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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I really want to make this but I have a question. I like chipotle but I can’t tolerate any kind I can’t do really spicy I can tolerate the chipotle sauce but not actual peppers so is this really spicy? And if it is is there anything else I can substitute the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with? Thank you
Hi Raya, Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid the heat with the chipotle peppers, and I can’t think of a good substitute as they are an integral part of the recipe. So sorry!
Smoke flavour could be achieved by using a few drops of liquid smoke or smoked paprika
I made these about a month ago and they were great. I did add the avocado to the top because I love them, but they definitely don’t need it because they are so flavorful. I think I might reduce the honey next time because it tasted strong to me. My son loved them and said they are definitely something he wants again which is a thumbs up from him.
Great recipe! I have found variability in the heat level of adobo peppers, so I add and taste before adding all called for.
I made these last night for my family. My husband, who is very hard to impress, said they were the best quesadillas he has ever had and I totally agree. I boiled my chicken in chicken stock, shredded, and then added to the mixture. They turned out just like the pictures and were amazing.
Wow these Chipotle quesadillas are so amazing, really nice flavor, and my wife really loved them! I will definitely be coming back to your website for more recipes.
Hi Jenn,
I have some leftover chicken from your Grilled Chicken Fajita recipe, do you think I could use that for these quesadillas, or do you think the flavors might be too strong?
Sorry I clicked the stars in error, I haven’t tried the recipe yet but I am sure it will be as delicious as all your others!
Hi Mary, I think the chicken will work fine for this recipe. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Loved them, amazing flavor!
This was the second recipe I tried from your website. These were fantastic and last night I made them again using store-bought shredded chicken and canned tomatoes to cut down on time. I shredded the chicken along with some cumin and ancho chipotle pepper and added queso to the cheese mix. I add avocados to mine and sour cream to my husbands…awesome! Very much looking forward to trying additional recipes
I made these for my daughters graduation party where we served a variety of hearty appetizers. this recipe was a HIT! I made a double batch of the sauce in advance and refrigerated it. Only needed one batch of sauce for the part so I did freeze the other batch. Using it about a month later with shredded chicken thighs and it was just as wonderful. Black beans and roasted sweet potato are also a great addition.
These were so good! The chicken filling was just delicious. I probably used half the amount of chipotle peppers. I had a very small , 3.5 oz can and it was perfect. It only had 3 peppers in it, and I used all the sauce. I took some of the seeds out, but I think I’ll leave them in next time. The filling was smoky but not spicy. My entire family loved them. I think I will double the recipe and freeze half in the future since there’s a lot of chopping involved. Having a prepared batch of the chicken will make for a really quick meal. Great recipe!
Added a can of diced green chillies to quesadilla recipe. Improved an already great recipe.