JP's Spicy Chicken Quesadillas

For those of you who know me, you know I do not do "spicy." So I am still not really sure why I decided to coat the chicken with chili powder, paprika, and crushed red pepper. (Yikes...I know...) It actually was quite delicious, although I paid for it with hours of discomfort after the meal. Next time, I'll leave my chicken pieces "naked" and only spice up Mark's!

All in all, this was a relatively quick and inexpensive recipe. I only used one chicken breast (to serve two), but it was a plump one. Here's what you'll need and how you can do it:

• 1 large chicken breast
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon thyme
• dash of black pepper
• pinch of crushed red pepper (or more, depending on how "hot" you like it)
• salt

Butterfly chicken breast, then cut into thin, long strips. Place in a shallow dish (and add a dash or two of salt).

In a small bowl, mix all remaining ingredients. Sprinkle liberally over strips of chicken, then dredge chicken into spice mixture to coat evenly.

Place chicken in a large skillet (I used an olive oil cooking spray to coat the skillet) over medium heat. Cook for about five minutes or until cooked through. (It won't take long...be sure not to overcook the chicken. You want it HOT, but you don't want it DRY!) Remove from heat; place chicken strips on a plate and reserve for quesadillas.

  For the quesadillas:

• 4 medium flour tortillas
• 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 medium white onion (chopped)
• 2 cups of any Mexican blend or "fiesta" blend shredded cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter

In an open tortilla, sprinkle a handful of cheese (about 1/2 cup), and chopped bell peppers and onions to taste. (Don't go overboard with the veggies...you'll end up with an overwhelming flavor.) Add 4-5 strips of cooked chicken. Fold tortilla in half. Do this for a total of four tortillas.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Place two of the folded tortillas in the pan, taking care not to spill the insides into the pan first! Carefully flip after four minutes; remove after 2 more minutes. (The second side almost always takes half the time to cook...be careful not to burn the tortillas. You may even find it necessary to decrease the heat ever so slightly.) Repeat for next two tortillas.

Serve with an ice cold cerveza or your favorite beverage for a spicy and deeee-lish dinner!

PS - You'll notice in the picture below that one plate contains the chicken and quesadillas separately. What can I say...I'm a little weird in that I just don't like my chicken in my cheese! Kind of like how I order a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit without the cheese. Call me special. ;-)