Chicken & Sweetcorn Quesadilla Dunkers

Ingredients

Quesadilla strips

• 4 whole-wheat tortillas, about 8 inches and 40 g each
• 240 g fully cooked shredded chicken breast, chilled
• ½ cup (80 g) cooked sweetcorn, drained
• ¾ cup (80 g) shredded mild cheddar
• 2 tsp olive oil, divided

Dips and sides

• ½ cup (115 g) plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup (120 g) mild tomato salsa
• 200 g carrots, peeled and cut into short sticks
• 4 small mandarins, peeled and separated into segments

Equipment

Nonstick skillet, small saucepan, 8 small leakproof dip cups

Allergens and ingredient notes: Wheat, milk. Check tortillas, salsa, and cooked chicken labels for other allergens.

Step by step

1. Put carrot sticks in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer 5–8 minutes, until soft enough for the intended eater. Drain and chill promptly in a shallow covered container.
2. Mix cooked chicken, drained sweetcorn, and cheddar. Divide over one half of each tortilla, leaving a ½-inch border, and fold the other half over.
3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low. Use ½ tsp oil per folded quesadilla. Cook 2–3 minutes per side, pressing lightly, until golden, cheese melts, and the chicken filling reaches 165°F (74°C). Reduce heat if the tortilla browns before the center heats through.
4. Rest 5 minutes, then cut each folded quesadilla into 6 dipping strips. Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours and chill fully before closing the lunchboxes.
5. Pack 6 strips, one quarter of the carrots, and one mandarin’s segments in each box. Divide yogurt among 4 sealed dip cups and salsa among 4 separate sealed cups; pack one of each per box.

The Devotti twist: The corn provides little sweet pops inside crisp-edged strips, and two separate dips let the eater choose each bite.

How to pack

Use a dry compartment for the strips and leakproof cups for both dips. Pack carrots and mandarins separately. Eat chilled, or reheat the quesadilla to 165°F (74°C) in a suitable kitchen before serving.

Swaps and preferences

For a milder box, leave the measured salsa in its sealed cup rather than mixing it into the filling. Swap corn for the same weight of cooked peas if preferred. Choose a suitable dairy-free cheese and yogurt if needed and check their labels.

For cold lunches, pack fully chilled perishable food in an insulated bag with at least two cold sources. Keep at 40°F (4°C) or below and refrigerate on arrival when possible. Discard perishables left out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C).

Make ahead and storage

Refrigerate cooked quesadillas within 2 hours for up to 3 days, or the cooked chicken’s original safe storage limit if sooner. Use prepared fruit and carrots within 2 days. This timing assumes already-cooked chicken.