Hyde Park, N.Y. ? As the busy school year gets under way, quickly prepared meals and snacks can add precious time to hectic schedules.

The Culinary Institute of America’s whole-wheat quesadilla recipe produces a simple, one-dish meal, a back-to-school alternative whose ingredients include tender chicken, flavorful jalapeno Jack cheese and fresh mango salsa. Eaten out of hand, these convenient tortilla sandwiches can be served as an on-the-go snack, an appetizer or a main dish.

In Mexico, quesadillas often are eaten between meals and are sold from street stands throughout the country. The accompaniments for the handmade tortillas typically conform to local taste and produce, ranging from fried bananas to squash blossoms.

Traditional quesadillas are made by stuffing unbaked tortillas with filling, sealing the edges, and deep-frying them. In the United States, quesadillas are commonly served with salsa, sour cream and guacamole; in Mexico they are usually eaten alone, hot from the pan.

Although using store-bought salsas can save preparation time, the fresh ingredients used in this recipe’s homemade mango salsa enhance the dish.

“To prepare a mango, keep in mind that it has a long, flat seed in the center of the flesh,” Michael Skibitcky, lecturing instructor in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America, says. If the mango is cut from the stem to the pointed end, its flesh will come away from the pit more easily, he adds.

Begin by peeling the mango with a small knife from top to bottom, removing as little edible flesh as possible. Cut closely along both sides of the pit. Cut the remaining flesh from the two narrow sides and dice the mango as desired.

When choosing flour tortillas, gently bend the package to test for freshness. They should be flexible and not crack when bent. Also, the edges of tortillas should be smooth, not dry or cracked. Tortillas can be stored in the refrigerator for about 1 week. To freeze, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. If properly wrapped, tortillas can hold in the freezer for a couple of months. To thaw, store them in the refrigerator overnight before using.

The following recipe is from the CIA’s new “Gourmet Meals in Minutes” cookbook (Wiley). The quesadillas could serve as after-school snacks or as a quick idea for dinner, while leftovers could be included in school lunch boxes.

Whole Wheat Quesadillas

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2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

4 mangoes, diced

1 papaya, diced

1 chipotle pepper, canned, minced

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lime juice

4 cups jalapeno Jack cheese, grated

6 cups scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup peanuts, toasted, roughly chopped

16 whole-wheat flour tortillas

3 tablespoons peanut oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a large saute pan. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place the chicken in the oven until cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

While the chicken is cooking, combine the mango, papaya, chipotle pepper, orange juice and lime juice. Reserve under refrigeration until needed.

To assemble the quesadillas, place 3/4 cup chicken, 1/2 cup jalapeno Jack cheese, 3/4 cup scallions, and 2 tablespoons peanuts on a tortilla. Top with another tortilla. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 8 quesadillas.

Heat about 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a large saute pan. Place 1 quesadilla in the pan and lightly brown on both sides, making certain that the cheese is melted in the middle before removing from the heat. Repeat with remaining quesadillas, adding more peanut oil when necessary.

Cut each quesadilla into fourths and serve with the mango salsa.

Makes 8 main-dish servings or 16 snack-size servings.

Nutrition information per main-dish serving: 940 calories, 62 grams protein, 72 grams carbohydrates, 52 grams fat, 1,460 milligrams sodium, 160 milligrams cholesterol and 10 grams fiber.