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This easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe is the perfect weeknight meal. Cheesy, melty and so crispy, homemade chicken quesadillas taste better than a restaurant meal with their juicy fajita filling.
The best chicken quesadilla recipe
During my stay in Los Angeles, chicken quesadillas used to be my go-to dinner. At the end of a long day, I was always so ravenous and tired. Cooking was a no-go, so I either nuked a frozen meal or I treated myself with a chicken quesadilla Taco Bell takeout.
Things changed the moment I came back to Europe. On the one hand, here we haven’t so many fast food options like Taco Bell, Chipotle or Applebee’s. On the other hand, I am now more conscious about my diet and prefer cooking my own food in a healthy way. Goodbye to greasy and fatty fast food, I was still missing my Tex-Mex nights. So I had to make chicken quesadilla at home. Oh my goodness, why haven’t I started before? Cheesy and juicy inside with a crispy tortilla outside. My recipe tastes better than at the restaurant, but it’s healthier and high in protein. Honestly, the best chicken quesadillas ever. I’m sure you will love them too!
The ingredients in chicken quesadillas
- Chicken. From breast to tights and tenderloins, this recipe can be prepared with any type of chicken you want. I like cooking chicken breast from scratch, but you can also make chicken quesadilla with rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken or leftovers.
- Cheese. When it comes to the best cheese for quesadillas, I like combining shredded Jack Monterrey cheese with shredded cheddar cheese. But of course you can use just cheddar or any other type of shredded cheese you have at home.
- Vegetables. The choice of vegetables is completely up to you. I recommend starting with yellow onion and bell peppers, then you can add to the fajita stir-fry other veggies such as jalapeños, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant or spinach.
- Olive oil. You’ll need oil to cook the chicken and prepare the veggie fajita filling. Olive oil can be replaced with avocado oil, if preferred.
- Seasonings. My simple quesadilla seasoning for chicken consists of kosher salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, freshly ground black pepper and a hint of cumin. Feel free to leave out the cumin, and include other seasonings such as smoked paprika or ranch seasoning.
- Whole wheat tortillas. This healthy chicken quesadilla recipe uses whole grain tortillas, but you can make yours with white flour tortillas or low carb wraps for a low carb meal.
- Toppings. Serve chicken and cheese quesadilla with your favorite sauces and toppings such as homemade salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, baked beans and chopped cilantro.
How to make chicken quesadillas at home?
Start by seasoning and cooking the chicken?
- In a medium size bowl, combine diced chicken breast with salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper and optionally cumin. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil and mix to combine.
- Preheat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl.
Prepare the vegetables?
- In the same skillet where you cooked the chicken, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, lower the heat to medium then add chopped onion and diced bell peppers. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.
Assemble the chicken quesadillas?
- Heat a clean skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or grease with olive oil to prevent the quesadillas from sticking.
- Place one tortilla in the skillet. Sprinkle half of the tortilla with a mix of Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar cheese, then add cooked chicken with sautéed onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese on top, then fold the empty tortilla half over the fillings and press gently. Flip and quickly cook on the other side until nicely crispy. Repeat the process for the remaining tortillas.
Tips and variations
- Make quesadillas with precooked shredded chicken, grilled chicken, baked chicken or rotisserie chicken to save time. As a convenient alternative you can also use canned chicken, drained before seasoning it to perfection.
- Add one to two tablespoons of water or vegetable broth to the vegetables while stir frying, if you want a juicier filling. As an alternative you may also stir in some homemade salsa or hot sauce, for spicy kick.
- Customize this recipe with additional ingredients such as avocado, bacon, shrimp, spinach, mushrooms, pesto, buffalo sauce or BBQ sauce. Our favorite is chicken bacon ranch quesadilla, highly recommended.
- Prepare baked chicken quesadillas in the oven or in the air fryer, if you don’t want to use a pan. It is going to take some more time, but you will get a delicious dish with crispy tortillas and a cheesy fajita filling.
Meal-prep recommendation
Meal prep this easy chicken quesadilla recipe for a quick and fast dinner during the week. I recommend cooking the chicken with seasonings and stir-frying the vegetables ahead of time, then store in the fridge in airtight containers. When it’s time to serve, fill your tortillas with precooked fillings and enjoy a fast food meal at home. Cheap, healthy and so satisfying.
Storing & Freezing leftovers
- To store. Let leftovers cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container with lid and refrigerate for a maximum of 3 days.
- To reheat. Warm up your chicken fajita quesadilla in a hot skillet until the cheese melts. As an alternative you can also rewarm it in hot air fryer or bake it in the oven for a couple of minutes.
- To freeze. Let the quesadillas cool completely, then pack into zipper bags and freeze for a maximum of 3 months. To serve, remove from the freezer the day before and allow frozen chicken quesadilla to thaw in the fridge overnight. Warm it up in hot skillet, air fry, bake or microwave until the cheese melts.
You can customize this basic chicken quesadilla recipe with other vegetables such as mushrooms, spinach, sliced zucchini and eggplant. Or add other ingredients such as bacon and barbecue sauce. Feel free to melt in the cheese you like the most!
Of course, you can replace shredded chicken with ground beef (I recommend lean ground beef), chopped hamburgers, sauces, diced steak, or plant based meat such as Beyond Meat or Impossible meat.
What goes well with chicken quesadillas?
These homemade chicken quesadillas have so much flavor that they don’t really need much more to satisfy you. But still, there’s always room for sauces, toppings and sides, isn’t it? Especially when it comes to guac and nachos. Yum! Here are some more serving ideas:
- With guacamole, homemade salsa, keto BBQ sauce, pico de gallo or sour cream.
- Alongside crunchy air fryer tortilla chips and guacamole or with air fryer sweet potato fries.
- With baked beans, Mexican street corn dip or Mexican street corn salad for a Mexican meal. And if you are very hungry, have it with one of our breakfast burritos.
- With a vegetable side such as air fryer Brussels sprouts, cucumber tomato salad or fire roasted tomatoes.
Chicken Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 4 medium whole wheat tortillas
- 1 cup (120 g) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, or shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup (60 g) shredded cheddar cheese
Chicken
- 1.1 lb (500 g) chicken breast, boneless and skinless, diced or cut into strips
- 2 bell peppers, red, yellow, green or a mix, diced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
Seasonings
- ¾ to 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- ½ to 1 tsp chili powder, to taste
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ tsp cumin, optional
Instructions
Cook chicken
- In a medium size bowl, combine diced chicken breast with salt, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper and optionally cumin. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil and mix to combine.
- Preheat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl.
Sauté vegetables
- In the same skillet where you cooked the chicken, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, lower the heat to medium then add chopped onion and diced bell peppers. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are tender.
Assemble chicken quesadillas
- Heat a clean skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray or grease with olive oil to prevent the quesadillas from sticking.
- Place one tortilla in the skillet. Sprinkle half of the tortilla with a mix of Monterey Jack cheese and cheddar cheese, then add cooked chicken with sautéed onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese on top, then fold the empty tortilla half over the fillings and press gently. Flip and cook on the other side until warm and crispy. Repeat the process for the remaining tortillas.
- Serve chicken quesadillas with homemade salsa, guacamole, sour cream, or your favorite sauces.
Notes
Storage Directions
- To store. Let leftovers cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight container with lid and refrigerate for a maximum of 3 days.
- To reheat. Warm up your chicken fajita quesadilla in a hot skillet until the cheese melts.
- To freeze. Let the quesadillas cool completely, then pack into zipper bags and freeze for a maximum of 3 months.
Chicken quesadilla homemade!!! Excellent recipe and delicious option when I am hungry of mexican food?
Hey dear Liza,
thanks a lot for your comment!! I absolutely agree with you, the best quesadilla recipe with chicken for all the Mexican cravings. Better than Taco Bell, I promise 😉
Have a great Sunday,
Matteo