gluten-free chicken quesadillas w/ carmelized onions, peppers, spinach & cheese

Enjoying a flour tortilla again (albeit gluten-free) is SO enjoyable, especially paired with the fillings in this chicken quesadilla. Explore the vegetable stand and try new variations every time you make it.

One recipe I’ve been thrilled to re-create is for chicken quesadillas. I’m not a huge corn tortilla fan, and really wanted to see what making my own gluten-free flour tortillas would taste like, using the most flavorful fillings in a quesadilla. This recipe is amazing!

After finding out I was gluten sensitive, the first two books I bought were Living Gluten-Free For Dummies by Danna Korn, and Gluten-Free Cooking For Dummies by Danna Korn and Connie Sarros. If you haven’t already perused these two, it’s worth a visit to the library at the least. They contain so much great information, including some pretty great gluten-free recipes.

The gluten-free flour tortillas recipe is my version inspired from Living Gluten-Free For Dummies, and the rest of the chicken quesadilla recipe (filling) is my conglomeration of tasty tidbits that taste so perfect together. Whether you are cooking for two, a family, or a dinner party, make the dining experience entertaining by encouraging everyone to contribute to creating their quesadilla, using various pre-diced ingredients to tempt even the pickiest of taste buds. Yes, the dough is not as flexible as a standard wheat flour tortilla, however friends and family have agreed they’re delicious. They’re on my dinner plate at least once a month!

Gluten-free flour tortillas ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (Bob’s Mills Brand is great!)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons shortening (I use organic butter, room temperature softened)
• 1 cup warm water

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first five ingredients above. Cut in the shortening with a fork. Add the warm water slowly, stirring until the dough is smooth. At this point I use my hands to combine the ingredients well, and then form the dough into tennis ball sizes. On a wooden board, sprinkle some extra gluten-free flour to keep the dough from sticking to it. Put one dough ball in the center of the board, and with a rolling pin, slowly flatten it until it’s about 1/8-inch thick. Make sure to keep a light dusting of gluten-free flour on the rolling pin as well to prevent sticking (you could also try using wax paper). Roll out to 10-12 inches in diameter. I take a bowl that size, place it on the dough, and cut around the bowl edges to make a circle.

Filling ingredients:

• 2 large organic, baked chicken breasts, shredded
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 cup spinach, diced
• 1-2 red, yellow or orange sweet bell peppers, carmelized & diced
• 1 carmelized onion, cut in small strips
• 2 slices provolone chese, cut into small strips
• 1/2 bag shredded cheddar cheese

Involve your guests and family to cut or tear up small pieces of various meats and veggies to add to the ‘quesadilla bar’. Everyone will enjoy their own custom-made meal!

Make gluten-free flour tortillas above. Cook the tortillas on the hot iron skillet for about 30 seconds on one side, until it has small brown flecks. Flip the tortilla to cook 30 additional seconds in the pan. Transfer the tortilla to another frying pan on med-low heat, and begin layering the filling on it, while making another tortilla in the iron skillet. Add enough of each of the filling ingredients above to your liking. Once you have an additional tortilla ready, put it on top of the filling, flip for 5-10 seconds, and put on a serving plate. This is a fun time to have two or three people at the stove together working as a team, setting a rhythm together and creating a finished chicken quesadilla about every two minutes.

Serve with gluten-free salsa and guacamole. Enjoy!

Makes approx. 6-8 quesadillas.

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