Chicken and Bean Quesadillas - a 20 minute cook at home dinner hack
This is probably one of the quickest, easiest meals I have ever put together and it's budget-friendly!
Here are the 4 main ingredients that I use:
large tortillas | chunk chicken breast | bean dip | cheese
You have no idea how excited I was when I saw Tostitos zesty bean & cheese dip at the grocery store. I have been looking for this for ages and it's only just recently been available.
Ask anyone who's ever gone shopping with me: I love grocery shopping. Whether I need to or not, I literally go up and down every aisle and I'm not bothered by slow people, old people, crying babies, or oblivious folks who block the aisle. The grocery store. Yes. It's my happy place.
I've been told that I'm a strange creature but seriously - how can you not be happy when surrounded by so much food?!
That being said, I can honestly say that it's been years since I found this!
Cook to order
My husband and I grew up in the bar/restaurant business so we rarely go out to eat. Between the two of us we can cook or bake just about anything. Besides, we've become terrible foodie snobs especially at the "big box" restaurants with their overpriced menus and under portioned platters.
I like keeping a tight budget which means more home cooking and less eating out. More often than not I cook to order even in my own home. While the boys are eating greasy hamburgers, I like to eat less heavy meals at night.
Don't get me wrong, this chicken & bean quesadilla is a hearty meal and I can only eat half of it in one sitting. Plus it's so easy to make that I don't feel like I'm making two dinners.
Let's make quesadillas! 
- Line a cookie tray or pizza pan with parchment paper (optional).
- Spread the bean dip on the tortilla. I am usually pretty generous as you can see
- Drain the canned chicken breast as best you can. It doesn't have to be dry but it should not be soaking wet.
- Spread the chicken over the bean dip.
- Sprinkle on the cheese. I used shredded part-skim milk mozzarella but you can use your favorite cheese or completely omit it.
- Top with another tortilla
Image from giphy.com
Bake in the oven for approximately 15 - 20 minutes at 350° F
Slice it up and enjoy!
What you put in or on your quesadilla is entirely up to you. You are only limited by your imagination.
Here are some condiment recommendations:
- Shredded lettuce
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Diced tomatoes
- Guacamole
You can even go wild and crazy and create several layers of deliciousness.
As for me... Well... I kind of like it this way.
NOMS
Price breakdown to feed the family:
| Ingredient | Approximate price |
|---|---|
| 1 jar of Tostitos Zesty Bean & Cheese Dip | ~ $3.50 |
| Package of tortillas (8 count) | ~ $4.00 |
| 4 can of chunk chicken breast (store brand) | ~ $8.00 |
| 1 two-pound bag of shredded cheese (store brand) | ~ $8.00 |
If you made 4 of these quesadillas you could probably feed a family of 8 for under $25.00 and still have shredded cheese left over to make pizza another night.
This actually looks pretty good! I'll have to try it on the fam!
I think it's delicious but I'm biased. My husband refuses to eat anything with beans or vegetables in it so it's mine...all mine! bwahahahaaa Let me know if you try and like it 😃
My husband's happy place is the store. He refuses to shop all in one trip. Instead he goes once a day to pick up one or two items. He loves the drive through the mountains to get there. I love quesadillas. I always put sour cream on one tortilla to cook it in with the rest of the ingredients. So good. If I want something sweet I make peanut butter sandwich quesadillas.
Your husband sounds like my people except that I love bulk shopping because when our budget was super tight I was able to wrangle feeding 3 adults for one month with a $500 budget. It wasn't fun then because the money was that tight. Now it's more of a challenge because I really appreciate frugal living.
Anyway, I had to stop eating bread because I was waking up in the middle of the night with acid reflux. It was bad. I'm so sad that I can't eat grilled cheese sandwiches anymore! Then a friend of mine said, "Make quesadillas!" and I've been trying a bunch of combinations ever since. I have not once thought to put peanut butter or jelly on a tortilla -- or fluffernutters.... nom noms.
DELICIOUS MEXICAN RECIPE OF MY FAVORITES
I have never had these, they do look and sound very tasty :)