Cowboy Quesadillas

Crock-pots are magical contraptions. Time and time again, I throw chicken breasts in the crock-pot with some kind of sauce, cook it on low for the better part of the day and then call it dinner. MA-GIC. One of my favorite sauces to crock-pot with chicken breasts is barbecue. OH, it's yours too?! I thought so.

Crock-potted barbecue chicken gets AROUND in my kitchen. I toss it in salads, sprinkle it on pizzas, pile it in potato rolls, layer it in quesadillas, or serve it up with a loaded baked potato on the side (my favorite way).

This quesadilla is just one of the many, many ways to use crock-potted barbecue chicken. It's messy and I have to say, I LOVE that about it. Sometimes you just need a little messy in your life. These are meant to be made and then immediately devoured with plenty of finger lickin' along the way. I don't serve them with anything on the side- no sour cream or salsa. These can stand alone. At our house, we usually lay a paper towel down for each place setting and then I serve the quesadillas straight from the cutting board after cutting up into wedges.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe (will make 3 10 in sized quesadillas, serving up to 6 people):

For the crock-potted chicken:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Enough barbecue sauce to coat and cover chicken breasts

Place chicken breast in crock-pot. Pour barbecue sauce over chicken. Stir to combine and coat. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. After cooking, remove from crock-pot and shred using a fork. Cover and refrigerate or move right into making the quesadillas if you are ready.

For the quesadillas:

6 10 in tortillas

Roughly 3-4 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or jack, preferably)

1 15 oz can chili beans, divided between three quesadillas (chili beans are simply pinto beans with seasonings and tomato paste)

Cooked and shredded barbecue chicken

3-4 tablespoons red onion, FINELY diced (you could also use green onions)

Barbecue sauce for drizzling in the quesadilla

Start by heating your skillet, over medium to medium-low heat. After skillet is heated, in this order, layer a single tortilla, 1/2 cup-3/4 cup shredded cheese, shredded chicken (equal to 1 chicken breast), chili beans, and a healthy drizzling of barbecue sauce.

Top with more cheese.

Top it all off with another tortilla.

Cover skillet with lid. Cook quesadillas for 5 minutes per side (medium-low to medium heat), or until the cheese is all melted through. It's important to cover the quesadilla while it cooks. It will trap the heat, ensuring that the layers of beans, cheese, and chicken get properly heated through.

Transfer cooked quesadillas to cutting board. Cut into wedges. Serve.

images by Briana