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So I think I may have been a bit overzealous with my new “feel your fears” mentality. I was feeling all amped to step out of my comfort zone and try new things that I didn’t account for the fact that sometimes a little research can actually be beneficial. You see, these Sweet Potato and Pesto Chicken Quesadillas were actually supposed to be pulled pork enchiladas….I’ll explain.
I have an irrational fear of pork. I love the taste of pulled pork, but truth be told I didn’t try it until a few years ago. My best guess would be that growing up in a home where we didn’t eat pork or ham and only turkey bacon caused me to develop negative associations with these meats. And then I grew up and ditched my house rules and discovered that when done well, pork tastes great. So I decided to dream big and throw some pork in the slow-cooker for my first attempt at pulled pork.
When I woke up the next morning to check on my loins, I was displeased to discovered they were burnt to a crisp. So I had to wing it for dinner and these came out so great that I did the fastest photo-shoot of all time (can you tell?) before running out the door to a Kewaza demo. I looked fear in the face and failed, but clearly I failed for a reason otherwise I may never have made these beauties!
Sweet Potato Pesto Chicken Quesadillas
Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Keywords: cook entree gluten-free sweet potatoes chicken
Ingredients (Serves: 3)
- 6 gluten-free tortillas (I used Udi’s)
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup pesto (I used store-bought)
- 1 sweet potato, chopped and diced
- 1 1/2 cups grated cheese (about 3-4 oz pre-grated)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Add diced sweet potato to a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet and spray with coconut or olive oil.
3. Bake for 25 mins.
4. While sweet potato is baking, add chicken breasts to a large pot and fill with water until chicken is covered with 1 inch of water.
5. Bring water to a boil and once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and partially cover with lid. Let simmer for 10 mins.
6. Remove chicken from water and shred with two forks.
7. Place chicken in a large bowl and add pesto. Stir until all chicken is coated.
8. Once sweet potato is ready, take a 1/3 of it and place on one tortilla. Using the back of a fork mash sweet potato to make a thin layer.
9. Add 1/2 cup of chicken and top with 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Cover with another tortilla.
10. Repeat to make 2 other quesadillas.
11. Place 1 tortilla at a time in a large pan and cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese has begun to melt. Flip and cook for another 2 mins.
12. Repeat for two other quesadillas.
13. Serve warm or store in refrigerator for several days.
Do you have a recent failure turned success? Any irrational food fears?
Yum, these look awesome! I’ll try just about anything at least once so I can’t think of any food fears!
These look delicious!! And I love that I don’t have to make the tortilla and pesto from scratch! This looks like a really simple and easy meal that I think I’ll be making next week for lunch 🙂
Do you realize how much I love sweet potatoes…annnd pesto?? Such a great combo!
I definitely knew you liked sweet potato 😉
well, failure worked out pretty well for you in this case 😉 I say you need to try pulled pork again though…because that stuff is too amazing not to have around.
I definitely need to try again!!
Yeast… always and forever yeast. I want to make bread, pizza dough, and cinnamon buns, but yeast intimidates me. I successfully made cinnamon buns -once- but it was completely stressful and I’m not quite sure I’m ready to subject myself to that again 😆
Those look AHHHHmazing!!!! I love all of the ingredients in there, you have blown my mind with the combination! I am so glad you ended up with this! I want it right now! Perfect recovery fuel too! Thanks!
I still think the pictures are gorgeous, thrown together or otherwise. 🙂
I grew up without ham and pork chops as well and to this day, have never had either one!
Still haven’t tried ham! Don’t really have the desire..
Nom to this recipe! Your recipe failures still look amazing to me 🙂
I don’t think it is a food fear more of a food opinion about choc and mint always staying their separate ways but you knew that one already 😉
LOL…dude we’re twinning, I grew up with the ‘no pork rule’ with mum being Muslim but I still ate it out and bought bacon once I moved out too 😉
This quesadilla is stuffed with all my favourites…except the sweet potatoes. But for you, I’d face that…rational food fear. 😉
ew bacon.