Jalapeno Popper Chicken Quesadillas

Looking for a sports-bar-worthy appetizer to satisfy a hungry football “fan-atic”? What could be better than jalapeno poppers? No, what could be better than quesadillas? Answer: the perfect combination of both. All the flavor of a jalapeno popper wrapped inside of a quesadilla…..brilliant! The best part is, quesadillas are much easier to prepare than jalapeno poppers. Calling a quesadilla an “appetizer” seems so formal to me. It’s downright fun finger food. These quesadillas will delight kids of “all” ages. Oh, and did I mention there’s chicken and bacon in them, too? Touchdown!

In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp, reserving bacon fat. In same skillet, cook diced chicken in reserved bacon fat. Season the chicken with chili powder, garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder and cumin. Cook until evenly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Seed and dice jalapenos. Heat oil in small skillet. Add the diced jalapenos. Sauté, stirring often, until jalapenos soften. Cool.

In small bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and diced jalapenos. Spread the mixture evenly over the flour tortillas.

Top half of the tortilla with a strip of bacon (or break bacon into half and lay down the 2 halves).

Top with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and 1/4 of the diced chicken.

Fold the top of the tortilla over the filling and press together.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook the quesadillas, in batches, until both sides are browned.

Cut each folded tortilla into 3 slices. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

JALAPENO POPPER CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
Source: Cassie Craves
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com


INGREDIENTS:

• 4 strips bacon
• 1 pound chicken tenders, or thin cut boneless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, or to taste              
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese
• 4 each   jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 extra-large flour tortillas
• Sour cream and salsa, for serving (optional)

            
DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain,
    reserving bacon fat.
2. Add the diced chicken to the same skillet you used to cook the bacon. Season the chicken with chili
    powder, garlic salt, pepper, onion powder and cumin. Cook until evenly browned.
3. Heat oil in small skillet. Add diced jalapenos. Cook, stirring often, until jalapenos soften. Cool.
4. In small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and the jalapenos. Spread the mixture evenly over the
    flour tortillas. Top half of each tortilla with a strip of bacon, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and 1/4 of the
    chicken. Fold the top of the tortilla over the filling and press together.
5. Cook the quesadillas in batches in a skillet coated with cooking spray until both sides are browned.
    Cut each into 3 slices and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Yield: 12 serving size pieces