3 pieces of chicken and cheese quesadillas on a slate tray with a brown and white towel behind all on a wooden surface (with logo overlay)

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

Sauté chicken and add it to a tortilla shell with your choice of cheese and warm the whole thing for quick chicken and cheese quesadillas, a dinner that’s kid-approved.

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Since living in Texas, we’ve eaten a lot more Tex-Mex than I ever have before. Many of the restaurants we go to around here have cheese quesadillas on the kid’s menu, and chicken and cheese quesadillas for an appetizer.

My boys love cheese quesadillas, and will sometimes eat them with chicken inside. About once per week, I’ll make a cheese quesadilla after they go to bed and send it in their lunches the next day. Both boys will eat them cold or warm, so it’s great for lunches.

I’ve tried the cheese quesadillas and feel like they are a bit plain. I prefer having some chicken in them for more flavor. Plus they are more filling with meat.

Quesadillas are a great option for a quick meal because they don’t take long to cook. Including the chicken, the quesadillas took me about 30 minutes total. I think it took us longer to figure out the best way to photograph and take the pictures than it did to make the food!

You can serve the chicken and cheese quesadillas with a variety of dipping options. Ryan and I like sour cream with ours. Tyler will usually dip his in Ranch dressing. Justin likes salsa or guacamole.

When we need the meal ready in a few minutes, I use store-bought tortilla shells. But when I have time, I prefer to make my own using this recipe. You can also use any cheese that you prefer.

You’ll see in the photos that I had two different flavors. Justin wanted his to have pepper jack cheese, the boys and I had cheddar. Sliced and shredded both works well. But if you use sliced it’s less likely for any to fall out as you flip the quesadillas.

Step by Step

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the oil. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces or strips and season with salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings. I like to sprinkle in a bit of onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Sauté until the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, lay the tortilla shells on a counter and place 1/4 of the chicken on one half of each shell.

Top the chicken with 1/4 of the cheese on each shell.

In a small skillet, over medium heat, warm the quesadilla by folding it in half and cooking for about 3-4 minutes. Carefully flip the quesadilla. Cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes, or until the shell is browned and the cheese has melted.

Repeat with each quesadilla until they are all cooked. Slice the quesadillas (a pizza cutter works well for this) into 4 pieces and serve warm.

3 pieces of chicken and cheese quesadillas on a slate tray with a brown and white towel behind all on a wooden surface (vertical)

Recipe

Originally Published On: February 28, 2019

Last Updated On: March 23, 2020

3 pieces of chicken and cheese quesadillas on a slate tray with a brown and white towel behind all on a wooden surface

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

Sauté chicken and add it to a tortilla shell with your choice of cheese and warm the whole thing for a quick dinner that’s kid-approved.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course:
Main Dish
Cuisine:
American
Keyword:
cheese
|
chicken
Servings: 4 servings
4.60 from 5 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 4 flour tortilla shells
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

  • In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat
  • Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces or strips and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning
  • Sauté the chicken in the oil until the chicken is cooked through
  • Lay out each tortilla and cover one half of each shell with 1/4 of the chicken
  • Top the chicken with 1/4 of the cheese on each tortilla
  • Heat a small skillet over medium heat
  • Fold one tortilla shell in half and place in the warm skillet
  • Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the shell is golden brown on the bottom
  • Carefully flip and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes or until the shell is browned and the cheese has melted
  • Repeat for each quesadilla
  • Cut each quesadilla into 4 pieces and serve warm
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Nutrition Facts
Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 334 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Cholesterol 101mg34%
Sodium 481mg20%
Potassium 473mg14%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Protein 31g62%
Vitamin A 315IU6%
Vitamin C 1.3mg2%
Calcium 228mg23%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

33 thoughts on “Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas”

  1. MELANIE EDJOURIAN

    5 stars
    I really do love quesadillas they’re yummy. I’ve not tried this version before. Thanks for the recipe I must try it on the kids.

  2. My kids love quesadillas, the chicken and cheese is their favorite. That’s such a great idea to use a pizza cutter. That would probably make a world of difference. I’ve even added buffalo sauce for my husband and he’s a fan too. I’ll havw to try that recipe you shared for the tortillas!

  3. 5 stars
    Quesadillas are quick and easy to fix. I often find myself making them for a quick lunch. I also lean more toward chicken than beef, and this is a great way to make those quesadillas interesting.

  4. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Since I live in Japan, Mexican food is hard to come by. I always love Mexican food (and Tex-Mex too). I want to make quesadillas now!

  5. Even though I’m lactose sensitive, I do enjoy an occasional cheesy food and quesadillas are sometimes enjoyed. I like the veggie mixed version very much.

    1. My mom is the same and has to be careful with how much cheese she eats. But always makes an exception for Tex-Mex foods. Quesadillas are great because you can fill them however you want!

  6. I’ve never made quesadillas at home! I’ll have to add it to the rotation. My kids love anything with cheese. 😀

  7. That does look really delicious. I wouldn’t have thought to use the pepper jack. But I think it’s great. I will have to try this out at home. I have a bunch of chicken I need to cook up and this would be perfect.

  8. 3 stars
    Good starting point. We found that they were a bit dry so served with sour cream. Nowhere near enough cheese. We doubled that. Too much chicken for 4 quesadillas. We probably could have done 6 (maybe 8). Points for being easy though.

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