Yes, the last recipe I posted was also “mexican inspired”, and yes so is this one. Sorry but I can’t help it.  I guess I’m in a bit of a phase. With that said, you guys should know now that I LOVE quesadillas. It’s not the first thing I would order if I were out dining, but I will take a home made quesadilla any time of day. My midnight snack is usually a quesadilla with just cheese, onion and jalapenos- the BEST!

I tried something a little different with these quesadillas and filled them with the most tender tandoori flavored chicken! I love adding chicken in yogurt because it really makes the chicken taste like its been marinating for over 24 hours, which frankly I don’t have the time for.

I normally would serve these with a cilantro jalapeño sauce but I was in the mood for something a little different yesterday. Lucky for me, I’ve been on a fresh juice kick so I had a LOT of fruit on hand to choose from.  I took one look at the pineapple sitting in my fridge and decided to try and make a pineapple salsa! The longer the salsa sat, the juicier and tastier it became! It’s sweetness and brightness was a perfect compliment to the smokiness of the tandoori chicken.

Try it for yourself 🙂 Happy eating!

 

 

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Tandoori Chicken Quesadillas, Pineapple Salsa

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken Marinade, Combine the following:

3 Tbsp plain yogurt

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp Tandoori Masala

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, minced/grated

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

2 lbs chicken breast, sliced into thin strips

Salt & Pepper to taste

Squeeze of fresh lemon

To cook the chicken:

1 Tsp Cumin seeds

2 jalapeños, diced small

1/2 cup cilantro, washed and chopped

1 cup red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup green bell pepper, sliced

Few Dashes Hot Sauce (I use Cholula)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)

Flour Tortillas

1.5 tbsp oil

Spicy Spread:

Combine the following:

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 tbsp thetcha garlic chutney

Pineapple Salsa:

Combine the following and let sit for 15-20 minutes:

1 cup pineapple, diced small

1 jalapeno, diced small (Use Serrano if you like it spicier)

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

2 tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced

1.5 tbsp honey

2 tsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup cilantro

Juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl add the yogurt, spices and chicken and mix well to combine ingredients.
  2. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat and once hot add oil and cumin seeds.
  3. Add chicken along with all of the marinade/sauce.
  4. Cook, stirring continuously until chicken has almost cooked through.
  5. Add sliced red peppers and green peppers and continue to cook until peppers are just slightly softened and chicken has cooked all the way through. 
  6. Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, and remove chicken from heat.

Assembling the Quesadillas:

  1. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add oil and once hot add a tortilla that has been spread evenly with the "spicy spread".
  3. Top half of the tortilla with shredded cheese first, then top with cooked chicken and top again with more shredded cheese.
  4. Fold the other half over the chicken and cheese mix and cook until both sides of quesadillas are golden brown.
  5. Remove from heat, slice into thirds with a pizza cutter or knife.
  6. Serve hot with fresh pineapple salsa!!