I love Mexican food! The ingredients are simple, it’s full of flavor and texture, it’s colorful,… I can go on! We have Mexican food a lot around here because it’s the bomb and usually fairly simple to make. 🙂 These crispy quesadillas are one of my favs. It takes less than 30 minutes to make (if you already have leftover rice and chicken) and any leftover filling can be frozen and easily defrosted for an even quicker meal down the road.
The spice in these quesadillas is Arizona Dreaming from Penzeys Spices. If you haven’t heard of Penzeys, it is a store that sells AWESOME spices and herbs. Arizona Dreaming is a new one that my mom told me about and I have been adding it to lots of my food. It’s pretty much just a southwest chipotle spice. If you don’t have a Penzeys near you or you want to make this before your order comes in the mail then just substitute the 1 tablespoon of Arizona Dreaming for 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning is also a pretty equal substitute if you have that on hand. If you are interested in other Penzeys’ spices, I highly recommend their Vietnamese Extra Fancy Cinnamon (strong flavor, I use in cinnamon rolls), Ceylon Cinnamon (more mild, used with fruits like in these or hot chocolate), and Chili Con Carne (in place of any regular chili powder). Disclaimer: I was not paid by Penzeys to say this. I just really like their spices.
Arizona Dreaming Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice, cooked
- 1 cup chicken breast, cooked and cubed or shredded
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and deveined, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon Arizona Dreaming, Penzeys Spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 8 flour tortillas, medium size
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups taco blend cheese, shredded
- Salsa and sour cream, condiments
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine rice, chicken, beans, bell peppers, jalapeño, Arizona Dreaming spice, and salt. Mix in cilantro and lime juice.
- Spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray and then flip over. Place 1 tablespoon sour cream in the center of the tortilla and spread to the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over sour cream.
- Spread rice mixture over half of the tortilla and then fold tortilla in half.
- Cook quesadilla in a pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Slice into wedges and serve with salsa and sour cream. Refried beans taste good with it too!
Recipe Source: Adapted from Melskitchencafe Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps (jalapeno added, more bell pepper and a variety of colors, different spices)
I make these but I marinate my steak and chicken in the spices with lime juice about 30 min. Before I cook . I also add sun dried tomatoes to my rice mixture. I made a small jar of the spice mixture and just keep it for seasoning these quesadillas.
Thank you for offering a GREAT sounding use for the new Arizona Dreaming I just picked up yesterday! I’m new to Penzy’s, but am eager to use their spices. I was shocked to see their website didn’t have some easy way to look up recipes related to their spices. Your site was the next place I found. 🙂 THANK you so much! We’re having BBQ Chicken Pizza tonight & maybe we’ll have this tomorrow. 🙂
Penzy’s is the best! Oh you are going to love that spice Nancy! You can just throw some on black beans or rice too to liven them up for an easy side. I’m so glad you found my recipe to use it in. 🙂
Ooo..Thanks for the recipe. I’m making these for dinner tonight! Yum! 🙂
You’re welcome Aura Maria! I hope you guys enjoy them! 🙂
We love Penzey’s too. We were so happy there was one in Indy as we were spoiled having one in St. Louis! My spice drawer is jammed packed with their spices! I also love their catalogs. The personal stories are so fun to read and the recipes are good too. And you can’t beat their monthly coupons!
Judi 🙂
http://www.browneggsandjam.blogspot.com
I’m completely drooling over these! They look phenomenal!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com