These Chicken Quesadillas are made with 7 simple ingredients and are a must have dinner recipe! Stuffed with super easy filling into a tortilla of your choice, then baked until cheesy and crispy!
We also love these vegetarian quesadillas and sheet pan quesadillas (recipe coming soon)!
Table of Contents
These chicken quesadillas are filled with the classics like tender chicken, flavorful bell peppers, spices and melty cheese! You can pick a tortilla you like, and if you do so like me and choose a whole wheat tortilla, they become even more filling!
A friend shared with me this super easy chicken quesadilla recipe over a decade ago and I have been making it since then!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Let’s be honest and admit that you really don’t need a recipe to sprinkle cheese on a tortilla and fold it in half. So, use this recipe as a guideline, especially the filling. It’s so easy!
- No need to cook the filling: As long as you have cooked chicken in the fridge, you don’t have to saute bell peppers and can stuff and bake a few quesadillas within minutes.
- Bake them all at once: Unlike with stovetop quesadillas, with this recipe you can bake all quesadillas at once and prepare other meals at same time.
- Delicious crowd pleaser: Quesadillas are a favorite with families for a reason, and I don’t know any kid or adult who doesn’t like them!
Ingredients for Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
These quesadillas contain just 5 ingredients, 7 if you include salt and pepper!
- Cooked chicken: I usually use chicken breasts that have been cooked using one of these methods – Instant Pot chicken breast, air fryer chicken breast or baked chicken breast. You can also use chicken thighs but I prefer more lean chicken breasts because there is a lot of rich cheese going on.
- Bell peppers: I like to use a combination of sweet and green bell peppers. Feel free to use your choice of peppers.
- Tortillas: You want to use large 10-inch tortillas and make sure they are flour tortillas, so they are pliable and can fold without breaking. I like to use whole wheat tortillas for extra nutrition but regular ones work too.
- Cheese: Popular options include sharp cheddar or marble cheese, Colby Jack and Monterey Jack cheese. I highly recommend to grate it yourself so it melts better.
- Seasonings: All you need is some ground cumin, salt and pepper.
How to Make Chicken Quesadillas
This recipe requires just 3 simple steps – preparing the filling, assembling the quesadillas, and baking them.
Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, add cooked chicken, raw bell peppers, cumin, salt and pepper, then mix well.
- Assemble the quesadillas: To do this, make sure to only fill one half of the tortillas, so they can be folded over. Sprinkle some cheese, add the filling, more cheese on top, fold over and repeat.
- Bake them: Bake quesadillas for 20 minutes or until they are slightly golden and crispy on top and cheese is melted and starting to crisp up on oozing edges. No flipping is required.
- Cut: Let them rest for just 2-3 minutes before cutting each one into 3 pie shape wedge pieces using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
Tips for Best Results
- Grate your own cheese: It’s best to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself as pre-shredded cheese is often coated with anti-caking agents, which will prevent it from melting properly.
- Avoid corn tortillas: I don’t recommend corn tortillas as they are small and tend to break, so you won’t be able to fold them.
- For more crispy quesadillas: Spray the top of quesadillas with cooking spray and flip them halfway through baking.
- All ovens vary: Keep in mind that 20 minutes of baking time is just a guideline. Bake until cheese is oozing and becomes crispy golden on the edges, you want that! And the tops are slightly brown, they won’t brown much more.
Variations
While these chicken quesadillas taste amazing with just the ingredients listed, there are several ways you can adapt this recipe to your needs.
- Meat: You can easily switch up the protein in this recipe, especially if you’re using leftovers. Cooked ground beef, pulled pork or carnitas will be great!
- Seasonings: Use a combination of the above cumin, salt and pepper with chili powder and/or cayenne, onion powder, and smoked paprika. You could also use taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
- Add heat: Add finely chopped jalapeños or serve them with hot sauce. You could even try a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for a smoky taste.
- Other vegetables: You can add other vegetables like diced onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach but you will need to sauté them for a few minutes first. Corn, beans and avocado won’t need sauteing though.
Serving Ideas
Chicken quesadillas taste delicious alone as a finger food appetizer, they can also be served with several sides. Some of my favorite options include:
- Dips and sauces: Such as sour cream, hot sauce, spicy mayo, etc.
- Salsa: Such as pico de gallo and black bean salsa.
- With cauliflower rice: Like cilantro lime cauliflower rice or Mexican cauliflower rice.
- Avocado: Whether it’s guacamole or salsa guacamole.
How to Store
Store: Keep leftovers in a loosely covered container in the refrigerator for 2 days.
Freeze: The unbaked quesadillas can be turned into a freezer meal! Place them on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, then wrap in plastic wrap and add to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Then bake from frozen in preheated oven to 375 F for 25-30 minutes or cook on a panini press.
Reheat: If you want to bring back the tortilla’s crispiness, then place quesadillas back in the oven, panini press or on a skillet (no oil needed) until warmed through and crispy on the outside.
FAQs
You should use cooked chicken. Raw chicken will release water during baking and make quesadillas soggy.
Yes, although baking is less effort and easier for large families, you can still cook these quesadillas on a skillet or panini press. To keep it healthier, heat it dry with no oil or butter or just a light spray of cooking spray.
Yes. You can prepare the bell peppers and chicken filling in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
More Quick Dinner Recipes to Try
Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken breasts, diced about 3 medium breasts or 3 cups
- 3 medium bell peppers finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, marble, Colby Jack or Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 5 large (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas
- Salsa, guacamole, pico de gallo or yogurt for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cooked chicken, bell peppers, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- On a half of tortilla sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese, spread heaping 1 cup of filling and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of cheese. Fold the other half of tortilla on top, pressing on it and making a half moon shape. Place on a baking sheet.
- Repeat and make 4 more quesadillas. You can make 5 or more quesadillas by using less filling and cheese in each one. It's up to you!
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges and bottom are golden and tops are slightly browned, and cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven, let rest for 1-2 minutes and using sharp knife, cut each quesadilla in 3 pie-shaped wedges.
- Serve warm with salsa, guacamole and sour cream or Greek yogurt.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days.
- Freeze: For each quesadilla, assemble and then wrap in plastic wrap as tightly as possible. Lay flat in a gallon size Ziploc bag, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
- Cooked chicken: To cook chicken breast, I usually use Instant Pot chicken breast or baked chicken breast recipes.
Easy quick recipe, I made half recipe as written but since we like more heat added chopped jalapeno peppers to second half. Easy to make adjustments for your taste preferences. I liked making the mix ahead of time and cooking just what is needed for a quick meal. Can see this as great camp food cooking in covered cast iron pan or foil wrapped packets.
Yum! Great idea on camp food cooking!
I came across your recipe last week and was excited because I’ve been trying to watch what I eat , but , quesadillas are my weakness. I followed the recipe to the T and it came out perfect ! I used a little plain greek yogurt for “sour cream” and it tasted just like a restaurants ๐. Thank you for sharing !
P.s ; I also live on Vancouver Island ! Cheers ๐
yeah on all!
Good recipe. My grandkids could just about live on these things.A tip I have learned to cut the quesadilla is to use a pizza cutter. Works so much better than a knife.