Happy Friday, friends! I am super excited to share today’s recipe with you for many reasons. First: it calls for cooked chicken breast, so you can use leftovers from your perfect herb roasted chicken. Second: it is seriously so tasty and easy, you’re bound to add it to the regular rotation. The recipe inspiration comes from a now-closed restaurant in my hometown of San Diego. The sweetness of the corn relish and jalepeno jelly complement the creaminess of the goat cheese so beautifully, it will make you want to cry (well, maybe not but sometimes it’s fun to be dramatic).

There was a time where I made this recipe once a month. Minimum. With every trip to Harry & David, I would stick up on calico corn relish, specifically for the occasion. However, for some reason it fell off the list of frequent Buell family meals. When I told my husband I was preparing these quesadillas for dinner he was so excited he came home early and begged me to double the recipe. What is below is the doubled recipe because I have a feeling you’ll want more of these little babies, too.

Active Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

  Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 8oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and roughly diced
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
• 1 cup roasted bell peppers, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup corn relish or corn salsa (make sure it’s sweet!)
• 1/4 cup jalepeno jelly
• 2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend

Directions

In a medium sauté pan on medium heat, warm 1 tbsp of butter. Add mushrooms and sauté until brown and cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes. Empty the cooked mushrooms into a medium bowl and add the chicken and bell pepper. Toss to combine. 

In a separate small bowl, mix together the corn relish and jalapeño jelly until well combined. 

Prepare your quesadillas by spreading 1 tbsp goat cheese evenly on one side of each tortilla. Next, spread about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture over half of the side with goat cheese. Top with the corn relish mixture and 1/4 cup of the Mexican cheese. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling to form a quesadilla and repeat on the other tortillas. 

Using the same sauté pan you used for the mushrooms, warm about 2 tsp of butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add one quesadilla to the pan and toast for about a minute before flipping to the other side. The cheese should be melted and the tortilla should be crispy and golden brown. 

Repeat on remaining quesadillas and enjoy immediately.