Zesty Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
These cheesy quesadillas deliver the classic crave-worthy (“I want seconds!”) taste, but for a fraction of the calories, carbs, and saturated fat typically found in takeout versions.
Ingredients
For the caramelized onions (makes ½ cup)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (2¼ cups)
- ½ tsp olive oil or butter
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup water
For the cheese sauce (makes 1 ⅔ cups):
- 8 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 5 tsp adobo sauce, from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
- 2 tsp minced chipotle pepper, ~1 small, from canned chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 ½ cups reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese, or Colby jack cheese
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp ground cumin
- ⅛ tsp onion powder
Assembly
- 8 whole-grain low carb tortillas, regular 8-inch size
- ¼ cup reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese or Colby jack cheese
- 4 ounces cooked chicken breast, shredded
Instructions
For the caramelized onions:
- Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook the onions for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and slowly adding the water about ¼ cup at a time throughout the cooking process, to help scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and to prevent the onions from sticking.
- You can also mist the pan and onions with olive oil spray as needed. The onions are finished when they are deeply golden, soft, and sweet. Transfer them to a bowl, and set-aside. Wipe the pan clean to prepare for frying the quesadillas.
- While the onions are cooking, make the cheese sauce: Combine all the cheese sauce ingredients into a bowl and stir until evenly incorporated.
To assemble quesadillas:
- Liberally mist the large skillet with olive oil spray and warm over medium heat. Build each quesadilla by spreading ~3 tablespoons of the cheese sauce on one half of the tortilla, and then top the sauce with about 1 tablespoon of caramelized onions and about ½ oz of the shredded chicken.
- Top with an additional sprinkling of shredded cheese (~½ tablespoon), and then fold the plain side of the tortilla over the side with the toppers (like you’re closing a book). Then, carefully transfer the quesadilla to the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat the process with the rest of the tortillas and remaining ingredients.
- Cut each of the quesadilla halves into 2 large triangles, and serve with optional light sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and chopped scallions.
Nutrition Information per serving
Calories: 210Carbohydrates: 16gProtein: 16gTotal Fat: 12g— Unsaturated Fat: 6g— Saturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 730mgFiber: 7gTotal Sugar: 4g— Natural Sugar: 4g— Added Sugar: 0gCalcium: 367mgIron: 1.2mg
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.