You won’t believe how easy it is to make Chicken Quesadillas!
Chicken quesadillas would definitely make my list of top five favorite meals. It’s just so darn good! What boggles my mind is how straight-forward and quick this recipe is! The end result is a flavorful and cheesy combination of chicken and tortillas that you simply can’t get enough of.
If you’ve been following my recipes, you might’ve noticed that I prefer sharing short, 30-minute recipes. It’s just what makes sense these days, right? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent hours in the kitchen preparing absolutely amazing dishes. But sometimes you’re either super busy with work or just not in the mood to cook an elaborate meal.
Here’s yet another recipe to add to your favorites that can be prepared in no time! 😋
This chicken quesadilla recipe doesn’t require many ingredients. It needs just onion, bell peppers and chicken for the filling, along with cheese of course.
All you need to do is cook the chicken and vegetables, spread them on a tortilla, fold it in half and cook it on a pan. It’s truly that simple. I will break it down for you one step at a time and forever eliminate your question of, ‘how to make chicken quesadillas?’!
Let me break it down into 6 simple steps!
- Cook the chicken
- Sauté the vegetables
- Make your own spicy mayo (Secret spicy mayo recipe included!) 🤫
- Assemble the quesadilla
- Cook the chicken quesadilla
- Serve!
Cook the chicken
First, let’s marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces and add it to a large bowl. Season it with lime juice, red chili powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander and salt. Mix it well!
Tip: For tastier results, marinate the chicken overnight or at least 30 minutes before and refrigerate it. But if you’re in a hurry, you can always cook it right away!
Once you’re ready to cook the chicken, add olive oil to a large pan and set it on high heat. We want the chicken nicely roasted and browned. When it’s completely cooked, set the chicken aside.
Substitutions
You’re obviously not bound to chicken. You can substitute it with anything. Ground pork or beef also tastes really good in quesadillas! If you want to go the vegan way, tofu or mushrooms are great substitutes! Or you could simply add in more vegetables. The sky’s the limit!
Sauté the vegetables
In the same pan, add more olive oil if required. Keeping it on high heat, add the chopped onions, green and red bell peppers, garlic, green chili peppers and green onions.
Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes and make sure to keep tossing them around so that they cook evenly. Cook until the vegetables are slightly browned. Season it with some oregano, ground black pepper and salt.
Once you’re done, add the vegetables to the same bowl as the cooked chicken and mix them all. This is your quesadilla filling!
Make your own Spicy Mayo
Okay, I’m going to let you in on a secret recipe. It is super versatile and it can be used in all sorts of dishes, including chicken quesadillas. It’s a departure from the same old, boring and bland mayonnaise… It’s SPICY mayo!
The way you make this is as simple as tying your shoe laces. I don’t know why I came up with that example, but I just did. So let’s move on.
In a small bowl, add about a tablespoon of mayonnaise per quesadilla. So for this recipe that would be 6 tablespoons. Add 1 teaspoon red chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and salt. Just mix this and voilà! You’ve just made spicy mayo!
Assemble the quesadilla
Alright! So now that we have everything ready to go, it’s time for us to assemble the quesadillas!
To begin, lightly cook only one side of the tortillas. This is an optional step, but it makes the tortillas slightly crispier and it tastes better!
Place the tortillas, cooked side up, on a plate to add in the filling and sauce.
First, spread the spicy mayo on the tortilla and add the filling. Spread it evenly over half of the tortilla. Sprinkle some shredded cheese and fold the tortilla.
You can use any kind of cheese you want in the quesadilla! I use a ‘Mexican blend’ which has cheddar, Monterey Jack and mozzarella.
Cooking the chicken quesadilla
The quesadillas are now ready to be cooked! As an optional step, you can apply a light layer of melted butter on the tortilla and then place the buttered side down on a hot pan. This makes the quesadillas crispy and adds a nice golden brown color.
Once the first side is cooked, flip the quesadilla. It shouldn’t take more than a minute or two for it to get golden brown.
Serve!
Transfer the quesadillas onto a cutting board. The easiest way to portion them is to cut slices just like a pizza! Serve your delicious chicken quesadillas with sour cream and lime wedges! 🤩
Enjoy this scrumptious and cheesy chicken quesadilla!
That’s it! You did it! I hope you enjoy your meal as much as we did! 
If you enjoyed this recipe be sure to check out my other recipes! Please leave your rating and comments below. It’ll motivate me to keep creating and sharing my experiments in the kitchen with you guys!
See you next time!
Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 6 flour tortillas
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tbsp butter (room temperature)
Chicken marinade
- 2 chicken breasts (cut into small bite-sized pieces)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp red chili powder (use 1/2 tsp to make it less spicy)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt (add to taste)
- 1 tsp ground coriander (optional)
Filling
- 1 onion (chopped)
- ½ red bell pepper (chopped)
- ½ green bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 green chili peppers (finely chopped. Use 1 to make it less spicy)
- 3 sprigs green onions (finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt (add to taste)
- 1½ cups shredded cheese (your choice of cheese)
Spicy mayo
- 6 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt (add to taste)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients under Chicken marinade in a large bowl. Mix well so that the chicken pieces are evenly coated. (You can cook the chicken right away, or set it aside to marinate for 30 minutes.)
- In a hot pan with olive oil, add in the marinated chicken and cook for about 6-8 minutes, or until completely cooked. Keep stirring the chicken to ensure that it cooks evenly. Set the cooked chicken aside in a large bowl.
- In the same pan, add olive oil and add in the chopped onion, green pepper, red pepper, green chilies, garlic and green onions. Sauté until the vegetables are slightly browned.
- Season the vegetables with oregano, ground black pepper and salt and mix well. Once the vegetables are done cooking, add them to the same bowl as the cooked chicken and mix well. This is your quesadilla filling.
- Heat the tortillas on a pan, but only on 1 side.Remove from heat and place the tortilla on a plate, cooked side up for assembly.
- Mix the ingredients under Spicy mayo and spread about 1 tbsp of it on each tortilla. Now add about ½ cup of the quesadilla filling on each tortilla. Sprinkle ¼ cup of shredded cheese over the filling. (See pictures above.)
- Fold the tortilla in half and spread a thin layer of butter on top. Place the buttered side down on a hot pan.
- Flip the quesadilla once it becomes golden brown. Once both sides are done, transfer onto a cutting board and portion it like a pizza!
- Serve with sour cream and lime wedges! Bon appétit!
Wow!
Thanks for sharing this easy recipe.
Especially the spicy mayo.