Chicken Quesadillas

Name: Chicken Quesadillas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 3½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 1 cup frozen or canned corn; 2 teaspoons onion powder; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 2 teaspoons cumin; 2 teaspoons oregano; 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional; 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese; 1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese; 6 (10-inch) flour tortillas; Sour cream, for serving; Guacamole, for serving; Pico de gallo, for serving

October 7, 2024

Maybe you think you don’t need a quesadilla recipe, but this isn’t just ANY quesadilla recipe. It’s our best chicken quesadilla recipe, ever. Crispy tortillas, and melty cheese — dinner is served!

How to Make Chicken Quesadillas

Our chicken quesadilla filling is really similar to Fajita filling! You’ll just sauté chicken pieces to cook them quickly. Then, add colorful bell peppers and onions and sauté for a few more minutes.
Add the corn and all of your chicken quesadilla seasonings! These spices are what will make the difference between a good quesadilla, and the BEST quesadilla ever.
Fill the tortillas! Start with about 3 tablespoons of cheese per tortilla, and then about ½ cup chicken filling. Top the chicken filling with more cheese and fold the tortilla in half to cover all that cheese and chicken filling.
Time to cook the quesadilla. We do this in a pan on the stove top, because it makes the quesadilla so nice and crispy - more so than if you cook them in the oven. You should be able to cook two quesadillas at a time in your skillet, and remember: The secret to truly melty perfection is medium low heat.
Cut the chicken quesadillas into thirds, and dig in!

chicken seasoned with salt being cooked in olive oil in a skillet

bell peppers and onions being added to a skillet with browned chicken

corn and spices being added to a skillet with bell peppers, onions and chicken

cilantro added to a skillet with corn, spices, bell peppers, onions and chicken

Chicken Quesadilla Ingredients

Chicken: Tender chicken breasts, cut into small pieces so they cook up fast!
Cheese: We love to use a combo of Jack cheese (because it’s so melty) and cheddar for flavor.
Seasonings: We season our chicken quesadilla filling generously with Mexican-inspired spice blend of onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and black pepper.
Veggies! Corn, onions and bell peppers. The corn can be fresh, canned or frozen, and the bell peppers can be any color you prefer — we use a mix of green and red peppers because we like to get a little colorful at dinner time.
Tortillas! We prefer flour tortillas for homemade chicken quesadillas. They’re so nice and tender, and they crisp up nicely in the pan. They also hold up well to all the fillings we ask them to hold. Store-bought is fine, but one of our favorite tips: Often, local Mexican restaurants will sell you some of what they make (if they make their own tortillas).

chicken quesadilla filling made with corn, bell peppers, onion, spices and cilantro

More Quesadilla Filling Ideas!

We love quesadillas any which way you slice (or cook) them! A few more of our very favorite, go-to quesadilla recipes to serve for breakfast, lunch or dinner are:

Breakfast Quesadillas.
Sheet Pan Quesadilla stuffed with cheese and avocado, served with ranch dressing for dipping
Roasted Poblano and Carnitas Quesadillas are truly inspired by our love for Mexican cuisine.
Butternut Squash Quesadillas for a healthy, easy veggie-loaded quesadilla
Grilled Chicken Quesadillas prove that you can cook basically anything on the grill.

chicken filling being placed on a flour tortilla with cheese

chicken quesadillas being cooked in a skillet

How To Store + Tips For The BEST Quesadilla

Leftover quesadillas reheat pretty well. We recommend reheating them in a pan over low heat (the cheese will melt slowly but that’s the key to getting the nice melty ooze that you want).
The best cheese for quesadillas is Jack cheese! It’s THE classic cheese for quesadillas for its unmatched melt-factor. We add cheddar for salty, savory punch, too. Most of all, do not use pre-shredded cheese — usually it has additives that keep it from clumping together in the bag, and those additives make it less inclined to melt the way you want it to. Just use a hunk of Jack and a hunk of cheddar and grate it yourself if you can. Use a box grater or your cuisninart’s grating attachment. Yes, it’s a little more work, but (yay) shredding the cheese yourself is more cost-effective than using pre-shredded cheese.
Do not overdo it on the oil in the pan when you pan-fry the quesadillas! Just a little bit in the skillet to toast the outside of the tortilla is all you need.
We don’t recommend freezing quesadillas.

a sliced chicken quesadilla on a plate surrounded by sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo for serving

What To Serve With Quesadillas

What goes with chicken quesadillas? One of the best things about quesadillas is that they really are a stand-alone meal or snack! But, if you want to round it out into a bigger meal, add your favorite Mexican side dishes!

Guacamole
Pico De Gallo (homemade or even store bought)
Pinto Beans
Mexican Rice

a sliced quesadilla stacked on a plate made with bell peppers, onion, corn and spices

More Easy Tex-Mex Recipes To Try

Show Us How Your Quesadilla Turned Out!

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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Chicken Quesadillas

October 7, 2024

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Calories: 350

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 cup frozen or canned corn
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
Sour cream, for serving
Guacamole, for serving
Pico de gallo, for serving

Method

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken in a single layer. Season with salt and cook until browned all over, about 6 minutes. Add the bell peppers and onions and cook, stirring often, until peppers and onions have softened, about 4 minutes more.
Add the corn, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Cook, stirring continuously, until everything is coated and corn is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and transfer to a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, combine the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. On a clean work surface, top half of each tortilla with 3 tablespoons of cheese. Top with ½ cup chicken filling and spread out into an even layer. Top with 2 tablespoons of cheese and fold the tortilla over the filling.
Wipe out the skillet from the filling. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Once the oil is glistening, add two quesadillas at a time. Cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining quesadillas, adding ½ tablespoon oil as needed.
Cut the quesadillas into thirds and serve with the sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo if using.