Caramelized Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas with Strawberry Salsa

Last updated on January 31st, 2018 at 08:16 pm

Caramelized Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas with Strawberry Salsa – perfect summertime eats! These quesadillas are loaded with flavors and make for a super simple meal!

Think about this combination for a second. Caramelized pineapple, chicken, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and onions. All in a quesadilla! Coconut oil and cinnamon. Whaaat?

Strawberries and tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno peppers and lemon juice. This last combo in a spicy salsa. This may not be your typical quesadilla recipe, but it’s one that must go on your menu for this summer.

I honestly can’t think of a better recipe for summer, but I may be a bit biased here, I love quesadillas. I’d say about 80% of the time when I go to a restaurant I always tend to gravitate towards the quesadillas.

But let’s talk a bit about caramelized pineapple. Ever tried it before? I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious it is. I caramelized the pineapple in coconut oil with a bit of cinnamon sprinkled over. You have to cook it for a few minutes until you get a nice brown color on it and it will get a bit sticky from the sugar it releases. But it’s just to die for. If you don’t want to make these quesadillas I really really urge you to try the pineapple. I can just imagine this pineapple over some good vanilla ice cream.

Now you might look at these quesadillas and think that they look a bit messy. But messy is good! Messy is yummy! Messy should make you go to your kitchen right now to makes these quesadillas. They’re cheesy and a bit spicy from the jalapeno, with a bit of BBQ flavor in there.

And that strawberry salsa. I dream about that salsa. If you’ve got preconceived notions about not liking fruit in your quesadillas or sandwiches or whatever, I think you might need to rethink that a bit. Cause this right here will make your tummy happy.

If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Leave a comment below and rate this recipe or take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!

Caramelized Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas with Strawberry Salsa

Caramelized Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas with Strawberry Salsa - perfect summertime eats! These quesadillas are loaded with flavors and make for a super simple meal!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 477kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

Quesadillas

• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 cups pineapple chunks cut into squares
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 onion sliced
• 1 red bell pepper julienned
• 1/2 small jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
• 2 chicken breast boneless and skinless, I used rotisserie chicken, which I shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese white, freshly grated
• 1/2 cup cilantro fresh
• 4 large tortillas I used corn and flour tortillas

Strawberry Salsa

• 1 medium tomato chopped
• 3/4 cup strawberries chopped
• 1/2 onion finely diced
• 1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced
• 1/3 cup cilantro fresh
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil. Add pineapple and toss with salt and cinnamon, cooking until caramelized and golden, flipping occasionally – about 6-8 minutes.
• Place pineapple in a bowl and set aside; add another 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil, tossing in onions and peppers with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add chicken to skillet and cook until heated through. Remove chicken mixture from skillet and add to the bowl with pineapple.
• Reduce the heat in the skillet to low and add another 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Place a tortilla down and sprinkle with a quarter cup of the cheese, chicken, the pineapple, onions and peppers, and cilantro, then add another 1/4 cup of cheese. Cook until tortilla is golden, then gently flip, keeping the ingredients inside, and cook until other side is golden. Repeat with remaining quesadilla, and serve with strawberry salsa.
• For salsa, combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Notes

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1quesadilla | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 473mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 33.6% | Vitamin C: 108.7% | Calcium: 26.6% | Iron: 8.3%

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