Chicken Cardinale- Kind of

So I had this dish at an Italian restaurant not far from my house, (my plumber's wife actually owns it) and I ate everything on my plate.  I am not normally a member of the clean plate club, but this dish was just so amazing I couldn't stop eating!  I had to try and recreate it, but when I looked up recipes for chicken cardinale they were different from the one I had that night.  So, I did my best to recreate the flavors, and I think I got it.

The night I cooked this I forgot to get red peppers

1 1/2 lb thin cut chicken cutlets
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
1 shallot- chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 small can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
fresh mozzarella
prosciutto- enough for each piece of chicken
roasted red pepper-enough for each piece of chicken

Heat oil in a skillet, and dredge chicken in flour with salt and pepper.  Saute chicken in oil until browned on both sides.  Take chicken out of skillet and put to the side.  Add shallot to the pan and saute for about 1-2 minutes.  Add in wine and bring to a bubble.  After 1-2 minutes add in tomato sauce and simmer.  Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in water.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes. If sauce gets too thick add more water, if it is too thin, simmer longer.  While sauce is simmering, place chicken on a baking sheet and top with slices of mozzarella.  Place chicken under the broiler or in a hot oven to melt the cheese.  When cheese is melted, take out the chicken and top with prosciutto and roasted red pepper.  Top with sauce and serve.  YUMM!

BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

This was sooo yummy!  I love the combination of sweet pineapple in a savory dish.  At one of my favorite restaurants there is a dish with shrimp and pineapple and it is delish!  I think that inspired this dish as I was thinking about what I could make that would be quick, but different.  I sometimes get a little bored with the same dishes over and over.  After making these I thought of some other variations, like shrimp, or mango.  YUM!

1 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins
2-3 Tbsp barbeque sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 Fresh Pineapple cut into long strips (I am sure you could use canned but if you use canned I would use the rings)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack, but you can use the Mexican blend they sell)
Tortillas

*optional add-ins: scallions, jalapeno


Coat chicken in BBQ sauce.  You can either grill your chicken or bake it. (I baked mine.)  While chicken is cooking, cut up your pineapple.  Grill pineapple to get nice brown grill marks.  Then cut pineapple into small chunks.  Once chicken is cooked, cut it into small pieces.  Get grill pan nice and hot and place a tortilla on pan, layer cheese, pineapple, chicken and a drizzle of BBQ sauce and top with a little more cheese and top tortilla.  Once the bottom is browned and cheese has melted, flip and grill other side.  When both sides are done, cut and enjoy!  You can top with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.