Mmmmmm delish! These Cheesy Chicken Camping Quesadillas are the ultimate cheesy perfection! Don't let the name "camping quesadillas" fool you. While they are great to take camping and cook in aluminum foil, they are also great made in a skillet on your stove top. If you're camping and don't have aluminum foil, you can do the same thing in the pan you brought for the campfire. 

Just because it says "meal in a jar" doesn't mean that if you're taking them camping you have to take the glass mason jar. You can easily prepare this in a cleaned, recycled Thrive Life pantry can or a baggie. I find that baggies are perfect for camping and easy to pack. I'll have the meal in a jars already prepared in my mason jars and then when we're going to camp, just pour the contents in a baggie.

We chose to use the Thrive chopped chicken for this recipe because it has smaller pieces that are quick to refresh. Since you're refreshing everything at the same time and in hot water, this makes the meal go quicker. Thrive Life has 3 different freeze dried chicken choices and you can view them here.

In our Cheesy Chicken Camping Quesadillas, we're not going to refresh the cheddar cheese prior to use. Many times I will refresh Thrive Life's freeze dried cheeses prior to use and you can find out just how easy it is to refresh cheese here. With this recipe, the cheese will refresh with the rest of the ingredients when you add the hot water.

Note: When it refreshes this way, it will be more in a clump as opposed to little slices of cheese. When I stirred the ingredients, I just busted the clump up because it cooks just fine. No need to worry that it doesn't "look" like cheese because it's going right in the quesadilla.

Freeze dried onions are the bomb and if you haven't used them before, you're missing out on the easiest way to use onions EVER! Thrive Life has 2 different onions sizes...the Thrive chopped onions and the onion slices. We keep both on hand and you can see the size difference here.

Cheesy Chicken Camping Quesadillas Meal In A Jar (Quart Size)

Ingredients:

• 1 c. Thrive Chopped Chicken
• 1 1/2 c. Thrive Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 2 tablespoons Thrive Green Chili Peppers
• 1/4 c. Thrive Tomato Dices
• 2 tablespoons Thrive Chopped Onions
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 4-6 medium flour tortillas
• Salsa
• Sour Cream

Directions:

To Make Jar: Prepared in a mason jar, recycled and cleaned Thrive Life pantry can or baggie. Scoop each of the first 5 ingredients into jar or can. 

To Prepare: Add enough hot water to cover the contents in the jar. Cover and shake to refresh. Let stand for 15-20 minutes and shake the contents every 5 minutes or so to continue mixing. Since we make ours in a mason jar, we turn the jar upside down and let stand that way in 5 minute intervals.

Directions if cooking on the campfire: While your jar contents are refreshing, lay out tortillas in aluminum foil and spread salsa and sour cream on each tortilla. Add mixture to 1/2 of the tortilla and fold in half. Wrap in aluminum foil and put on campfire grate. Cook until cheese is melted. Depending on how hot your fire is, this could be 4-5 minutes.

Directions if cooking these on your stove top: While your jar contents are refreshing, lay out tortillas and spread salsa and sour cream on each tortilla. Add mixture to 1/2 of the tortilla and fold in half. Heat skillet and add tortillas. Our skillet fit 2 since you are folding them in half. Cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned. Ours cooked for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Alternative preparation method: You can choose to put the spices in a baggie and tuck into the top of the jar. If you select this method, you would refresh the contents with water first and then mix the spices in. I find that I don't lose enough spice when draining the water and prefer to just add them to my jar right away. This way the spices soak in while the mixture is refreshing. 

Be sure to drain as much water from your refreshed mixture before scooping onto tortillas.

Cheesy Chicken Camping Quesadillas Meal In A Jar (Pint Size)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. Thrive Chopped Chicken
• 3/4 c. Thrive Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 tablespoon Thrive Green Chili Peppers
• 1/8 c. Thrive Tomato Dices
• 1 tablespoon Thrive Chopped Onions
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 2-3 medium flour tortillas
• Salsa
• Sour Cream

Directions:

To Make Jar: Prepared in a mason jar, recycled and cleaned Thrive Life pantry can or baggie. Scoop each of the first 5 ingredients into jar or can. 

To Prepare: Add enough hot water to cover the contents in the jar. Cover and shake to refresh. Let stand for 15-20 minutes and shake the contents every 5 minutes or so to continue mixing. Since we make ours in a mason jar, we turn the jar upside down and let stand that way in 5 minute intervals.

Directions if cooking on the campfire: While your jar contents are refreshing, lay out tortillas in aluminum foil and spread salsa and sour cream on each tortilla. Add mixture to 1/2 of the tortilla and fold in half. Wrap in aluminum foil and put on campfire grate. Cook until cheese is melted. Depending on how hot your fire is, this could be 4-5 minutes.

Directions if cooking these on your stove top: While your jar contents are refreshing, lay out tortillas and spread salsa and sour cream on each tortilla. Add mixture to 1/2 of the tortilla and fold in half. Heat skillet and add tortillas. Our skillet fit 2 since you are folding them in half. Cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned. Ours cooked for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Alternative preparation method: You can choose to put the spices in a baggie and tuck into the top of the jar. If you select this method, you would refresh the contents with water first and then mix the spices in. I find that I don't lose enough spice when draining the water and prefer to just add them to my jar right away. This way the spices soak in while the mixture is refreshing. 

Be sure to drain as much water from your refreshed mixture before scooping onto tortillas.

​Why use Thrive Life Freeze Dried Foods?

Thrive freeze dried foods are different than any other kind you’ll find on the market.

• These foods won’t spoil in a few days…or even a few weeks. They’re good.
• You won’t be thawing, degreasing, or cutting raw meat.
• You won’t be chopping veggies or washing and peeling fruit.
• There’s an extra burst of flavor you won’t find anywhere else! Just take a bite!
• Just toss in any meal or refresh (rehydrate) in warm water.
• Free of GMOs, preservatives, artificial nonsense and chemical junk
• The Nutrilock Promise! It's our little secret that makes our food higher in nutrients and freeze-dried fresh all year long. It's a rigorous 41 step process that one we own, and that it takes that wild, naturally ripened food and gently locks in the nutrients and flavor without the use of preservatives. Can the grocery store do that?