Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
These cheesy chicken quesadillas are delicious, and this recipe just might be one of the easiest ones you make all week! Forget about stressing over your dinner plans tonight…I’ve got you covered. All you need are a few simple ingredients (and some fun toppings) to make this simple dinner recipe.
What I love about having a recipe I can whip up in no time at all is that it’s always a hit with the family. Feeding other mouths than just my own can be a big responsibility and one that I don’t take lightly. After all, no one wants to be labeled a bad cook, right?
For this reason (and because I just genuinely love to cook), I’m always looking for new ways to spruce up our dinner plans. What I’ve found is that sometimes simple recipes like this beef burrito recipe are the ones that my family tends to love.
And for me, that’s absolutely fine. I have other things I can be doing with my time than trying out recipes that aren’t a fit for my family, so when I get a winner like this quick and easy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas recipe, it’s one that I make certain is in our meal planning rotation for sure.
I love pairing these with other Mexican food favorites like chunky avocado salsa with tortilla chips and these cinnamon twists for a delicious Taco Tuesday feast.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: All you need is some chicken, cheese, and a few other simple ingredients to make these quesadillas.
- Easy: Quesadillas are one of the easiest Mexican dishes to make. These only take a few steps and about 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Customizable: It’s easy to change up the ingredients in these quesadillas to make them your own.
- Versatile: Quesadillas make a great dinner or party food, so they’re always a great choice when you’re looking for a recipe.
- Great for Meal Prep: These quesadillas are freezer-friendly, so make extra for future meals.
Ingredients
I’ve listed all the ingredients you’ll need to make these quesadillas right here. You’ll find their exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- Onions, bell pepper
- Vegetable oil, butter
- Taco seasoning
- Garlic salt
- Cumin, pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Diced green chilies
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Sharp Cheddar cheese
- Flour tortillas
Variations
- Meat: Use your favorite fresh or leftover proteins to make tasty variations like a brisket quesadilla or ground beef quesadillas. Even pulled BBQ pork works. Get creative and have fun!
- Rotisserie Chicken: To save time, shred the breasts from a rotisserie chicken.
- Mild: Omit the red pepper flakes for a mild version of this recipe.
- Extra Spicy: Add diced jalapenos for even more heat and flavor.
- Cheese: I used Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar, but any bold cheese will work. Try cheddar Jack, Colby Jack, Mexican blend, taco blend, and queso quesadilla cheeses for different flavor profiles.
How to Make Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
- Cook the chicken, veggies, and seasonings in a large pan until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are translucent.
- Add the diced green chilies, stir, and cook for another few minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
- Add butter to another frying pan and place a tortilla in the pan. Top it with some chicken and some of each cheese.
- Fold the tortilla over and cook the quesadilla on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and repeat, adding a little more butter, until all the quesadillas are made.
- Serve whole or cut into wedges with your favorite toppings and sides and enjoy!
Tips
- Dice your chicken into small pieces for quick, even cooking and easy eating.
- Give your quesadillas a gentle press with your spatula as they cook to help the cheese get in between the pieces of chicken as it melts.
- I recommend flour tortillas for these quesadillas. Corn tortillas are tasty, but their crispy texture will make them fall apart as you eat them.
- You can add toppings like salsa or pico de gallo to the quesadillas before folding and cooking them if you prefer.
Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas FAQ
Pan-searing whole breasts and slicing them or searing diced chicken are the two best ways to cook chicken for quesadillas.
Yes, you can. In fact, using taco seasoning is the easiest way to give your cheesy chicken quesadillas their authentic Mexican flavor. You can either rub the seasoning on whole breasts or sprinkle the seasoning over cubed chicken while cooking it.
Great toppings and dipping options for your quesadillas include sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, and taco sauce. You can pair your quesadillas with Spanish rice, Mexican rice, refried beans, or a simple salad, along with churros for dessert.
More Delicious Quesadilla Recipes
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Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp taco seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 oz can diced green chilies
- 2-3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 2-3 cups Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
Instructions
- Heat oil in a frying pan or large skillet over medium heat.
- Add chicken, onions and bell pepper into pan, sprinkle with taco seasoning, garlic salt, cumin, pepper and red pepper flakes, stir and cook until chicken is cooked and onions are translucent.
- Pour diced green chilies into pan, stir until combined and continuing cooking for a few more minutes.
- In another frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and place a tortilla into pan,
- Add chicken mixture on one half of tortilla, add both types of cheese on top of chicken, fold tortilla over and add another tortilla to pan and repeat process.
- Cook over medium heat until tortillas starts to brown, flip over and cook the other side.
- Remove from pan, place on a plate.
- Add the other tablespoon of butter to pan and repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture until all 8 quesadillas are made.
- Cut into wedges right before serving.
- Top with your favorite toppings like sour cream, green onions, cilantro and/or avocado, then enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Wrap individual quesadillas in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen. Then, microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Dice your chicken into small pieces for quick, even cooking and easy eating.
- Give your quesadillas a gentle press with your spatula as they cook to help the cheese get in between the pieces of chicken as it melts.
- I recommend flour tortillas for these quesadillas. Corn tortillas are tasty, but their crispy texture will make them fall apart as you eat them.
- You can add toppings like salsa or pico de gallo to the quesadillas before folding and cooking them if you prefer.
Nutrition
Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.
Enjoy, Terri
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