Recipes

Chicken, Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

These chicken, black bean and corn quesadillas make for a quick, easy and super fresh meal

By Catherine RBarr /

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

Corn tortillas are a tasty but less sturdy option for quesadillas, so it’s best to dig in with a knife and fork

Healthy, easy to whip together, and fresh, fresh, fresh, these chicken quesadillas make the perfect quick dinner

I felt like something quick, easy and fresh for dinner, like my chicken fajitas, but I just made them last week so I thought I’d try a new combination: chicken, black beans, canned corn, garlic, lime juice and chili powder with cheese. It was fantastic!

Corn tortillas are a great gluten-free option that my dad got me onto but they don’t stand up for quesadillas (at least the kind I bought didn’t – my dad swears by the Que Pasa brand, a local company, but I couldn’t find them at my local grocery store).

Whole wheat tortillas stand up to folding and support the weight of the filling better, and folding them in half is less messy than stacking two on top of each other.

I made one meal with whole wheat tortillas folded in half and heated on the electric grill (pictured below) and one meal with open-faced corn tortillas (pictured above), which are my favourite option but best eaten with a knife and fork.

Ingredients

Serves 8

  • 3 free-range boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Mexican chili powder
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 8 small slices of cheese
  • salsa and sour cream

Instructions

  1. In large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
  2. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink in middle.
  3. Add garlic and chili powder to chicken, stirring well to combine, and then add black beans and corn.
  4. Cook until mixture is hot, about 2 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.
  6. If grilling whole wheat tortillas: place cheese on half or tortilla and top with 1/8 of chicken and vegetable mixture followed by 1/8 of green onions. Fold in half and grill for about 3 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.
  7. If using corn tortillas: place cheese in middle of tortilla and top with 1/8 of chicken and vegetable mixture followed by 1/8 of green onions. Place in clean, non-stick frying pan over medium heat and cook for about 3 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.
  8. Place a dollop of salsa and sour cream on each plate for dipping.