Home » Recipes » 30-Minute Meal » The Best Chicken Quesadillas
Jump to Recipe
4.91 stars (96 ratings)Feb 14, 2022127
This really is the best chicken quesadillas recipe! So easy, these fajita-style quesadillas taste just as good, if not better, than any restaurant!
Oh heavens, these cheesy, dreamy chicken quesadillas are good.
Packed with flavor from an easy, homemade seasoning mix, they are so quick and easy. Perfect for a simple weeknight meal!
Homemade Quesadilla Seasoning
One of the main reasons these chicken quesadillas are so good is because of the easy, pantry-staple seasoning mix that builds flavor quickly.
Quesadilla seasoning mix:
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- dried oregano
- cumin
- chili powder
- paprika (smoked or regular)
- salt (coarse, kosher salt)
- pepper (coarsely ground)
Half of this seasoning mix goes on the cooked, chopped chicken. The other half goes in with the veggies.
Oh, you want to talk about the veggies?? Let’s do that!
—>Feel free to adapt the veggies any which way you like.
Any color or variety of bell pepper will work. You can add jalapeños for some heat, use red onions OR yellow onions, add extra mushrooms or leave them out, throw in corn kernels or zucchini or any other vegetable you like.
Pro Tip: adding 2-3 tablespoons water or broth near the end of cooking the veggies helps create a simple “sauce” as the liquid absorbs the flavor of the seasoning mix and veggies AND most importantly, it helps the quesadillas from being dry and lifeless.
Quesadilla Assembly
It’s easy as can be!
- Sprinkle cheese on half of the tortilla
- Add chicken
- Add veggies
- Add more cheese
- Fold tortilla in half
- Cook on both sides until golden
I use 8-inch tortillas, but you can make smaller or larger quesadillas depending on what size of tortillas you have.
Don’t over think this step (or this recipe). It’s simple and adaptable and any way you assemble, you’ll end up with a yummy quesadilla.
Cooking Quesadillas
I use the same pan the veggies cooked in for cooking the quesadillas (easy cleanup!). I wipe it clean with a paper towel after assembling the quesadillas and then add a tiny sploosh of oil before cooking the quesadillas.
The oil is optional but it adds an extra dimension of golden crispiness. And I’m never going to say no to extra golden crispiness.
You can also use a cast iron skillet or a large griddle to cook the quesadillas.
What to Serve with Quesadillas
These quesadillas have enough flavor to stand on their own without a lot of extra adornments.
But even still, I usually have available:
- sour cream
- salsa
- avocados
- chopped cilantro
You know, just in case anyone wants to go crazy, stack up their quesadilla triangles, slather with sour cream and salsa, top with avocados and cilantro, and dig in.
You guys. YUM.
The Best Chicken Quesadillas
I know you might be thinking: yeah, yeah, quesadillas are quesadillas. Who needs a recipe??
However, I can promise you that this really is the best chicken quesadillas recipe. It takes boring, bland, dry quesadillas and transforms them into restaurant-level food.
And…instead of having to put on real pants and enter a public establishment to get them, you and your soft pants wearing self can dance around your kitchen like a rock star knowing these ridiculously delicious HOMEMADE quesadillas came with a much lower social profile price (and they’re undoubtedly cheaper to make at home, too).
Hoo.ray.
What to Serve With This
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- The Best Cornbread
- Fresh Fruit
One Year Ago: Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Two Years Ago: Easy Flaky Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
Three Years Ago: Chicken and Vegetable Dumpling Soup
Four Years Ago: Healthy Yogurt Oat Blueberry {or Chocolate Chip!} Muffins
Five Years Ago: Yum Yum Bowls with Knockoff Cafe Yumm Sauce
Six Years Ago: German Pancake {Whole Grain Option} with Butter Syrup
Seven Years Ago: Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef {For Enchiladas}
Eight Years Ago: Roasted Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Nine Years Ago: Delicious Ground Beef {or Turkey} Stroganoff
Ten Years Ago: Delicious Greek Pastit*io {Casserole-Style}
The Best Chicken Quesadillas
Yield: 8 quesadillas
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
4.91 stars (96 ratings)
Print Pin Rate Save
Ingredients
Seasoning Mix:
- 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika, smoked or regular
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground)
Quesadillas:
- 4 cups cooked, chopped chicken
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2-3 cups sliced mushrooms (optional – see note)
- 2 medium bell peppers (any color), cored and sliced into thin strips
- 1 large onion, sliced into thin half moon strips
- 2-3 tablespoons broth or water
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese
- 8 8-inch flour tortillas
Instructions
In a small bowl, add all the seasoning ingredients. Mix well.
Toss the chicken with 1/2 of the seasoning mixture. Set aside.
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms (if using), onions, and bell peppers. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over the veggies. Cook, stirring often, until the onions start to turn translucent and the vegetables start to soften.
Add 2-3 tablespoons water or broth (omit this if there is already liquid in the pan from the mushrooms or other veggies). Continue cooking over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the veggies are crisp-tender and the liquid has reduced slightly.
Assemble the quesadillas by spreading cheese on 1/2 of each tortilla. Top the cheese with chicken, veggies, more cheese, and then fold the tortilla in half over the filling ingredients.
Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet (or griddle) over medium or medium-low heat. Add a touch of oil to the pan for a crispier quesadilla. Cook the quesadillas on one side until golden, moderating the heat as needed, pressing lightly with a spatula to compress and flatten a bit, if desired. Carefully flip the quesadillas with the spatula and cook on the other side until the tortilla is golden and the filling and cheese is hot and melted.
Cut into triangles and serve immediately. (Or keep the cooked quesadillas warm on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.)
Notes
Easily Adapted: this recipe can easily be adapted to change up the veggies, cheese and meat to your liking.
- Veggies: any color or variety of bell pepper would work, add jalapenos for some heat, use red onions or yellow onions, add extra mushrooms or leave them out, add corn kernels or zucchini or any other vegetable you like.
- Cheese: I prefer grating my own Monterey Jack and cheddar, but you can use a pre-shredded Mexican blend or other variety of cheese. Freshly grated cheese melts better than pre-shredded cheese (and Monterey Jack melts better/creamier than mozzarella).
- Meat: you could leave the meat out and amp up the veggies for a veggie quesadilla, or switch out the meat and use ground beef or ground turkey (if doing so, add the seasoning mixture while the meat cooks).
Author: Mel
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Method: Stovetop
Serving: 1 quesadilla, Calories: 456kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 38g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 937mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Other Recipes Like This:
Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
30-Minute Meal Chicken Egg-Free Gluten Free Adaptable Main Dish No Oven Meals Recipes Recipes That Use Cooked Chicken Sandwich + Wraps The Best Sandwiches Wraps
posted on February 14, 2022 (last updated March 31, 2024)
« Previous PostRed Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
Next Post »Easy Cheesy Breadsticks
Leave a Reply
127 comments on “The Best Chicken Quesadillas”
-
Teresa — Reply
Made the recipe as given. It was delicious! The seasoning was perfect. Grating blocks of the cheeses was spot on for this recipe. I am making these often! Thank you for the extra tips and suggestions.
-
Linda West — Reply
This is the best chicken quesadilla recipe ever and an amazing way to use up leftover chicken! Having the chicken pre-cooked makes the prep faster. I mixed the veggies in with the chicken to make things easier as well. They kept warm in the oven while I was prepping others. Served it for Saturday S dinner with a salad. Will make this again for sure!!
-
Renee — Reply
Love your recipe my chicken quesadillas came out so delicious I got so many compliments they were to just die for. Thank you very much 😊
-
Lauren Michaels — Reply
The recipe doesn’t discuss how to cook the chicken
-
Mel — Reply
The recipe calls for cooked, shredded chicken. You can use a rotisserie chicken or you can cook chicken in a crockpot, instant pot, or in a skillet on the stove. Could easily use leftover chicken!
-
Drew — Reply
I didn’t have cooked chicken so I cut up a pound of chicken breasts, covered with all of the spice mix (I made some extra for the veggies), and tossed with some olive oil. Then I cooked in a cast iron pan for about 7 minutes in 2 batches because I wanted my chicken a little crispy. Remove from pan, cook veggies, then combine at the end. It turned out great for me and I’ll definitely make it again
-
-
L — Reply
This was so good! Love the seasoning! I used smoked paprika. Great midnight snack. Thank you for posting.
-
L — Reply
This was so good! Love the seasoning! Great midnight snack. Thank you for posting.
-
Teresa — Reply
Delicious! We loved this recipe and will make it again (soon).
-
Kelly Benson — Reply
I just made this but I used mozzarella, parmeson and cheddar. They needed a little more salt but they were a hit. Everyone loved them.
-
Linda — Reply
It sounds really really good so I’m going to make it for our supper tonight. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us
-
Betty — Reply
Yummy and a couple of steps up from my old quesadillas. I use Mexican oregano in all my Tex Mex dishes. It adds a little something.
-
Hadz — Reply
Delicious! Pleasantly surprised!!!
-
Tiffany — Reply
Question: if I wanted to make the seasoning mix In advance and just measure some out for each time I make the recipe, how much would I measure out each time? Any ideas?
-
Kirsty — Reply
I think it would be 4 teaspoons, I may be wrong, I just added up all the spice measurements.
-
Mel — Reply
Looks like it’s about 4 1/4 teaspoons (including the salt).
-
-
Roxanne — Reply
Awesome!!
-
Steve — Reply
This was really good! Thanks Mel!!
-
Matt — Reply
Measuring chicken by cups instead of weight is… an interesting choice.
-
Lola — Reply
I would suggest not actually measuring the chicken or other ingredients as you spread them on the tortillas. This is not baking, so measurements do not need to be exact … chickens and chicken parts are not all the same size, anyway, so just use what you have. Spread it out on the tortilla until it looks good to you.
-
-
Melissa G. — Reply
My whole family loves these. They are so easy and tasty! Great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken.
-
Joy morrison — Reply
I made these but left out the mushrooms. They were delicious! And quick to make which makes them even better. Thanks for the recipe.
-
Anne King — Reply
Absolutely love! I’ve made this atleast 25 times now. I keep the seasoning mix on hand at all times as my teenagers are now making their own quesadillas. They never fail to remind me to make more of the mix!!!
-
Linda Knittel — Reply
OMG, these are AMAZING! Eating them as I write this review, actually! I think the veggie combo, which includes mushrooms, makes a big difference in keeping the quesadillas so moist. I was bumming that I didn’t have any salsa … but we both feel they’re amazing all by themselves!
-
Nancy — Reply
YUM, indeed!
This really is the best chicken quesadilla recipe! We loved both the seasoning, and the crispiness of the tortillas. Thank you, Mel! 🙂 -
Judy #1 — Reply
Easy & tasty!
-
Marcy Linda — Reply
Used this recipe on my first attempt at Quesadillas at home it was excellent!
Used the Famous COSTCO Chicken, red pepper, white. Vidalian onion and Red Pepper. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try it again. PS Everyonr should have a Costco Chicken handy – so can do so much with it❤️ -
Kim — Reply
Quesadillas are my favorite game-day food, and I tried this recipe last weekend! They were so good and so easy to make. I threw in some jalapenos just to give them a little kick. Putting this one on repeat!
-
Vicki — Reply
Made it for a half time treat for PSU wrestling and it was a hit! Husband, sons and grandsons loved them. Great way to use leftover chicken. Seasoning was spot on. Sautéed vegetables put it over the top!
Be sure to have the toppings, sour cream, salsa and taco sauce made this recipe a keeper! -
Sally — Reply
Delicious! Kind of like a combination of quesadillas and fajitas!
-
Wendy — Reply
Yes I love this recipe I use rotisserie chicken and 4 cheese blend with one green bell pepper and one red or orange and sweet onion and baby mushrooms and also I put fajita seasoning in my rotisserie chicken for flavors try it you will love it we do Wendy Huntsville Alabama
-
-
Laura — Reply
Just made them and we LOOOVEEDD them! Thank you for the recipe!
-
Bonnie — Reply
Two words for you…….Thank You!!!
Easy, delicious and my boys loved them. -
Ginger — Reply
Excellent! The only change I made was spreading tortillas with thin layer of mayo instead of using oil to brown. Mayo crisps and browns nice! Great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken!!! There are only 2 of us and I made 1/2 recipe and still have leftover filling.
-
Renee — Reply
Love this recipe. I make it quite often.
-
Linda Zicko — Reply
This was amazing. Made some changes to our liking. Thank you!!
-
Jenn — Reply
I thought it was very good.
-
Shawn — Reply
The seasoning was awesome !! The dish went together quickly,amd was delicious. only uses a few ingredients so good for using up leftovers .
-
DG — Reply
This is the best quesadillas recipe by far. The seasoning mix is spot on! Better than any quesadilla I have had in a restaurant!!! Of course I only use Cabot brand cheeses and top with sour cream and Picante salsa. OMG! Yummy!!
-
Jordyn — Reply
Hey
-
-
Anna — Reply
Somehow after making these all the time last February, I hadn’t made them in nearly a year – but just as delicious as they were then. Followed my method of pan “grilling” the chicken with some southwest seasoning (well Tajin this time), then cooked the veggies in the pan where I cooked the chicken and re add the chicken back in. I have Mel’s taco seasoning pre-mixed so I used that for the seasoning (I think it’s pretty close to the same). I also added some zucchini to the veggies. I was going to add some corn too, but couldn’t find my can opener. I actually thought surely these quesadillas weren’t as delicious as I remembered (I was pregnant last year when making them), but they were every bit as good!
-
April — Reply
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! I had leftover turkey so I used that in place of the chicken. Other than that, I followed the recipe including mushrooms, a red onion and orange pepper. I Googled a quesadilla recipe for ideas of filling other than avocado, meat, and cheese. This one popped up first and I looked no further after reading it! The fajita flavors really brought a plain old quesadilla to life! Thanks for the recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
-
CJayJ — Reply
Tasty & quick with everything as written!
-
Sherrie Naimo — Reply
I made these tonight, they were really good. I definitely think the seasoning mix was key, much tastier than the usual bland “packet” seasoning. I used boneless chicken breasts that I boiled, saving some of the broth for added moisture. They were great, the family enjoyed them.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Leave a comment »
