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.
Jump to RecipeSince 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.
Recipe
Originally Published On: February 28, 2019
Last Updated On: March 23, 2020
Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas
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
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.
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.
My kids love when we make quesadillas. And they are such a quick and easy dinner for us to throw together when we need to.
Oh yum! We really need to make these more. We uesd to all the time. Yours look amazing
We make them with cheese only a lot since the boys prefer that, but I like having chicken in mine.
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!
Oh, my husband would love buffalo sauce in his. I’ll have to try that for him the next time I make these. And yes, pizza cutters are great for more than just pizza!
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.
I sometimes make them for lunch if my boys are off school or will make them and send in their lunchbox the next day.
Oooh I am totally here for these. They’re an easy snack or you can doll them up if you want to. Definitely great if you’re in a hurry.
I agree I like that they can be made more extravagant if you want, or quick and easy. And each can be made for exactly what that person wants/likes.
when I want something plain and basic this is definitely one of my go to’s. Though I have never saved them for the next day, that’s a great idea.
My boys will eat them cold, so they go in their lunchboxes sometimes. I still prefer to warm them up the following day, but they still can be made ahead of time.
Simple and quick meal or snack. Our grandsons love them!
These are perfect for the little ones!
I love chicken quesadillas! These looks so easy!!
Super easy! And you can customize the quesadilla to exactly the taste you are looking for by adding or removing ingredients.
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!
Oh man, I’ve never lived anywhere that I can’t get my Tex-Mex fix! I would be learning how to make all of it at home!
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.
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!
I’ve never made quesadillas at home! I’ll have to add it to the rotation. My kids love anything with cheese. 😀
I hope the kids enjoy! Quesadillas are so easy and my boys will devour them when I make it.
Ooo how fun do these look. Ideal for a family lunch or when we have friends over xx
Perfect for a crowd! Quesadillas don’t take long and you can make a few different kinds to give everyone options.
Oooooo how yummy!!! Quesadillas are the best. So trying your recipe sometime this week. Delicious
Awesome, I hope you get a chance to try making your own quesadillas and enjoy them!
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.
The pepper jack cheese was my husband’s idea, I don’t eat spicy foods. But you could make it with any kind of cheese so customize to exactly what you are in the mood for.
I love this! I made some over the weekend and the family loved it!
I’m so glad you all liked the recipe! They are so simple yet a great quick meal.
This looks delish. I love how you shared step by step photos. Quesadillas are a family favorite of ours.
Thanks! I feel like step by step photos help so much when making something new, even if it is a fairly simple recipe.
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.