Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
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A smoky-sweet chipotle sauce takes these quesadillas from simple to next-level delicious, and they’re still easy enough for a weeknight.
Crisp flour tortillas stuffed with gooey melted cheddar and tender shredded chicken, all smothered in a sweet, smoky, and savory chipotle sauce—these could easily claim the title of the world’s best quesadillas. They’re like a grown-up twist on my classic chicken quesadillas: just as cheesy and satisfying, but with a bold, saucy flavor that makes them feel a little more special. The recipe is adapted from Curtis Stone, one of my favorite chefs and cookbook authors.
For the crispiest texture, quesadillas should be assembled and cooked just before serving. However, the chicken mixture can be prepared up to two days in advance, cooled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. If you’ve got leftover quesadillas, they can be frozen for up to three months.
“Sweet Lord these were amazing!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
- Red onion, garlic, and scallions: These aromatics build the flavor base, adding depth and just a hint of sweetness to balance the heat.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo: Smoky, spicy, and rich, these canned peppers (usually smoked red jalapeños) are packed in a tangy tomato sauce and bring the signature flavor to these quesadillas. Look for them in the Latin section of most supermarkets. Want more ways to use them? Try my chipotle honey vinaigrette and black bean and corn salad.
- Tomatoes: Fresh and slightly sweet, they add brightness and a little juiciness to the sauce.
- Honey: A touch of sweetness to round out the heat from the chipotles and the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Cooked shredded chicken: The hearty protein here; leftover or rotisserie chicken works great, and you can use white or dark meat.
- Cilantro: Fresh and herby, it brightens everything up and ties the flavors together. Feel free to omit it if you’re not a fan.
- Flour tortillas: The crispy golden shell that holds it all together.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Melty, creamy, and tangy; balances the smoky spice and makes the quesadillas irresistibly gooey.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the aromatics. Begin by cooking the red onions and garlic in olive oil.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes and peppers. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture has thickened and most of the liquid has cooked off.
Step 3: Finish the filling. Stir in the shredded chicken, salt, honey, green onions, and cilantro. Keep the mixture warm while you prep the quesadillas. (At this point, you can store the filling for up to two days.)
Step 4: Build the quesadillas. Heat a tortilla on a griddle or in a skillet. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the whole surface, then spoon the filling onto one half.
Step 5: Flip and crisp. Once the cheese has mostly melted, fold the tortilla over the filling to form a half-moon. Cook until the quesadilla is golden and crisp on both sides, a few minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Step 6: Cut and serve. Transfer the quesadillas to a cutting board, let them cool for a bit, then slice into wedges. Serve warm with sour cream, guacamole, lime wedges, or whatever you like.
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Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you'll need about 6 chilis)
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, (about 1¼ lbs/567 g), seeded and diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2½ cups cooked shredded chicken (white and/or dark meat)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 6 10-inch flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour cream, for serving (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the chipotle peppers and tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated and the mixture is thickened, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir in the scallions, honey, chicken, salt and cilantro. Keep warm.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan and heat until hot to the touch but not crisp (air pockets may form). Flip the tortilla over, then sprinkle ⅔ cup of the cheese evenly overtop, being careful to keep it off the pan. Spread a generous ½ 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, a few minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Let the quesadillas rest a few minutes to allow the filling to set, then cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.
Notes
- If you have a large griddle, use that to make the quesadillas so you can make a few at a time. Also, be sure to serve your quesadillas hot off the pan (or off the griddle); otherwise, they’ll get soggy, and the cheese will harden. If this does happen, you can pop them in a 350°F oven to heat them up, but they won’t be as crisp and gooey as they are fresh.
- The nutritional information does not include the optional ingredients.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: For the crispiest texture, the quesadillas should be assembled and cooked just before serving. However, the chicken mixture can be prepared up to two days in advance, cooled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Leftover quesadillas can be frozen for up to three months. To serve, defrost them in the refrigerator and then reheat, wrapped in foil, in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) until hot, which should take 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
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 Jen, I think this would have been really good except it was too hot for my taste. I used 3 smallish peppers and was surprised at the amount of heat. Is there another way I could still use the filling other than a soup? (I just made taco soup that’s in my freezer) Do you think using it in a burrito with sour cream, beans and rice would take it down a bit? Or perhaps incorporating it into cheese enchiladas (I’ve never made them before-so not sure how I’d do that) Any advice would be great. I do want to try this again, the sauce was wonderfully fragrant while simmering; perhaps one pepper with the seeds scraped out? Thank you 🙂
Sorry you found these to be a bit too spicy! Either of those options would work. I like the idea of the burrito as the sour cream in there will help to temper some of the heat.
These are AMAZING! The sauce and chicken is incredible, I can’t wait to make again.
So simple and so good! This may now be my favourite way to use up leftover chicken. The flavour combo of honey and chipotle was GENIUS. The one substitution I made was to use a can of Rotel tomatoes, because I never have fresh tomatoes on hand.
Yet another winner by Jenn! Thank you.
Made it today and it was delicious!! A little on the spicy side so definitely reduce the amount of peppers for kids or if you don’t like spice.
I made this recipe tonight after you posted it on Instagram a few days ago. I happened to have everything on hand. It was delicious! The bit of honey really added a nice touch. Thanks for another great recipe!
Are these able to be made and then frozen?
Yes, they can be. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jenn
I think that you’re among the very best bloggers out there – on par with Cooks illustrated and Serious Eats. I know that you need to make a living. All that said, can you do something about that HORRIBLE pop-up ad for seniors flu shots? I was looking at one of your posts and the ad came up twice! Totally blocked my screen both times. I was so aggravated that I gave up on my recipe search – holy cow! It just came up again! While I am writing this! PLEASE Jenn – you’re better than this!
Hi Heather, thanks for your very honest comments. I’m sorry the ads have been really intrusive! I know how frustrating it is. Couple questions:
-What type of device are you using? If it’s an iPad, the ads can move around depending on how you’re holding it.
-If you’re using a computer, do you have it in full-screen mode? If not, depending upon how narrow the page is displayed, if the ads don’t have room to be alongside the content, they will display on top of it. This will resolve itself with the full-screen view.
I do use an outside company to run the ads, and I have to constantly monitor to make sure that the site doesn’t get too ad-heavy. I wish I didn’t have to have any ads at all…it’s a balance between user experience and the high cost of running a site. Thank’s again for the feedback.
Have made this several times now and it’s delicious! Made it once exactly as recipe stated and a few other times with some short cuts (can of no-salt petite diced tomatoes, Adobe sauce instead of peppers, and cilantro paste found in produce section instead of freshly chopped cilantro). Definitely tasted better following the exact recipe but was still tasty with the short cuts, and they helped me squeeze this recipe into rotation on busy weeknights. Love this! Thank you for all the great recipes, everything I’ve made from your site is truly delicious.
Made these delicious quesadillas a second time…..on my George Foreman grill. I brushed the tortillas on one side with oil, added the filling, folded it over and put on the grill (open end facing upwards) and grilled for 5-6 minutes. Came out perfect, with nice grill marks. Just cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. I can do several of these in short order, for inclusion in a larger Mexican buffet.
Made this tonight. So, so good. It is spicy but we like spicy so it was perfect for us. If you garnish with sour cream that calms the heat. Dairy cuts the heat of hot spice which is why it’s always served with cuisines that are spicy. Yogurt with Indian and Thai food; sour cream with Mexican for example. I used plain Greek yogurt because that’s what I had and it was delicious, and effective! You can also just cut the amount of chipotle peppers by a third or even half. It will definitely be a regular. I braised two chicken breasts and then shredded them instead of buying a whole chicken. I also added some fresh spinach to each. Couldn’t taste it very much. I just wanted the extra greens and had some I needed to use up.
What a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey (we celebrated early)! I loved it! I added mushrooms and used a tube of chipotle paste, just squirting enough for everything to be lightly coated.