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.
Comments
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I’m very familiar with chipotle peppers and while I do like them, I typically use them sparingly so I was flabbergasted when the recipe called for 6 of them! BUT since I have enjoyed so many of the recipes here I decided to make the recipe exactly as written. So glad I did. They were absolutely delicious. The honey called for must cancel out some of the heat from the peppers because they were not overpoweringly hot or spicy like I was worried they might be.
My husband went on and on about the fabulous dinner.
Oh, and to those worried about the honey making them too sweet…not the case. You really don’t even notice the honey.
Thanks for yet another fabulous recipe.
This is just one of your recipes that my family absolutely loves. I would like to make this as a meal for a friend who’s about to have a baby, and am wondering if there’s a way to freeze this, even if I freeze the components separately and have her warm and assemble them when she’s ready to eat the meal. Thank you!
Hi N.W., The cooked quesadillas can be frozen for up to 3 months (see the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions). You could also cook and freeze the chicken mixture.
Very nice recipe for quesadillas! The cook times and portioning were spot on. I did not find it too spicy at all. There is a nice smoky heat that gently follows your first bite, but it is not overwhelming. I do know each person will have their own palate, and what is spicy for some might be perfect for another. I loved this recipe and even added hot sauce to my portions afterwards. Definitely will do again.
This is my third time making this, and it’s always delicious. The first time I didn’t really measure the chipotles and used the whole can – way too much, so now I make sure I measure the 1/3 cup.
I don’t usually have cooked chicken but this time just cooked some seasoned breasts in the airfryer and then chopped them up, worked great.
We realized we don’t like the flavor of chipotle peppers in adobo after I made this dish. I like adobo salt and ground chipotle peppers but not chipotle peppers in adobo apparently. My husband threw it out.
So you rate a recipe one because you don’t like the flavor of an ingredient?
I had previously tried another sites’s recipe, but my husband was neutral about it. Since he orders chicken quesadillas almost every time we go out, I was hopeful he would like this, and indeed, it was delicious! Now, with your recipe, Jenn, we no longer have to rely on restaurant quesadillas. I’m not a big fan of tomatos, so I followed a suggestion in one of your reviews and substituted salsa for the diced tomatoes, and that worked well.
I made these last night and they were AMAZING!!! The chipotle and the honey was a great balance. Will definitely make this again!
The best part about these quesadillas is that you can make the chicken mixture the day before (and just assemble the day of the meal) and you can freeze the quesadillas for lunch/dinner to have later on one of your busy days. I reduced the honey in half (personal taste). The quesadillas are smoky so if you aren’t a smoky fan perhaps reduce the adobe sauce.
Sweet Lord these were amazing! I was out of tomatoes so I used salsa instead and added queso cheese as well. So insanely good!
Hot damn these are delicious! I love that they just use a rotisserie chicken. I can prep the filling ahead of time and then make dinner quickly. I also often make them as an appetizer when having a get together. Do yourself a favor and make these soon!
We love this recipe and it’s quick and easy. Have passed the recipe on to many friends.
Thanks
Dana