Chicken Quesadillas
This easy chicken quesadillas recipe is a delicious combination of chicken and cheese cooked inside of a perfectly toasted tortilla. It’s an easy chicken dinner idea for lunch or dinner.
Who doesn’t love a good quesadilla? They are like the Tex-Mex version of a grilled cheese sandwich with gooey melted cheese and all sorts of awesome combinations of meats and veggies. Top it with some salsa fresca, sour cream, and guacamole and you have a perfect meal!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tortilla – Flour is the best for a quesadilla but you can use corn if you have to. Just note that corn tortillas are not as soft and flexible as flour tortillas.
- Grilled chicken – Diced into bite sized pieces.
- Cheese – Shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese is best. If you want a spicy quesadilla, try using pepper jack cheese.
- Butter – Skillet toasted tortillas are the only way to properly make quesadillas!
Just like our pulled pork quesadillas these easy chicken quesadillas are not only delicious but only take about 15 minutes to make!
What Should I Put in My Quesadilla?
You can add almost any vegetable into your quesadilla. Try adding (either inside the quesadilla or as a topping) sliced avocado, cilantro, fresh jalapeño, red onion, roasted corn, red bell peppers, red chilis, and even quick pickled jalapeños!
How to Make Chicken Quesadillas
Step 1 – Toast tortillas – Add butter to skillet and let it melt. Place one tortilla in the skillet.
Step 2 – Add ingredients – Sprinkle the cheese over one-half of the tortilla. Add chicken and any other toppings you desire, distributing it evenly over the cheese.
Step 3 – Let it cook – Cook until cheese melts; about 2 minutes.
Step 4 – Fold – Using a spatula, fold the empty side of the quesadilla over the cheesy side and press down lightly on it. Continue to cook until the cheese fully melts and the tortilla is lightly browned.
Step 5 – Add toppings if desired – Garnish with your toppings of choice.
What Type of Cheese is Used in Quesadillas?
We use cheddar cheese in our recipe, but you can change it up with any cheese you like or mix a few different types together. Try a Mexican shredded cheese blend or use Oaxaca and/or Chihuahua cheese which melts nice and smooth inside of the tortilla. You can also add some pepper jack cheese if you want to add a little spice!
Chicken Options for Your Quesadilla
You have several options regarding what chicken to use and they require different levels of effort. You can use whatever works best for you depending on the day and what you have going on.
Chicken Breast – You can you fresh or frozen chicken breasts. Cook them on the grill or bake them in the oven with your favorite seasoning. If you want to add a great flavor to the quesadilla try seasoning your chicken with taco or fajita seasoning. You can use store bought or try making your own homemade taco seasoning.
You can also buy pre-cooked, frozen, chicken breasts. Heat them up according to the package instructions and then add them to your quesadilla.
Rotisserie Chicken – Grab a rotisserie chicken at the store, bring it home, cut off a few slices, chop them up, and you’re ready to go!
Make Your Own Shredded Chicken – We like to make a big batch of Crock Pot shredded chicken or Instant Pot shredded chicken, let it cool completely then place in a freezer bag. You can freeze it for up to 3 months.
To reheat, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat the meat on the stovetop over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of water and a packet of taco seasoning then stir together while the chicken heats up. Once the liquid has been absorbed by the sauce, the chicken is ready to use.
The best thing about making your own shredded chicken is you will have shredded chicken to use for other recipes. Use the leftovers to make a chicken enchilada casserole or shredded chicken taco bowl!
How to Store Them
Refrigerating
Refrigerating quesadillas can be a little bit tricky. First, it’s vital to let the quesadilla cool all the way before refrigerating, and always keep it in an airtight container.
Freezing
I have had the best results from flash-freezing them. To flash freeze, simply lay them out on a baking sheet and ensure that they aren’t touching each other. Place the pan in the freezer for 1 – 2 hours.
After the quesadillas are frozen, you can remove them from the baking sheet and place them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. It’s so easy to just grab one or two (or how many you need) and reheat them.
How to Reheat Quesadillas
If you have leftover quesadillas, you can reheat them. I suggest heating a skillet over medium heat with a pat of butter. Place your quesadilla in it and let it slowly heat up, making sure not to let it burn, until the filling is warmed through.
You can also reheat them in the oven by placing the quesadillas on a baking sheet and heating in a 325-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Both methods will give you a nice crisp quesadilla.
Toppings for Quesadillas
Traditional toppings include salsa fresca (pico de gallo), restaurant style salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. You may like to try something different by using a fruit salsa like mango avocado salsa, or pineapple salsa.
What to Serve With Quesadillas
Quesadillas, especially with toppings, don’t always need a side dish. However, if you are serving this for dinner or at a party you may want a good side dish. Some of our favorite sides to serve with the quesadillas are:
- Spanish Rice
- Tortilla Chips, Queso, and/or salsa fresca or restaurant style salsa
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans {No Soak}
- Mexican Layered Dip
- Taco Soup
Looking for More Easy Chicken Recipes?
- Shredded chicken taco bowl
- Instant Pot chicken tacos
- King ranch chicken casserole
- Chicken with Tortilla Casserole
- Za’atar Chicken with Yogurt Sauce
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
- More Chicken Recipes…
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Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 Flour Tortilla
- 2 ounces Grilled chicken, cooked and diced
- 2 ounce s Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 2 teaspoons Butter
Instructions
- Put half of butter in a pan and heat on medium high until it begins to melt.
- Add flour tortilla and on one half of the tortilla sprinkle cheese and chicken.
- Cook until cheese begins to melt and then flip the empty side of the tortilla over onto the cheesy side.
- Press down and let cook until cheese is completely melted.
- Cut and serve!
Nutrition
