Jerk Chicken and Mango Salsa Quesadillas – chicken seasoned with jerk spice, fresh mango salsa, and cheddar cheese combine to make the tastiest quesadillas you will ever devour!
Ok, so these quesadillas are going to blow your mind.
I mean seriously, I think these are the best quesadillas I’ve ever eaten. I made them twice in a matter of days and I’m still craving more. Why didn’t I think of this before? As I think I’ve mentioned previously, I love anything that pairs together sweet + savory and these quesadillas do exactly that.
We are finally getting some HOT weather here in Winnipeg, which makes me so very happy. Since our winters are so long and dreadful I really love to make the most out of summer! Due to the nicer weather, I seem to crave fruit more and more. It can’t just be me who feels this way, can it? It seems like I want to include it in every meal, probably because fruit just seems to taste that much better when they are in season. As a result, I try to incorporate it in new and fun ways into as many things as I can, such as I’ve done here.
The mango salsa you make for these is to die for. Really. I had to stop myself from eating this by the spoonful it was THAT good. Make extra if you want to snack on some, and trust me you will want to snack on some.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret – the second time I made these I actually used frozen mango chunks for the salsa. That’s right! All the mangoes at my nearest grocery store were either super overripe (ew, mushy) or not ripe enough where I would have had to wait a few days. They were also like $2.50 each which is just crazy. I did not want to wait a few days, nor did I want to spend $10 on 4 mangoes that day so I headed to the freezer section and grabbed myself a bag of frozen mango chunks, hoping it would work.
Guess what – It worked perfectly! I let the mango chunks defrost for about ~20 minutes or so on the counter-top, enough so that they had softened a bit but were still firm enough where I could easily dice them into smaller pieces without them being too squishy. I made the salsa, and by the time I assembled the quesadillas the mango was no longer frozen at all. So if you end up in the same predicament I did, I highly recommend you do this!
These quesadillas are pretty simple to make. First, you season the chicken and put it in the oven to bake. While that’s happening, throw together the salsa and try not to snack on too much of it (as I did). Finally you assemble the quesadillas one by one on a frying pan and cook them, and soon enough you’ve got a flavourful, fresh, delicious dinner made!
The combo of spicy jerk chicken, sweet mango, and cheddar are simply divine. Normally I like to have salsa, sour cream or guac with my quesadillas but these did not need anything extra! Make these Jerk Chicken and Mango Salsa Quesadillas for your next meal, they won’t disappoint!
If you try this recipe please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, post on the Zest & Simmer Facebook page or share photos on Instagram using the hashtag #zestandsimmer. I’d love to see it!
Jerk Chicken and Mango Salsa Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp jerk seasoning
- 4 mangoes , diced (can also use 2.5 cups frozen)
- 1 large jalapeno , minced
- 1/4 large red onion , diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro , chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 tortillas
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Season chicken breasts with 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of jerk seasoning each. Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then dice and set aside.
- While chicken is cooking, begin to assemble mango salsa. Toss together the diced mango, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice and salt, stirring well. Set aside.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Place one tortilla on the pan, and spread 1/6 of the shredded cheese, 1/6 of the diced chicken, and 1/6 of the mango salsa over half the tortilla. Fold the other half over and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned. Gently flip, and cook the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas until all are cooked.
- Slice each quesadilla into 3 or 4 wedges, and serve!
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