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This easy, cheesy chicken quesadilla recipe is a crowd favorite. Filled with a delicious homemade sauce, these hand-held bites are irresistible!
Our Favorite Quesadilla!
One of our go-to dinner recipes are these quesadillas!
SO often we find ourselves needing a quick but yummy dinner idea, and these quesadillas have saved the day so many times.
Not only are they very simple and quick, but the kids now know how to make them and they are so easy to customize based on preference.
Why we love theM:
- Beyond simple. Just a few ingredients and whipped in minutes (perfect for lunch, dinner or even a snack).
- Versatile. This recipe is a great base for any classic quesadilla. Include the sauce, omit it, add shredded chicken, shredded beef, or your favorite veggies.
- Great appetizer too! Just cut into bite-sized triangles and they will be devoured in minutes.
IngredientS
- Tortillas (homemade or store bought) – both work great, but we prefer homemade.
- Shredded Chicken – you will need about 2 cups for this recipe.
- Sauce Mixture: mayonnaise, taco seasoning, hot sauce, garlic salt
- Cheese – We recommend using a combination of Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheese for the perfect melty cheese (pre-packaged cheese has a wax over it and does not melt as well, so we do not recommend it), but other cheeses that can be used include:
- Monterey Jack cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese, Fontina cheese, Gruyere cheese, Havarti cheese, Provolone cheese, Swiss cheese, Pepper Jack cheese
How to Make Chicken Quesadillas
- SAUCE. Whisk together the taco seasoning, mayo, hot sauce, and garlic salt in a bowl. Spread the mixture onto one side of a tortilla.
- LAYER. Add your desired amount of shredded chicken and cheese to the tortilla. Add a layer of the sauce onto another tortilla and place that on top (or you can use one tortilla and fold it over).
- COOK.
- Microwave. Cook your quesadilla in the microwave first for about 20 seconds. This will help the cheese get extra melty.
- Stovetop. Then place the quesadilla in a large pan or skillet on the stove until it gets brown and crispy.
Just omit the chicken and sauce for a classic Cheese Quesadilla.
Complete the Meal
SERVE WITH
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Desserts
Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
This easy, cheesy chicken quesadilla is a crowd favorite. Filled with a delicious homemade sauce, these hand-held bites are irresistible!
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon taco seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 6 tortillas
- 2 cups Mexican cheese
- 2 cups shredded chicken seasoned
Instructions
- Whisk together mayo, taco seasoning, garlic salt, and hot sauce. NOTE: You can use whatever hot sauce you prefer. We love to keep around the mild sauce from Taco Bell, so I always use that plus my husband's favorite, Valentino.
- Spread mixture on one side of tortilla. Sprinkle desired amount of shredded chicken on top, then cheese. Add sauce to a second tortilla and place on top.
- Heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds, then put on the stove, until nice a crisp. If you have sauce left over, use for dipping!
Video
Notes
STORE leftover shredded chicken quesadillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat. The best way to reheat it and still keep the outside crispy is to use a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot place the quesadilla in the pan. Heat for 1-2 minutes on each side until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is crispy once again.
- Transfer to a nonstick pan and finish cooking over medium heat until cheese is melted and the tortilla is crispy.
Nutrition
Calories: 478kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 41g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 836mg, Potassium: 85mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 270IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 281mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Best Variations for this recipe?
- Vegetables. cooked mushrooms, baby spinach, fresh corn, diced green chilies, red bell peppers, red onions or shallots, and diced tomato
- Toppings. cilantro, avocado or Guacamole, sour cream, or Pico de Gallo
- Fillings. black beans or sliced olives
- Protein. grilled steak, shredded beef, ground beef or pork
- Spices. sprinkle on smoked paprika, and add a bit of heat with crushed red peppers
Best dips for Quesadillas?
How to store?
- STORE leftover shredded chicken quesadillas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. No one likes a soggy quesadilla. The best way to reheat it and still keep the outside crispy is to use a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Make ahead and freeze. Follow the recipe for chicken quesadilla as usual. Once you have heated the quesadillas in the microwave, place them on a cookie sheet. Flash-freeze them until firm. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
It was a little more MAYONAISEy than I prefer, but I also dont like the taste of mayo. I added extra hot sauce and a lot more cheese. But they were DELICIOUS!!! Definitely recommend this one!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that! You can definitely use less mayo next time 🙂
Super easy! Best recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing that!
I made these last nIght they were so good my kids loved it. I cooked some boneless chicken in chicken broth seasoned it with salt n pepper then shrerred the chicken i did the recipe as written added some Taco bell hot sauce, 4 mexican chesse, Taco Cheese in the middle placed on the griddle ADDEd salsa, sour cream and cojita cheese as the FINISHINg TOPPING MY 10 year son said i can eat these everyday
The sauce is delicious!
These were so good my kids loved them i didnt have shrerred chicken so i cooked some BONELESS chicken in broth seasoned with salt n pepper then sherred it i Did the recipe as WRITTEN i used taco BEll hot SAUUCE i added sOME 4 mexican cheese and taco cheese in middle put it on the GRIDDLE topped it with sour cream, salsa, and cojita cheese My 10 year old said he can eat these EVERYDay
Yay!! That is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing that!
Glad you like it! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Pretty good. I season my chicken with adobo. Sauce is nice. Quick tip though I actually cook mine in the waffle maker comes out awesome and almost no clean up
Good tip! Thank you for sharing that!
What Temp did yOu sEt your Waffel maker on when mAking these?
I wouldn’t use a waffle iron, but a pancake griddle would work. I would maybe set it to 300
Hi Kristyn! George Foreman grill works perfectly for these!
Thanks for letting us know!!
Beautiful I love simple yet delicious meals thanks!!
Me too! Glad you liked them! Thank you so much!!
What do you mean by putt it on the stove…in a skillet?
In a skillet on the stove 🙂
Tried these tonight (minus the chicken because I didn’t have any). I’LL admit I was a little nervous about the sauce, but it did make them extra yummy!
Glad you gave them a try! Thank you for letting me know what you thought!
You don’t include recipe for seasoned chicken. What do you season it with. Thank you.
I usually season chicken with a little salt & pepper, sometimes a little garlic salt, or other herbs. Whatever you like 🙂
Such a great flavor!
How do you get shredded seasoned chicken? Thanks!
You can buy it seasoned or I like to add salt, pepper, & maybe a little garlic or dried herbs to mine, as I cook it 🙂 Hope that helps!!
Ok. First I made the sauce. It tasted a little too mayonnaise-y. So I added a little more taco seasoning and hot sauce. We use tapatio. My chicken i seasoned with a little taco seasoning and some chicken flavored seasoning. Placed in a bowl and used my hand mixer to shred it up. Then I mixed everything together with hand mixer just to ensure a good coating. I added 2 TBsp of each nacho cheese and queso cheese from cans. Spread over tortilla, folded in half and used my george Forman panini press to crisp them up. Soooo very delicious!!
So happy you liked them! Thanks for sharing what you did 🙂