These quesadillas are filled with seasoned chicken, gooey melted cheese, peppers, and onions. These are perfect for those busy weeknights.
One thing our family loves is quesadillas. They are always on the menu on the weekends and sometimes when I want something quick and simple to put together. I love them because they taste amazing and adults and kids love them.
Our kids are ecstatic when they find out that it is quesadilla night. With a crispy tortilla layered with seasoned chicken, peppers and onions, and gooey cheese, fold it in half and cook until the cheese is melted and you have a great meal.
The ingredients you will need to make chicken quesadillas
- Chicken Breasts: You can use chicken breasts, boneless thighs, left-over cooked chicken, or a rotisserie chicken.
- Oil: You will need a little bit of oil if you are cooking your chicken for this recipe. I like to use vegetable oil or olive oil.
- Bell Pepper: There are so many different types of peppers that you can use whatever color you want; I usually use red, yellow, or green pepper.
- Onion: I love to add onions to my quesadillas. You can omit this if you don’t want the onion.
- Taco Seasoning: I like to use taco seasoning when I’m cooking up the meat or a little sprinkle on the already cooked meat. If you want to use your own seasonings, you can use a combination of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and dried oregano.
- Cheese: This, in my opinion, is the most important ingredient! You can use your favorite cheese that melts really well and goes all gooey. We usually use marble cheese or cheddar cheese.
- Tortillas: Medium-to-large tortillas work great here. You can use flour, whole wheat, or any flavor of tortilla you like.
Variations
- Protein: I feel like any protein would work great in a quesadilla, but chicken is my favorite. Here are a few other choices. shredded chicken, ground beef, steak, pulled pork, and shredded pork. You could replace the meat protein with black or white beans to make this a meatless meal.
- Cheese: Here are a few other variations of cheese besides mozzarella and cheddar. Three cheese, tex-mex, monetary jack cheese, all these melt and taste great in a quesadilla.
- Seasoning: Instead of taco seasoning, you could use fajita seasoning. It adds a lot of flavor to your quesadilla, or you could add some of your favorite salsa to your protein. Cook it a little bit so it doesn’t make your quesadilla wet and soggy.
- Veggies: You can add any kind of vegetable you would like as long as it’s not really wet. I like to use onions, peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, and corn. For some of these, I recommend cooking ahead.
- Dietary Variations: You could use a corn tortilla or gluten-free tortilla to make this recipe gluten-free. You could omit the meat protein and substitute beans or an alternative and fill it full of your favorite vegetables to make this vegetarian.
How to make a quesadilla
- Cook the chicken: Heat a skillet with oil or cooking spray so your chicken doesn’t stick to that pan. Cook the chicken until through, and then set it aside.
- Cook the veggies: For this recipe, lightly cook your veggies. I’m using onions and peppers. Cook until the peppers are fork-tender.
- Assemble: There are two different ways to assemble your quesadilla. You can place a tortilla in a lightly oiled pan or you can pre-heat your oven to 350 and place the assembled quesadillas on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is slightly crispy. I like to assemble it by placing it in layers of chicken, veggies, and cheese.
- Serve: These are best served warm. Cut them into 3 or 4 pieces and served with a side of sour cream, guacamole, refried beans, or salsa. Enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to store leftover quesadillas
Quesadillas are best right out of the oven or frying pan but if you have leftovers they will last for up to 4 days in the fridge and can be reheated in a skillet or in the oven until cheese is melty.
How to freeze a chicken quesadilla
To freeze your quesadillas, assemble and cook as directed, then cool completely. Line the cooled quesadillas on a baking sheet and flash-freeze them until solid. Once hardened, transfer them to an airtight container or Ziplock bag and store them for up to 2 months.
Can you make quesadillas in the air fryer?
Yes, you can make them in an air fryer. Assemble them as the recipe shows you and then place them in your air fryer for 7-8 minutes or until melty and golden brown.
How to make Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup bell pepper diced
- ½ cup onion
- 1 tbso taco seasoning
- 2 cup cheese shredded
- 4 medium flour tortilla
Spice combination
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into small bite size pieces. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy duty pan. Add the chicken breasts and taco seasoning to the pan. Sautee 4-5 minutes then add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic, sauté another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove mixture from the pan and set aside.
- If you are going to assemble quesadilla in fry pan : To the same pan, add ½ teaspoon oil and a tortilla, top with a handful of shredded cheese, and 1/4th the chicken mixture, then with more cheese. Fold the tortilla and cook on both sides until crispy and golden. Remove from the pan and repeat with remaining tortillas.If you are going to assemble in the oven: assemble tortilla as above and place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 °F
- To serve Slice tortillas in half or thirds and serve with sour-cream, salsa, or guacamole
These look amazing! Quesadillas are my favorite and such an easy and delicious dinner for busy nights
This post has me drooling and hungry. Did I tell you I just ate. LOL. Great photo and love the little bit of spice. Yum
thank you