Caramelized Pineapple Quesadillas with Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa

by aspoonfulofcoriander

This is one of those recipes that you will want to make everyday for an entire week. It’s that good. A friend of mine found this recipe on Pinterest and after making it I knew I wanted to blog about it. That was weeks ago, better late than never right? Anyways Alex was not excited about these quesadillas, he didn’t think that pineapple and strawberries combined with chicken and onions would be good. I proved him wrong. I followed the recipe exactly except for using a different cheese which I think works better with the fruit and after making it the first time I decided to change a few other things as well. I wanted to make it a little spicier so I used a whole jalapeno which was the perfect amount of heat for us. The end result is a crunchy, sweet and spicy, cheesy heaven. I ended up using some frozen pineapple chunks from Trader Joe’s instead of fresh and it still came out great. I wouldn’t necessarily go as far as using canned pineapple, it would be too mushy. You’ll want to make sure your pineapple is dry by slightly patting them dry with a paper towel, this will help them caramelize. You won’t regret making this! Enjoy!

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Caramelized Pineapple Quesadillas with a Strawberry Jalapeno Salsa

adapted from how sweet it is

  • 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, cut into squares
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2  onion, diced
  • 1 small poblano pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast, shredded
  • 6 ounces queso fresco cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup freshly torn cilantro
  • 4 tortillas

salsa

  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
  • 1/4 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 whole fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/3 cup freshly torn cilantro
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.
  2. Add pineapple and toss with salt and cinnamon, cooking until caramelized and golden, flipping occasionally – about 6-8 minutes. Remove pineapple and place in a bowl.
  3. Add another 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil, tossing in onions and peppers with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes, then remove from the skillet and place in the bowl with the pineapple.
  4. Reduce the heat in the skillet to low, add another 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Place a tortilla down, then cover in a sprinkling of cheese, chicken, pineapple, onions and peppers, and cilantro, then add another sprinkle of cheese. Top with another tortilla and brush the top with a little coconut oil. Cook until tortilla is golden, then flip, keeping the ingredients inside, and cook until other side is golden brown. Repeat with remaining quesadilla, and serve with strawberry salsa.

For salsa, combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly. You’ll want this to sit for at least 20 minutes so the flavor can develop. It will stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 days but I doubt it will last that long.