on her annual favorites. The top recipe (per viewers) was for a spinach artichoke pasta! Like the dip but as an entree! I'll have to try it and let you know..
Love you! R