Asian Quesadilla with Chicken, Zucchini & Hoisin Sauce Recipe

Name: Asian Quesadilla with Chicken, Zucchini & Hoisin Sauce
Prep time: 2017-10-23T00:00:00+00:00
Total time: 2017-10-23T00:00:00+00:00
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized strips; 3/4 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 small zucchini, cut into half-circles; 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips; 4 whole wheat flour torillas; 8 tsp hoisin sauce; 1/4 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese

Mar 19, 2012 by Dara 37 Comments

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It was a rather eventful weekend, particularly if you are a 7-year old boy (let’s call him T) with leprechauns on the brain. In my last post, I mentioned that while my husband and I were busy snacking on these Asian quesadillas with hoisin sauce, chicken and zucchini, T was busy fashioning a leprechaun trap out of a cardboard box, complete with a door propped open with a toothpick.

According to T, leprechauns are not very good rule-followers. In fact, they go out of their way to break the rules (as evidenced by our leprechaun visitor…more on that later). So, T used a little reverse psychology to fool any Irish green-clad little men that might happen upon his trap. Things such as “Do not enter” and “No gold here” were etched with Crayola marker around the perimeter of the box.

Of course, if you really want to attract a creature who is obsessed with rainbows and pots of gold, cold hard cash should be involved. T carefully laid a trail of pennies, starting from the top of the stairs, across the landing and into his room, right up to the door of the trap. Each day when he came home from school, T checked his trap, clearly disappointed when everything remained intact. As a show of brotherly support, my older son (M) made his own version of a leprechaun trap and tucked it away in the family room.

By Saturday evening, things reached a fever pitch of anxiety. St. Patrick’s Day was almost over and, still, no sign of Irishmen of any kind. T went upstairs to take a bath while M and my husband took our dog for a walk. I went upstairs to keep T company and I swear on the Blarney Stone (okay, I don’t have even a pinch of Irish in me) that I stayed up upstairs the entire time.

When T and I trundled downstairs after his bath, we were met with a shocking sight! Chairs tipped over, shoes scattered all over the living room, T’s stuffed tiger hanging upside-down from the bannister and both traps knocked over. Obviously the work of a cheeky leprechaun bent on wreaking havoc! Apparently we scared it off when we came downstairs because the boys’ piles of pennies were scattered but not stolen and the bottles of Guinness were still in the fridge. Next year we’ll set more traps and, with a little luck, we’ll catch one of those little buggers.

Let’s move on to the recipe. All I will tell you is this: make it. Now, this week, next week…just soon. It must not be missed.

The recipe:
In a medium bowl, toss chicken strips with 5-spice powder, salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray.

Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean, coat with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the zucchini and red bell pepper, and cook until just tender.

Spread 2 teaspoons of hoisin sauce on each tortilla. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Lay one tortilla (with hoisin sauce) in the skillet, and cover half of the tortilla with a quarter of the chicken, zucchini, bell peppers and 1 tablespoon of mozzarella.

Fold the tortilla over the filling and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove from pan and cut into 3 pieces. Repeat with remaining tortillas and fillings. Serve.

Other quesadilla recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Shrimp, Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Quesadilla
Closet Cooking’s Tandoori Chicken Quesadillas
The Other Side of 50’s Chicken, Spinach & Cannellini Bean Quesadillas
A Couple Cooks’ Greek Quesadillas