Chicken Quesadillas with sautéed onions, green peppers, seasoned chicken, and melted cheese in a crispy tortilla. A great easy weeknight dinner in only 30 minutes you can do at home with common ingredients.
Introduction
This recipe was inspired by one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants where it is called Chicken Fajita Quesadillas in honor of it tasty fajita like filling.
I do love fajitas, but the servings are generally just too large. But put that in a cheesy quesadilla, and you have a great dish.
It is not a hard recipe, and it uses common pantry ingredients and kitchen utensils. Nothing special goes in, but something very special comes out.
My Rating
An easy 5 rating. It is easy and very tasty. I could eat this at least weekly.
What is a Quesadilla?
A quesadilla is usually grilled flour tortillas filled with cheese but can have meat or other ingredients. They can be made with corn or wheat tortillas although wheat is most common. It can be either two whole tortillas or one folded.
These chicken quesadillas are filled with all the great tastes of fajitas in a convenient handheld easy home-cooked meal. Or doll them up for a more complete meal.
🐓The Chicken
I suggest skinless boneless breasts, but thighs would be fine. Also, the amount can vary by what amount of meat you want in your quesadilla. The measurement would, of course, need some adjustment.
You can use also use pre-cooked chicken. A rough rule of thumb is one pound of raw chicken is about 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken.
You would add pre-cooked chicken after a few minutes of cooking the pepper and onion, and add the spices at the same time then get the pepper and onion done.
♨️Cooking Method
While you can cook quesadillas in many ways, just a large fry pan will work well.
I prefer to start with a hot oiled pan and a single 8 to 10-inch flour tortilla. I find 12-inch size hard to manage and too big for convenient serving.
Start with covering the tortilla in the pan with cheese, and if using a filling, it should be warm and placed it on only half the tortilla. When the tortilla is crispy and browned, fold the half without the filling over the filling—done.
📖Chicken Fajita Recipes
Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Grilled Chicken Fajitas in 30 Minutes
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Everyday ingredients. You could use pre-cooked chicken or thighs.
Slice 1 medium onion ¼ inch slices. One green or red pepper ½ inch wide and 1 to 1 ½ inch strips.
Trim ¾ to 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast into ¼ inch thick slices cross-grain and small bite-size pieces.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and when shimmering, add the veggies and chicken. Mix in 2 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon each of cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt.
Stir frequently. Cook until chicken is done to 165°, and onion and pepper are tender. About 10 minutes. You can stop here and refrigerate or freeze for later, but it needs to be hot when used in the next step.
In a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. When shimmering, add an 8-inch tortilla. Working quickly, sprinkle top with about ½ cup shredded cheese over the entire surface and about ¾ cup of the chicken mixture over one-half of the surface.
When the cheese starts to melt, flip the half of the tortilla without the chicken over the chicken half. Remove to plate and tent lightly with foil and continue to repeat cooking more. You will probably need to add a teaspoon or so of oil for each new tortilla.
📖Recipe
Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts - a bit more or less
- 1 onion - medium
- 1 green or red pepper
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garilc powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 8-inch tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cheese of choice
- 3 tablespoons oil - for fry pan use
Instructions
- Slice 1 medium onion ¼ inch slices. One green or red pepper ½ inch wide and 1 to 1 ½ inch strips. Trim ¾ to 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast into ¼ inch thick slices cross grain and small bite-size pieces.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and when shimmering, add the veggies and chicken. Mix in 2 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon each of cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt.
- Stir frequently. Cook until chicken is done to 165°, and onion and pepper are tender. About 10 minutes. You can stop here and refrigerate or freeze for later, but it needs to be hot when used in the next step.
- In a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. When shimmering, add an 8-inch tortilla. Working quickly, sprinkle top with about ½ cup shredded cheese over the entire surface and about ¾ cup of the chicken mixture over one-half of the surface.
- When the cheese starts to melt, flip the half of the tortilla without the chicken over the chicken half. Remove to plate and tent lightly with foil and continue to repeat cooking more. You will probably need to add a teaspoon or so of oil for each new tortilla.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can vary the chicken. You can use more or less. You can use thighs.
- If you want to use pre-cooked chicken, start cooking the onion and peppers, then add the chicken and spices after a few minutes.
- Consider one pound of raw chicken approximately equal to 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken.
- I like to use 8-inch flour tortillas for this but 10-inch works fine. 12-inch is a bit big to handle.
- Be sure the meat mixture is warm when adding it to the tortilla.
- Use the cheese you want.
- You can refrigerate the meat mixture for 3-4 days or freeze it for 3-4 months. Consume the final quesadilla when hot.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally published on May 2, 2017, as Chicken Fajita Quesadillas. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Dina
I loved this quick and very tasty recipe. I made it with rotisserie chicken meat from Costco. My vegan son made a version with plant based meat and plant based cheese. Very satisfying and delicious. I love your recipes in general and your emails often inspire what I make for dinner that night. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and know how.
Lara
Yum! My best quesadilla tip - when flipping, slide the spatula or fish-turner (my fave tool) and roll it over the closed edge. Flips right over without spilling the filling.
Nicky
This looks delicious! I can't wait to try it. By the way, I love your blog! Thank you for posting so many great recipes and making them easy to follow even for less experienced cookers like me. You do a great job!
DrDan
Hi Nicky,
Welcome to the blog. You seem like my "target audience". I'm aiming for the relatively inexperienced cooks that just some step by step photos will give them the confidence to do it themselves.
Thanks for the note and let me know if you have any questions
Dan