Tropical Chicken Quesadillas with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa

I've had this recipe for Tropical Chicken Quesadillas with Mango-Avocado Salsa printed out for awhile but I wasn't sold on the mango. Then I had leftover pineapple from these Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa and realized I could sub the pineapple for the mango.

I left the hot pepper out of the salsa because I'm not that into spice. I also opted to cook the onion until caramelized and leave out the red pepper because I don't particularly like peppers. As I was getting ready to cook the chicken I noticed the leftover spice rub from the BBQ Spiced Pork Tenderloin sitting on the counter. I decided to use it and wow, what a great idea. The flavors from the rub were perfect on the chicken and went so well with the onions and cheese.

But the real winner was the salsa combined with the quesadillas. The pineapple was a great substitute for the mango and when I put a little salsa on the quesadilla it was the perfect combination of tang from the pineapple, creaminess of the avocado and a slight bite from the red onion.

I can't wait to make these again.

Tropical Chicken Quesadillas with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Apple a Day

For the salsa:
1 1/2 cups diced pineapple, cut into quarters (juice reserved)
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup thinly slicked red onion
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the quesadillas:
2 boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
2 teaspoons oil, divided
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 medium/soft taco size tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
Cooking spray

To make the salsa, combine all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Marinate the chicken breasts in the reserved pineapple juice for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

Combine the brown sugar through dried rosemary in a bowl. Mix well. Remove the chicken from the pineapple juice and sprinkle the dry rub on the chicken breasts, coating evenly.

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet. Sauté chicken until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with tinfoil and put in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Cut into a small dice or shred.

While the chicken is cooking, heat the other teaspoon of oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onions and saute until caramelized and brown, about 15 minutes.

Lay out four tortillas and assemble quesadillas in this order - cheese, onion, chicken, cheese. Top with remaining tortillas.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Lay quesadilla in the skillet and let cook until the bottom of the tortilla is golden and crispy. Flip and let cook until the other side is also golden and crispy and the cheese is melted. Repeat cooking process with remaining quesadillas. Serve immediately with salsa.

Recipe Swap: Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa

It's time for another round of the Blogger's Choice Recipe Swap. I was excited when I received Coleen's blog, The Redheaded Baker, which recently went through a redesign and name change.

My game plan when I get a blog for these swaps is to figure out what ingredient or cuisine I want to make to help me narrow down the choices. I had already made my menu for the week and decided I wanted something using ground beef. As soon as this recipe for Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa popped up I remembered printing it out when Coleen made it for the Sandwich/Burger Swap.

This was a messy but delicious burger. I didn't even bother making it for SP - he got a plain cheeseburger to dress however he wanted. It worked out well because my one pound of ground beef only yielded 3 burgers. The jerk seasoning added a wonderful flavor to the burger patties - I don't think I've ever had anything with that particular flavor profile before. The pineapple salsa was a great compliment to the burger but the chunks made it tough to eat - pieces were falling out left and right. It was worth it, though.

Thanks for a delicious burger, Coleen!

Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa
As seen on The Redheaded Baker

For the salsa:
1/2 can diced pineapple, cut into smaller dice
2 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 avocado

For the burgers:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
4 teaspoons jerk seasoning
Cooking spray
4 slices Cheddar cheese
4 burger rolls

Early the day of serving, or the day before, combine the pineapple, sweet onion, cilantro, pepper and lime juice in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for one hour, then cover and refrigerate.

Divide the beef into 4 portions and form into patties. Use your thumb to press an indentation in the center of each patty. Sprinkle the top half of each patty with 1/2 teaspoon jerk seasoning. Flip over and season the other side with another 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning.

Spray a heavy skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Add the burgers and cook for 6 minutes. Split the burger buns, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Flip and cook another 6 minutes for medium-rare doneness and place baking sheet in oven to toast the burger buns.

Place one slice of cheese atop each burger and cover the skillet with a large pot lid to melt the cheese. While cheese is melting, dice the avocado, add it to the salsa, and gently toss to combine.
Place one patty on each roll and top with a spoonful or two of the salsa.

To see what the other swap participants made click the links below.

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwich

This post is featured over at Carrie's Sweet Life. Check out her blog for more delicious recipe ideas.

In my neverending quest to find new ways to cook with pineapple, I came across this recipe for Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches. I'd never heard of Heinz 57 Sauce, but I love chicken and I love pineapple so I put it on the menu.


This was actually the second time in a week that I made this recipe. The first time I followed the directions to grill and then shred the chicken. Unfortunately the texture was so off-putting I ate a few bites and threw it away (saving the pineapple for Round 2). I've seen plenty of other bloggers make this recipe without any issues, so I don't know what happened. I will say that I don't usually think of shredding chicken after grilling it, only after poaching or slow cooking.

For Round 2 I grilled the chicken and left it whole while using the leftover sauce to dress the sandwich, along with some mayo. It was utterly delicious. The spice from the Tabasco and Heinz 57 Sauce was perfect and the smokiness from the charcoal grill added a nice complexity to the other flavors.

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches
Adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

1/2 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
Fresh pineapple, cored and sliced into 1/2″ inch rings*
2 tablespoons honey, plus more (if desired)
Tabasco sauce
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 buns or sandwich rolls

Heat grill to medium heat.

Place one 1/2″ ring of pineapple into a food processor or blender and process until pureed. Pour the processed pineapple into a medium bowl and stir in the steak sauce, honey, and a couple of dashes of Tabasco. Taste and add honey if additional sweetness is desired. Remove 1/4 cup of sauce to use for basting and reserve the rest for serving.

Brush pineapple rings with olive oil and place on the grill. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, until the sugars start to caramelize and nice grill marks have developed.

Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness. Brush the Hawaiian sauce on one side of the chicken breast and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook about 6-8 minutes, turning once halfway through. Before turning the chicken, baste with the remaining Hawaiian sauce.

Remove chicken and pineapple rings from the grill when done. Let chicken stand for 5 minutes, then assemble your sandwiches. Divide the pineapple rings and chicken between the 4 buns, top with some of the extra Hawaiian sauce and some mayo, if desired, and serve warm.

*Note: You will have extra pineapple to save for another use.