Chicken Quesadillas
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Winner, winner, weeknight dinner! These melty, crispy chicken quesadillas deserve a spot in your rotation.
I love a good semi-homemade recipe, and these Tex-Mex chicken quesadillas fit the bill. To make them, start by seasoning chicken tenderloins with a smoky spice blend and sauté them in olive oil—a step that takes just 15 minutes. Meanwhile, create a simple sauce by simmering store-bought salsa with a bit of water. After shredding the chicken, mix it with the sauce to complete your filling (bonus: you’ll have enough to stash half in the freezer for another meal!). To finish the quesadillas, sandwich the filling and cheese between two flour tortillas directly in the skillet, and cook until crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. With Mexican rice and a side of guacamole, this easy meal is sure to please!
Heads up: a large skillet typically fits just one quesadilla at a time. If you’re eager to serve these up faster, feel free to use two skillets simultaneously to speed up the process.
Table of Contents
“Reducing the salsa was the trick to these restaurant quality quesadillas!! Fantastic. Thanks for making a simple food taste gourmet.”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Quesadillas
- Spices (Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Oregano, Cumin): Adds smokiness, warmth, and a touch of herbal freshness.
- Chicken Tenderloins: Used for their tenderness and quick cooking time. Pro tip: Trim the tendons for the best texture (see FAQs below).
- Salsa: Adds a tangy, slightly spicy kick, adding depth and moisture to our quesadilla filling.
- Flour Tortillas: Crisp up beautifully, offering a satisfying crunch with every bite. Use the burrito-size (10-inch).
- Shredded Cheese: A Mexican blend or monterey jack cheese melts into stretchy, gooey perfection, creating a delightful contrast with the crispy tortilla. It’s fine to use pre-shredded cheese from a bag, but be sure to use a good-quality brand, like Tillamook thick-cut Mexican blend.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a small bowl, combine the salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Stir to combine.
Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly all over the chicken.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1½ tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board.
Add the salsa and water to the skillet. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until most of the liquid is evaporated and the sauce has a thick consistency, 7 to 9 minutes.
Meanwhile, shred the chicken. (If the sauce is done before you’ve finished shredding the chicken, remove it from the heat.)
Off the heat, add the shredded chicken and any juices that have accumulated on the plate/cutting board to the finished sauce and stir until evenly combined. Transfer the chicken mixture to a plate, reserving half to refrigerate or freeze for another meal. Clean the skillet and return to the stove.
Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla in the skillet and use your hand to swirl it around to coat the bottom evenly with the oil.
Sprinkle ¾ cup of the cheese evenly over top, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Spread about ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture over half of the tortilla.
When the cheese is mostly melted, fold the tortilla over to cover the filling and form a half-moon shape. Cook until the tortilla is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted, adjusting the heat as necessary, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Repeat with the remaining oil, tortillas, cheese, and filling, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Cover the cooked quesadillas lightly with foil to keep them warm.) Let the quesadillas rest a few minutes to allow the filling to set, then cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken tenderloins typically have a white tendon attached to them and they can be a little tough to chew. It’s easiest to remove them using kitchen shears. Simply pinch the tip of the tendon with your finger and snip where the tendon meets the chicken.
Quesadillas are best served fresh from the skillet for the crispiest texture, but leftovers reheat nicely. To reheat the quesadillas, place them in a skillet over medium heat to re-crisp the tortillas. You can also reheat them, wrapped in foil, in a 350°F-oven for about 10 minutes. The filling mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container or frozen for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can use other cuts of chicken, such as chicken breasts. If using chicken breasts, be sure to pound them to an even thickness for uniform cooking (this will also tenderize them). Boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used for a juicier flavor, though they will take a bit longer to cook.
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Chicken Quesadillas
Winner, winner, weeknight dinner! These melty, crispy chicken quesadillas deserve a spot in your rotation.
Ingredients
- Olive oil, for cooking
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pound chicken tenderloins, tendons trimmed (see note)
- 1 cup thick and chunky salsa, such as Chi-Chi's Medium
- ½ cup water
- 4 large burrito-size (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Mexican Blend or Monterey Jack cheese (see note)
For Serving (optional)
- Sour cream
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and cumin. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly all over the chicken.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1½ tablespoons of oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board.
- Add the salsa and water to the skillet. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until most of the liquid is evaporated and the sauce has a thick consistency, 7 to 9 minutes.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken. (If the sauce is done before you've finished shredding the chicken, remove it from the heat.)
- Off the heat, add the shredded chicken and any juices that have accumulated on the plate/cutting board to the finished sauce and stir until evenly combined. Transfer the chicken mixture to a plate, reserving half to refrigerate or freeze for another meal. Clean the skillet and return to the stove.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla in the skillet and swirl it around with your hand to coat the bottom evenly with the oil. Sprinkle ¾ cup of the cheese evenly over top, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Spread about ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture over half of the tortilla. When the cheese is mostly melted, fold the tortilla over to cover the filling and form a half-moon shape. Cook until the tortilla is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted, adjusting the heat as necessary, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining oil, tortillas, cheese, and filling, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Cover the cooked quesadillas lightly with foil to keep them warm.) Let the quesadillas rest a few minutes to allow the filling to set, then cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.
- Note: Chicken tenderloins typically have a white tendon attached to them. They can be a little tough to chew, so I like to remove them with kitchen shears before cooking. Just pinch the tip of the tendon with your finger and snip where the tendon meets the chicken.
- Note: It’s perfectly fine to use pre-shredded cheese from a bag, but be sure to use a good-quality brand, like Tillamook thick-cut Mexican blend.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The filling mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in a covered container or frozen for up to 3 months.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 quesadilla
- Calories: 696
- Fat: 56 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Sugar: 5 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Sodium: 1,619 mg
- Cholesterol: 126 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn, I’m not normally a fan of store bought salsa. Can I use homemade & if so, should I still follow the recipe and reduce it? Thanks so much.
Yes and yes. 😊
Enjoy!
Delicious! Great. recipe. Thank you!
I have made these twice now to rave reviews – both from the adults in the family and the 4 year old grandson, perhaps the pickiest eater on the planet! I serve them with Spanish rice from the refrigerator section of the grocery store, and black beans. So far I have not frozen the extra chicken because it’s good as leftovers the next day! (my grandson will eat just the chicken without the tortillas etc.) However I would love a VIDEO tutorial on cutting out that tough tendon from the chicken tenders- my pieces of chicken usually end up pretty mangled (not that it matters with this dish as the meat is shredded in the end anyway.)
I am grossed out by that tendon, I rarely prepped the chicken because of it, i recruited my husband!! We don’t deal with it anymore, we now purchase our chicken from Good Ranchers, it has been a game changer, sooo reasonable, delicious! Give it a go
My kids are begging me to make these all the time now. Delicious
I just made this for dinner. Wow! They were delicious. We decided they tasted like something we’d order at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I made the black bean soup too. It made a great soup and sandwich combo!
I made these tonight for supper to go with the black bean soup. I love it that there is enough to freeze for another time……because there will definitely be another time. Easily 5 stars!
Followed the recipe as written this was absolutely delicious. Will be cooking this over and over again. It was so good. Thank you.
This is my first time making chicken quesadillas. As I hosted a dinner and made these as an appetizer. I followed the recipe as written, but added a few more chicken tenders and now I can proudly say I can make my own quesadillas. This is another recipe from Jenn I will keep.
This is an incredible recipe! As others have said, reducing the salsa is KEY. We use homemade (from the garden) pico de gallo all summer – reduced per the recipe. Also LOVE the spice mix combo! Thanks, this one is definitely a keeper and the recipe I search for every time I make quesadillas!
Hi Jenn,
Could you cook the chicken in the crockpot instead of in a pan? Thank you!
Yep that’s fine, Theresa – please LMK how it turns out!
Your spice mix is perfect! I used the recipe as inspiration for shrimp quesadillas, thanks so much!!
these were sooooo good..i didn’t have any salsa, so i chopped up some tomatoes and sauted with green onions in the juices from the chicken..ty for this..oh i used little 6″ tortillas and we had with rice on the side..huggzz
Perfection! Made these last night for Cinco de Mayo. Followed recipe exactly except doubled. Since I had more sauce it took longer to reduce but kept simmering until it looked like your photo. Kept sauce and chicken warm in the pan and used my double cast iron griddle for quesadillas. This worked great and could make two at a time. My family said this meal was incredible! Thanks Jenn for another delicious recipe 💕
I commented on this a few months ago – we really enjoyed the recipe as written. I want to mention that it is just as delicious made with a corn tortilla! We had some really good locally made proper corn tortillas left over so I decided to try this. Yum! So good either way!
Another delicious recipe! Thank you.
We were looking for a quick dinner so decided to give this a try. We were surprised how good this was and it was so easy to make. This will certainly become part of our rotation.
I followed the recipe exactly and it was such a hit. Reducing the salsa was the trick to these restaurant quality quesadillas!! Fantastic. Thanks for making a simple food taste gourmet.
Winner! I guess this review is more for the technique than the actual recipe. I’d found a similar recipe that we liked using butter instead of olive oil, but love that this healthier alternative is just as flavorful. We are in meatless mode so made these tonight with cheese, cilantro, and fresh jalapeños (seeded and diced, a stray seed here and there in the adult’s quesadillas). They were so good we are making more tomorrow night. Served with your black bean soup which was also amazing according to our 7 y/o daughter who has officially named it “Chili’s cousin soup” which is a huge compliment from someone who loves chili. =)
Absolutely amazing!! I followed your recipe verbatim. I did add a little more garlic powder and i did have to cook my tenderloins a little bit more. My super picky, never wants to try anything new, 4 year old even loved it. I felt so proud putting something of great flavor and crispness on the table. This is the 3rd recipe of yours i have tried and I’m here to stay! Thank you!
💗
This was excellent. Once a month or so I buy a couple roasted chickens to shred and then use the carcasses for broth. Instead of chicken tenders I thawed and heated a pound of the chicken, spiced it and followed the recipe. It turned out great and saved a bit of time.
This was delicious and easy!! Thanks for yet another winner!
This recipe is delicious! I added mushrooms and black beans which made it even better. I will definitely make this for dinner. A big hit with my family.
My husband often orders chicken quesadillas when we go to the local pub. Having now made yours, he no longer has to wait until we go out. They were delicious and easy to make. I highly recommend them! Question: our little grandchildren don’t care for spicy food. How can I adjust this spice mix, so it still tastes authentic but less spicy? Thanks!
Hi Barbara, Unless you are using a hot smoked paprika, none of the spices in the mix are actually “spicy” so to reduce the heat level, I would use a mild salsa. If your grandkids don’t like highly seasoned food, you could reduce all of the spices a bit (but keep the salt the same). Hope that helps and the kids enjoy them! 🙂
Adding another one of your recipes to the regular rotation! Sooo good!
These were fantastic! A very simple dish, but the secret is in reducing the salsa. Who knew? Just amazing. Going into our regular rotation for sure! Love your recipes, Jenn!
We just loved these! Easy recipe with lots of flavor. I sautéed some red onion and garlic and added it on top of the chicken. Very DELISH on our Football Sunday!
Thank you!!
Delicious and easy.
I made this a couple days ago and it was wonderful. It gets better with age so any leftovers are really good.
The one change I made was to use shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken. We buy one or two rotisserie chickens every couple weeks. I take the meat off and use the leftovers to make chicken broth.
In this case I used a pound of the shredded chicken meat, still added the spices, and reheated it in a skillet. Beyond that I followed the recipe. It turned out great and cut a bit of the cooking time
Good flavor, but the pulled chicken seemed somewhat grainy in texture. Not sure how to remedy that!
Hi Mike, Did you use chicken tenderloins?
This recipe is easy to follow and delicious! Highly recommend this for anyone who loves quesadillas!
Really liked this one. I used all of the chicken and now know it’d be worth adding a second jar of salsa to balance the flavour. Thought the spice mix was spot on and the recipe well laid out can definitely see this getting a few goes over the summer.
This recipe appeared in my email the day I broke my arm. So my husband is now cooking. He made it tonight – sooo good! And we have lots of leftovers so he doesn’t have to cook a bunch of dinners! He used a regular garlic clove and fresh oregano. This is one we will make again. Thank you.
I made this recipe. Really delicious and so fast and easy! I cooked the chicken in my air fryer. I topped it with plain low fat yoghurt instead of sour cream. Definitely going to make it again. Thanks!
This recipe was easy to follow and the quesadillas were so delicious! My husband said they tasted like they were from a restaurant. I highly recommend making them! Thank you for another great recipe!
The triple play! Made these quesadillas, black bean soup and white sangria wow wow wow. Delicious and so easy to make. Will make again!
My family LOVES your chipotle chicken quesadilla recipe, so can’t wait to try this version.
I’m getting ready to try these quesadillas and I’m trying to order smoked paprika from Spice House. They have a hot and a sweet version. Which do you think I should get? If I can use either one, which do you think I would find to be most useful in general? Thanks! Love your recipes!
Hi Vicky, I’d go with the sweet – that is generally “regular” paprika whereas the hot variety can be quite spicy. Hope you enjoy the quesadillas!
Thank you! I’m waiting for my spice order and when I try the quesadillas I’ll post a review.
Can I substitute cooked leftover turkey for the fresh chicken breast?
It’s not ideal, but you could. I would toss the turkey with the spices and very quickly saute it in the oil before moving onto the next step. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I tried it with the turkey as you suggested and it turned out great. Good way to use up leftover turkey!
I agree, it would be even better with fresh chicken. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes.
While I love most of your great recipes, since they are not only unfailingly delicious but also don’t involve unusual or obscure ingredients, I particularly appreciate your “step by step instructions”, providing visuals. I find them very helpful indeed.
Just printed this off. Adult son and DIL will appreciate these for sure.
BTW: Made the Beef Chili this past weekend. 😋 It was a hit. Served over mashed potatoes, double yummy.