Easy chicken quesadillas may be simple to make but they are anything but typical. This fajita quesadilla is packed with onions and peppers and perfectly seasoned chicken breast. They are fresh and flavorful and, best of all, come together in about 20 minutes. Ideal for busy families, this chicken and cheese quesadilla recipe is a clear winner.
Easy chicken quesadillas are served fajita style and loaded with chicken, onions, peppers and lots of melty cheese. This is one homemade quesadilla recipe you will return to over and over again.
If you love cheesy chicken, try my Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Shells or Cheesy Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Quesadilla Recipe
- It’s fast. After just a few minutes of prep work, you can have four delicious fajita quesadilla on the table in just 20 minutes.
- Everyone Loves Quesadillas. This chicken and cheese quesadilla recipe is a favorite with everyone young and old.
- It’s customizable. Easily customize these easy chicken quesadillas by adding more veggies, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.
Ingredients For Chicken Quesadilla
- Olive Oil: or use your favorite light, neutral-flavored olive oil.
- Chicken: dice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into small cubes.
- Seasonings: season with chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano and salt.
- Aromatics: minced garlic, red onion, and tri-color bell pepper add flavor, color and bulk to fajitas.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas are a classic choice for fajita quesadilla, but you can use corn tortillas for a gluten free option.
- Cheese: add shredded Colby jack cheese or your favorite shredded cheese.
- Chopped cilantro: to garnish
- Lime wedges: to serve.
How To Make Easy Chicken Quesadillas
- Cook the chicken. To a large skillet on medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is heated add the diced chicken pieces and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the spices; chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Saute the veggies. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and add the remaining oil to the same skillet. Add the minced garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Saute the veggies for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the vegetables. Transfer the chicken back to the skillet and cook for 2 more minutes. Once done, allow the mixture to cool down.
- Melt the cheese. Heat a pan/skillet over low heat, place the tortilla and fill half side of the tortilla with cheese and top it with 3 tablespoons of the prepared chicken filling and fold the other half over.
- Cook the quesadillas. Cook the quesadillas until golden brown on the bottom and carefully flip it to the next side and cook for 2 minutes until golden.
- Cut and serve. Once done, cut the quesadilla into 3 wedges. Garnish the quesadillas with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream and tomato salsa on the sides.
Tips To Make Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla
- Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas for a gluten free alternative.
- If using block cheese, shred it before you begin cooking. Shredded cheese will melt better than sliced cheese.
- Don’t overfill your quesadillas.
- If making a large batch of quesadillas, keep them warm by placing them on a wire rack in a 200 degrees F oven.
- Have a panini press? They do a great job of cooking quesadillas for a great alternative to the stove top.
- Use one tortilla and fold it in half rather than two. This makes it easier to flip without losing the filling.
- Don’t forget to add a dipping sauce.
- Want something really special? Make homemade tortillas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any melting cheese will work for quesadillas. My favorites include Colby or Monterey jack, cheddar cheese or any Mexican melting cheese.
It is so easy to prep the chicken, onions and peppers in advance. Cool and store for up to 3 days in the fridge. Assemble the quesadillas and cook to order so they are hot and melty.
Quesadilla is a Spanish word. ‘Queso’ means ‘cheese’ and ‘dilla’ means ‘dude’ so ‘quesadilla’ translates to ‘cheese-dude.’
Leftover quesadillas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the quesadilla in a skillet until warmed through and the cheese has remelted. Flip halfway through reheating.
Yes! Assemble the quesadilla and place them on a sheet pan to flash freeze. Wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To heat, place the frozen quesadilla in the microwave for 1-2 minutes then heat in a skillet until crispy and the cheese is melted.
Easy chicken quesadillas are delicious on their own but if you want to make this a full meal serve it with salsa or guacamole for dipping and refried beans and rice on the side. Mexican Street Corn Salad and Avocado Mango Salad also make flavorful side dishes.
More Fajita-Style Recipes
- Creamy Chicken Fajita Skillet
- Shrimp Fajita Sheet Pan
- Chicken Fajita Bake
- Fajita Chicken Mac N Cheese
- Shrimp Fajita Pasta Salad
- Steak Fajita Foil Packs
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious chicken and cheese quesadilla recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it, and share it with your friends and family!
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Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 lb boneless & skinless chicken breasts diced into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- 1 ½ cup tri-color bell pepper chopped
- 4-6 flour tortillas
- 1 ½ cup Colby jack cheese shredded
- Chopped cilantro to garnish
- Lime wedges to serve
Instructions
- To a large skillet on medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is heated add the diced chicken pieces and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the spices; chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and add the remaining oil to the same skillet.
- Add the minced garlic, onion, and bell peppers. Saute the veggies for 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken back to the skillet and cook for 2 more minutes. Once done, allow the mixture to cool down.
- Heat a pan/skillet over low heat, place the tortilla and fill half side of the tortilla with cheese and top it with 3 tablespoons of the prepared chicken filling and fold the other half over.
- Cook the quesadillas until golden brown on the bottom and carefully flip it to the next side and cook for 2 minutes until golden.
- Once done, cut the quesadilla into 3 wedges. Garnish the quesadillas with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream and tomato salsa on the sides.
Notes
- Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas for a gluten free alternative.
- If using block cheese, shred it before you begin cooking. Shredded cheese will melt better than sliced cheese.
- Don’t overfill your quesadillas.
- If making a large batch of quesadillas, keep them warm by placing them on a wire rack in a 200 degrees F oven.
- Have a panini press? They do a great job of cooking quesadillas for a great alternative to the stove top.
- Use one tortilla and fold it in half rather than two. This makes it easier to flip without losing the filling.
- Don’t forget to add a dipping sauce.
- Want something really special? Make homemade tortillas.
This was very good! Really good flavor and extremely customizable. Thanks for the recipe.
I had leftover beef from a roast I made the night before. So I just switched out the proteins. Instead of chicken quesadilla I had beef quesadilla made with all of the other ingredients. I also had some frozen beef broth left over so I made it into a birria sauce and we dipped the quesadilla’s in that. Yumo.
Hi Diana, glad you enjoyed the recipe and adjusted it to your liking.