Chicken Quesadilla Recipe

Chicken Quesadilla is a delicious main dish recipe that is perfect for a weeknight dinner. We love to use leftover chicken for an easy dinner idea. This recipe is a family favorite and loaded with flavor.

Make dinner time a breeze and make these Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe. You will be surprised how quickly you can get dinner done with this simple recipe. You can easily, make this for a crowd or a weeknight dinner.

Check out Air Fryer Chicken Quesadillas, Blooming Quesadilla Ring or Taco Bell Chicken Quesadillas for another easy recipe.

What are Quesadillas?

Quesadillas are a quick and easy dinner idea. Tortillas folded in half and stuffed with cheese and other delicious ingredients. Steak, shrimp, chicken and veggie options are popular in quesadillas.

Quesadillas are grilled or fried until golden on the outside and the inside is gooey and the cheese is melted.

They can be served as a main dish idea or as a dinner option.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.

Variation Ideas

• Cooked Chicken – In this recipe we cooked the chicken, but you can easily use leftover chicken. Check out our Shredded Chicken Recipe for an easy recipe. We have even used rotisserie chicken in this recipe and it turned out delicious. Make it with cooked chicken thighs as well.
• Change the Cheese – You can easily use your favorite type of cheeses in this quesadilla recipe. Use your favorite. Monterey Jack Cheese, cheddar cheese or Pepper-Jack Cheese is an option to use in this recipe.
• Add Veggies – Add vegetables to add flavor and texture to your quesadilla. Bell peppers, mushrooms and onions are always great options.
• Change the Meat – You can also use ground beef for this recipe. Shredded pork or diced up steak are always a great option if you have leftovers.
• Quesadilla Sauce – Add a sauce to the tortilla before adding the cheese and chicken. This can be a homemade sauce or a taco sauce for delicious flavor.
• Tortilla – We love making quesadillas with flour tortilla, but you can use corn tortillas as well. There are many different tortilla options that you can use for any diet options.
• Serving – Make sure to serve these quesadillas with sour cream, pico de gallo or guacamole for great dipping options.
• Seasoning. We used taco seasoning but you can also use fajita seasoning. Other ideas include chili powder.

How to Make Chicken Quesadillas

• Step 1 – Heat Skillet – Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Step 2 – Cook Chicken with Seasoning – Add in the chicken. Season it with the taco seasoning. Sauté the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side until it’s browned and the chicken is cooked through 

• Step 3 – Set cooked chicken aside – Remove the chicken from the skillet to a separate plate and set aside. 
• Step 4 – Heat Griddle – Heat a griddle over medium high heat or you can heat a cast iron skillet.
• Step 5 – Layer Tortilla – Place the tortillas on the griddle or skillet. Top each tortilla with a small amount of the Mexican shredded cheese. Then layer the chicken on top and then add more shredded cheese.

• Step 6 – Fold Tortilla – Carefully fold each tortilla in half making a half moon shape.

• Step 7 – Cook Quesadilla – Cook over medium heat until one side of the tortilla is golden brown (3-4 minutes). Flip and then cook until the other side is golden brown as well (3-4 minutes). Watch them closely as they brown quickly.

• Step 8 – Serve and Enjoy – Remove the quesadillas onto a cutting board. Slice them and they are ready to serve and enjoy.

Expert Tips

• Use Leftover chicken – You can use cooked chicken for this recipe. If you prefer to save time on making these quesadilla recipes.
• Oil – I used vegetable oil in this recipe but any oil with a high smoke point will work great. Olive oil, Avocado oil, coconut oil or canola oil would work great in this recipe.
• Cooking Chicken – To plan ahead for the week, prepare your chicken ahead of time.
• Cooking Quesadilla – Watch the quesadilla closely while cooking. It only takes a few minutes on each side to cook the quesadilla. The quesadilla is cooked when the tortilla is golden brown and cheese is melted.
• Baking Quesadilla – If you prefer, you can place your prepared quesadilla on a baking sheet and bake. Place tortilla filled with chicken and cheese in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes. You may need to flip the tortilla to cook both sides.

What to Serve with Quesadillas

• Homemade Salsa – I love making this homemade salsa anytime that we make quesadillas. The ingredients are simple and is the perfect combination to serve with this recipe.
• Cilantro Lime Rice – This rice makes a delicious side dish with the quesadilla.
• More quesadilla sides – These 25 side dishes will complete your chicken quesadilla meal.

How to Keep Chicken Quesadillas Warm

Chicken quesadillas can be kept warm by placing them on a baking sheet in the oven. This will keep them warm until you are ready to serve. Cover the quesadilla with foil.

How to Store Leftovers

These are best served fresh but you can refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.