Recently, some friends, my sweetie and I took a trip to that most amazing of locales- the place where trampolines, tires, tilapia and toilet paper all mingle and coexist happily and in absurdly large quantities: Costco.

Something about produce packaged in bulk pulls at my heartstrings in a way that Michael Bolton never could. So when I came across a package of red, orange, and yellow bell peppers sandwiched between the dishwashing detergent and 1000-packs of tealights, I couldn’t say no!

Lately, I’ve been wild about quesadillas. So simple, yet so satisfying- and infinite ways to customize and make them delicious. And the best part is- they are super easy to make.

The following hardly constitutes a recipe since these are pretty much idiot proof- but I figured for those times you want a quick, filling meal, this is something every home chef should know how to throw together in a pinch.

Chicken Quesadillas with Peppers and Onions

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• paprika
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 1 onion, sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 each red, green and yellow peppers, sliced
• 8oz shredded cheese (any kind will do, but I prefer a good Cheddar-Jack mix)
• butter
• 4 10-inch tortillas
• salsa or guacamole for topping and dipping

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350. While the oven is heating, place the chicken breasts in an ovenproof casserole dish. Season with the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Rub the spices into the chicken. When the oven is ready, bake chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until a thermometor inserted in the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees.

2) While the chicken is baking, place a tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat. When the butter is heated, add the onions and peppers. Saute for 5-8 minutes, until vegetables are soft and start to get browned. Remove onions and peppers from heat.

3) When the chicken is done baking, remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, using two forks, pull apart and shred the chicken into bite size pieces.

4) In the same pan over medium heat, add another tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Place one tortilla in the pan, and sprinkle a nice layer of cheese on top. Add half the onions and peppers, and a handful of chicken. Add another layer of cheese and place another tortilla on top. Let the cheese melt and carefully flip the quesadilla, pressing down to get everything melty and delicious inside!

5. Remove the quesadilla from heat, and cut into triangles. Enjoy!

UPDATE (9/20/11): Special thanks to commenter Mark for pointing out I left out the CHEESE in the original post’s ingredients list (since fixed)! D’oh!!

Happy Eating
mally