Chicken Caesar Quesadilla with Kale

This Chicken Caesar Quesadilla is a quick and easy meal for a light dinner, lunch or an appetizer at a party. Chicken is marinaded in a homemade Caesar vinegarette, then grilled. The kale makes this quesadilla kinda healthy, right? Plus cheese has calcium. Ha!

After hibernating all winter, I feel like I need to lighten up my meals. I have gotten back to tracking my meals on MyFitnessPal and trying to be more conscious of what I eat. If I really want to lose weight, I should probably say “no” to wine…but that’s not gonna happen. I have three daughters.

MyFitnessPal is one of my favorite apps to hold you accountable for what you’re eating–as long as you use it properly. The scanner on the app for foods is Gabby’s favorite thing right now. She likes to help me add items. I love to add my meals in and save them for future use. Did you know you can add your favorite pinned recipes too? I’ll share all of my favorite tips in a different post soon!

Whenever we go to an Italian restaurant, I always WANT to get the Caesar salad as a side, but I know how bad for you it is. I would rather have a double serving of pasta or extra wine! A few weeks ago at the grocery store, I spotted the Hidden Valley Greek yogurt Caesar dressing. I love their ranch, so I had to try it. It only has 70 calories per 2 Tablespoons–not too shabby.  There are a few other brands on the market which have lightened up Caesar dressing–I love the Lighthouse one, too!

Even though this quesadilla still has cheese, but it’s MUCH lighter than a heavy Caesar salad. The whole wheat wrap adds a subtle sweetness and it gets super crispy without butter or oil.

This Chicken Caesar quesadilla would be great served while watching the playoff games as an appetizer too! You could make them ahead of time and quickly grill them to reheat.  I know I’m getting sick of the same appetizers I bring to every party, this is a nice change–shhh, no one has to know it’s healthy!

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Chicken Caesar Quesadilla with Kale

Ingredients

*For the Caesar Marinade*

• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
• 1 clove grated garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• Juice of half lemon

*For the Quesadilla*

• 1/2 pound chicken , cut into strips
• Whole Wheat Tortillas
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Hidden Valley Greek Caesar dressing (or your favorite)
• 2 handfuls of curly kale , stripped from stem and chopped
• 2 cups Mozzarella cheese
• 3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese , divided

Instructions

1. Marinade chicken at least 4 hours in Caesar marinade, up to 12 hours.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place each piece of chicken in the pan to grill. (Also an outdoor grill would be fab!)
3. Once chicken is cooked through, place on plate and let cool enough to chop into bite sized pieces.
4. In a medium bowl, add chopped kale, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 1-2 tablespoons dressing. Toss until completely coated. Add garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Set aside for 5 minutes to soften kale.
5. Heat a flat top grill pan, or the same skillet cleaned, to Medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.
6. Add one wheat tortilla. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Once cheese starts to melt, add cut chicken (about 1/4 cup) to one half of quesadilla. Top chicken with kale Caesar mixture, enough to cover that half of the quesadilla.
7. Fold non-filled side of tortilla over and allow cheese to melt completely.
8. Remove from pan and repeat until mixture is gone, about 3-4 quesadillas, depending on size.
9. Cut into 1/4ths and serve with extra Caesar dressing.

Do you use a meal tracker? What tips do you have?

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