Chicken Quesadilla
Make the best Chicken Quesadilla at home with this easy recipe! This quesadilla is filled with seasoned, grilled chicken, fajita veggies, and plenty of cheese, creating an incredibly flavorful, extra cheesy quesadilla that's simple and easy to make in just 30 minutes. Serve it with guacamole, salsa, and copycat Taco Bell quesadilla sauce for a delicious trio of dipping sauces!
Ingredients
Grilled chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning, click link for the recipe
Fajita veggies
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 bell peppers, sliced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
- 2 teaspoons fajita seasoning
Quesadillas
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded (or monterey jack cheese)
- 4 large tortillas, burrito-size
- Cooking spray
Instructions
Grilled Chicken
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat.
- Slice a pound of chicken breasts in half through the middle. Rub the chicken with olive oil, then coat in the fajita seasoning.
- Place the seasoned chicken directly on the the hot grill. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Remove the chicken and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes.
Fajita Veggies
- While the chicken is resting, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add bell peppers, jalapeño, and fajita seasoning, cook for an additional 6-8 minutes.
- Thinly slice the chicken into strips, then dice it up and toss it in with the sauteed veggies. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Quesadillas
- Spray one side of a tortilla with cooking spray, then place the sprayed side of the tortilla down in the skillet.
- Add about one cup of shredded cheese to the tortilla. Spread the cheese around so it’s in an even layer.
- Add about 1 ½ cups of the fajita veggie and chicken mixture in an even layer on top of the cheese. Add another cup of shredded cheese in an even layer on top of the chicken and veggies. Top with another large tortilla and spray the top of the tortilla with cooking spray.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove the quesadilla from the skillet and repeat one more time with another quesadilla.
- Cut each quesadilla into 4 quarters or 8 triangles for serving.
Notes
- Optionally serve the quesadilla with guacamole, salsa, Taco Bell copycat quesadilla sauce, sour cream, Pico de Gallo, or Chipotle Sauce for dipping.
- If you’d like to make four smaller quesadillas, instead of two large quesadillas, you have two options. Either use one large “burrito size” tortilla, and only add the cheese, chicken, veggies and cheese to one half of the tortilla, then fold the other half of the tortilla over the fillings. This will make a “half quesadilla” instead of the whole quesadilla you see pictured throughout this post. You can also use 8 small “fajita size” tortillas and make them as described in this recipe, but only use half of the cheese and filling in each quesadilla.
- You can make the grilled chicken and fajita veggies ahead of time. Feel free to cook these up to 2 days in advance. Store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make the quesadillas. I recommend reheating the chicken and veggies in a hot skillet on the stove for 2-3 minutes before preparing the quesadillas. They will reheat in the quesadilla, but not all of the way through during the quesadilla cook time.
- You don’t have to add the fajita veggies. If you just want a cheese and chicken quesadilla, simply omit the fajita veggies and double up on the chicken.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the chicken on the stovetop instead. Use a cast iron skillet or grill pan, if you have one available. If not, use the heaviest bottom, largest skillet you have. Turn the stove on to medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the seasoned chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Remove from the skillet and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and dicing.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use 8 small corn tortillas to make 4 small quesadillas, instead of using the burrito size flour tortillas.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 877kcal (44%)Carbohydrates 39g (13%)Protein 57g (114%)Fat 55g (85%)Saturated Fat 26g (130%)Polyunsaturated Fat 4gMonounsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 179mg (60%)Sodium 1390mg (58%)Potassium 758mg (22%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 7g (8%)Vitamin A 3058mg (61%)Vitamin C 84mg (102%)Calcium 925mg (93%)Iron 4mg (22%)
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