Mini Ranch Chicken Bean and Cheese Quesadillas are a fun appetizer party food or snack that’s perfect for Cinco di Mayo!
Did you know there’s a right and a wrong way to make a quesadilla? The “proper way” is with flour tortillas; I prefer corn. The “proper way” is to fill them with a few tablespoons of cheese. I’ve got beans, cheese AND chicken in these little babies. So apparently although I don’t make quesadillas the “proper” way, I do make them the awesome way, because these Mini Ranch Chicken Bean & Cheese Quesadillas are the best thing I’ve ever tasted.
When I was a kid, we always had quesadillas the quick way – American cheese, flour tortilla, microwave. At some point in my youth my grandma or my aunt, I can’t remember who, made me a quesadilla on the stove, fried in butter, and my world was changed forever. These days, my kids actually prefer the microwave method because they are softer. But one day I made my son a corn tortilla quesadilla on the stove, fried in butter, just like grandma used to, and another child’s life was forever changed.
Ok, so that might be a little dramatic, but I could munch on these crunchy, cheesy little snacks every day of the year. I like to mix it up once in a while so when we were out of flour tortillas and I was really craving a bean and cheese burrito (total comfort food, am I right?), but all I had were corn tortillas and some of this Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken leftover, I came up with these Mini Ranch Chicken Bean and Cheese Quesadillas. I mixed the beans with the chicken, which was pretty amazing on it’s own, and added a little more Ranch seasoning. So good! I spread some of the bean and chicken mixture on the corn tortilla and folded it over. *Pro tip – be sure to microwave the corn tortillas for about a minute of so to make the pliable – they are much easier to flip when they are folded over versus two tortillas on top of one another.
As you can see I’m totally breaking the rules here – Mini tortillas (street taco size like these) are my favorite and I filled them to the brim with the bean mixture, and still added a good sized amount of cheese. What can I say…I like to do things my way! (affiliate link)
I fried them in corn oil (why not at least attempt to make it a little healthier, right?) in my cast iron skillet. The result was this crunchy golden outside and a creamy, cheesy and so flavorful filling inside.
These Mini Bean and Cheese Quesadillas are great for kids because they’re totally hand-held…which makes them great for parties too. They would also be a great meal in place of basic bean and cheese burritos, served with Mexican Rice on the side and plenty of Ranch for dipping.
Mini Ranch Chicken, Bean & Cheese Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken leftovers are fine, or 1 breast, cooked
- 1 15- ounce can refried beans
- 2 tablespoons dry Ranch seasoning mix
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup fresh grated sharp cheddar
- 30 Mini corn tortillas street taco size
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
- Ranch dressing for dipping
- Limes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine beans, chicken, milk and Ranch seasoning mix.
- Heat tortillas in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes to soften.
- Lay a single tortilla on a flat surface and spread about 1-2 tablespoons of bean mixture. Add a tablespoon of shredded cheddar. Fold in half, pressing down lightly.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add quesadillas in a single layer and cook until tortillas are golden and the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired and serve with lime slices and Ranch dressing for dipping.
Want more Mexican food? Try these recipes:
Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
For all Mexican Food go HERE, for all Appetizers & Snacks go HERE, for Main Course recipes go HERE and for the Recipe Index go HERE.
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