Fat Free Refried Beans and Chicken Quesadillas

Everything tastes good with cheese. With beans. With jalapeno. With chicken. With green onions. This recipe for quesadillas have these goodies.  Plus you can make it with leftover chicken or that rotisserie chicken from the grocery store you always have plenty of left you do not know what to do with them.

I have posted other quesadilla recipes before in the past like this recently posted one but this is different.  I used good old fat free refried beans that conveniently come in a can to spread over the tortillas for flavor and texture.  This additional ingredient really goes well with jalapenos.  And I would say with cilantro also which you can serve on the side if one of your family members detest this vegetable like my picky taster, my husband.  But it really takes it another notch as Emeril Lagasse loves to say. So incorporate it with the rest of the ingredients if you do not have a cilantro hater in your family.

This is pan fried but you can also bake it under a watchful eye.  I find pan frying easier and faster though. Here is the recipe of this easy and quick dish. I almost forgot, you can also just use good old American cheese slices that you have in your deli compartment in your fridge instead of the shredded ones.  This goes to show how convenient this recipe is.  One more ingredient used re-purposed.

Fat Free Refried Beans and Chicken Quesadadillas

Makes 4 quesadillas

• 3/4 cup fat free refried beans
• 1 cup left over chicken 
• 1 tbsp of the sauce of the chicken or barbecue sauce
• two stalks of green onions, chopped coarsely
• 1/4 cup of bottled jalapeno slices, chopped
• 4 slices American cheese or 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
• 4- 5 inch tortillas
• sprigs of cilantro, as a side or incorporated

Spread each tortilla with the refried beans.  Mix the chicken, its sauce or barbecue sauce, green onions and jalapeno slices (and cilantro if incorporating instead of as a side) in a bowl.  Place this mixture over one side of the tortillas and then place the other side over this filled side.  

Spray a saute pan with a cooking spray and heat to medium heat.  Place all four of the quesadillas on the pan.  When the side down is crisp, flip to the other side and continue crisping this other side.

You can serve with salsa or guacamole or just plain.  It is that gooey and good you really do not need embellishments.  Serve with a side of green salad to complete a healthy meal for your family.  Enjoy.  My husband did without the cilantro of course.