BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas

These delicious quesadillas have been making their way on to a ton of food blogs that I read and are becoming hugely popular!  When I first saw this recipe, I immediately knew I had to add it to my weekly menu.  I was intrigued by the combination of pineapple, BBQ chicken, and cheese....and it is definitely a winning combination.  We loved this recipe, and I'm glad I made extras because now I have some waiting in the freezer for when I'm feeling too lazy to cook.

I will make just a couple of small changes for the next time I make these (and there will for sure be a next time).  First, I will cut the bbq chicken and pineapple into smaller pieces so that I can get a little more filling into each quesadilla.  Here is how big I cut mine up this time (which is actually a tad bit smaller than Pioneer Woman's chicken and pineapple, but I still want them even smaller):

Also, I chose to chop up the jalapenos into a small dice because I didn't think I would want to bite into a big jalapeno piece.....but I think by doing this I lost the jalapeno flavor so next time I will just slice the jalapeno and leave them in big circles and see what that tastes like. 

These quesadillas require some cooked chicken breasts and grilled pineapple.  You can either make these right before assembling the quesadillas or use leftovers.  What I would recommend doing is making some grilled pineapple to go with your dinner the night before and then using the leftovers in these quesadillas.

Ingredients:

8 flour tortillas
butter or EVOO to grease the pan
2 cups grilled pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (grilled or baked works well) and chopped into small chunks
3 cups monterrey jack cheese, grated
2 jalapenos, sliced
cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce (in our house, it is Sweet Baby Ray's)
salsa, for serving (we used salsa verde because I'm obsessed with it right now)
sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Toss the cooked chicken chunks with warm BBQ sauce to coat.
Assemble quesadillas:  Sprinkle half of each tortilla with grated Monterey Jack.  Arrange chicken chunks evenly over the cheese. Add pineapple chunks and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add butter or EVOO.  For each quesadilla, add to the hot pan for about a minute.  Fold over and finish cooking until both sides are browned and the cheese is melted.  Keep the quesadillas in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while you are cooking the rest.

When ready to serve, cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Source:  Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks