Chicken and bean quesadillas

Who doesn’t love quesadillas? In addition to being a fan favourite, you can freeze leftover filling for an easy, ready-made meal in the future!

Prep time
10 min
Cook time
25 min
Servings
10
Prep time
10 min
Cook time
25 min
Servings
10

Ingredients

  • 15 mL (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
  • 454 g (1 lb) ground chicken
  • 15 mL (1 tbsp) chili powder
  • 5 mL (1 tsp) cumin
  • 20 mL (1 ½ tbsp) onion powder
  • 20 mL (1 ½ tbsp) garlic powder
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 375 mL (1 ½ cups) water
  • 1 can (540 mL/19 oz) lower sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 250 mL (1 cup) frozen corn
  • 30 mL (2 tbsp) lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • 2 tomatoes, diced

To assemble:

  • 10 small whole wheat tortillas
  • 335 mL (1 ⅓ cups) shredded lower fat mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 
  2. In a large pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir frequently to prevent spices from burning until chicken is browned. 
  3. Stir in peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Add water and simmer until the water is reduced by . Use a digital food thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 74 °C (165 °F).
  4. Remove from heat and stir in black beans, corn, lemon juice, and tomatoes. 
  5. Place tortillas onto the baking sheet. On each tortilla, spread 125 mL (½ cup) of filling on half of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 30 mL (2 tbsp) of cheese and fold over in half.
  6. Bake in the oven for 7 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisp.

Tips

  • Serve with a salad and toppings such as salsa, guacamole or lower fat sour cream. Little chefs can help you choose toppings.
  • Little chefs love hands-on activities. Ask them to help you fill tortillas. 
  • Want to make a vegetarian version? Replace the chicken with any leftover beans or veggies.