This Amazing Chicken Quesadilla has got to be about one of the most comforting dishes we have ever encountered. I developed this recipe back in the 1990s in New York City, but don’t worry, as a native Texan, I knew a thing or two about making an amazing chicken quesadilla.
I had no idea this recipe would eventually become one of our most popular recipes on the blog and one of our most favorite dishes to eat of all time.
It’s really that good and we wouldn’t lie about something this important.
HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD’S BEST CHICKEN QUESADILLA
You won’t believe how delicious this chicken quesadilla is. Seriously.
Watch us show you how to make this incredible dish, and then make it yourself!
Let’s make the world’s best chicken quesadilla!
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CHICKEN QUESADILLA?
A good chicken quesadilla needs to be well seasoned and it starts with an awesome taco seasoning.
Of course, you can go with the store-bought variety, but as always, going with a made-from-scratch seasoning will always produce even better results…especially if you use my taco seasoning recipe!
Let’s season things up a bit, shall we?
THE BEST TYPE OF CHICKEN FOR AN AMAZING CHICKEN QUESADILLA
You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, but we really love the flavor from the dark meat of the chicken thighs, but chicken breast are wonderful, too!
Just cut them into bite-sized pieces and then be prepared to salivate as they simmer in the incredible sauce.
Simmering is a good thing and you will love the smells coming from your kitchen.
Once the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened a bit, it’s time to build your chicken quesadilla by starting with a flour tortilla in a little oil over medium heat to get the party going.
You’ll then layer with cheese, the prepared chicken, scallions, green chiles, sauce, and more cheese.
CHICKEN QUESADILLA IS A STAPLE OF MEXICAN CUISINE
We think of this culinary dish as being Tex-Mex, and because of its familiarity in restaurants across the United States, it almost feels American.
But its true roots are Mexican. Read about the History of the Quesadilla in Mexico by Kudolife.
Once the flour tortilla on the bottom has gotten slightly crisp and starting to brown, it’s time to add a tortilla to the top, and then flip!
LAYERING THE PERFECT CHICKEN QUESADILLA
We love everything about this delicious dish. When I first started making this dish, we would literally have nearby friends calling on a regular basis and asking if I would make them it for them. Word spread pretty fast how delicious these babies are. Once you make them, you may find yourself in a similar situation. But hey, I can think of worse scenarios!
If you like this dish, you’d probably love our Tex-Mex Beef Tacos! And what about our crazy delicious Taco Quesadillas! They combine the best of both worlds!
Just look take a look at this and try not to get hungry!
IDEAL WHEN FEEDING A CROWD
We love to serve these with sour cream and my easy restaurant-quality salsa.
These are easy to prepare for a group, as well and you can make them and then keep the warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve. I use a pizza cutter to quarter them and then place on a large platter for folks just to help themselves.
It doesn’t get much better than these Amazing Chicken Quesadillas!
Amazing Chicken Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 3 to 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 medium-sized flour tortillas
- 4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup scallions (green onions), chopped
- 1 15 oz. can green enchilada sauce (optional)
- 1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles (we like Old El Paso)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled (we prefer using a garlic press to add the garlic, if you don't have one, just mince the garlic)
- Salsa and sour cream, for serving
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200°F.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces.
- Cook the chicken in the oil until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
- Add the taco seasoning and flour and stir to coat the chicken pieces.
- Add the chicken stock and simmer for about 8 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the skillet to a medium bowl, and pour the sauce into another bowl. Set both aside.
- In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil and when hot, add 1 tortilla.
- To the tortilla add a handful of cheese, then a pinch of scallions, then about 1/2 cup cooked chicken.
- Moving quickly, spoon over a couple spoonfuls of the cooked sauce and green enchilada sauce (if using).
- Using a garlic press, press one garlic clove over the top, or if not using a garlic press, sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of the minced garlic over the top.
- Top with another handful of cheese and top with another tortilla.
- Using a spatula and carefully holding the top tortilla, flip the quesadilla.
- Cook until nicely browned on both sides. Remove from skillet and place on a baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm.
- Repeat the process for remaining 3 quesadillas.
- Cut into fourths and serve with salsa and sour cream.
You guys are so funny! Making these quesadillas tonight!
Awesome!! Let us know how it turned out!!! YUM!!!!
Just made a slight variation as we had a lot of your tinga chicken leftover from the other night.
Our quick diner recipe using leftover chicken tinga
1: flour tortilla crisped both sides (with butter) in a pan, crisp the other tortilla the same.
2: Layer the second one with cheese, chicken tinga, onions, jalepanos, cheese while in the hot pan.
3: Cover with the other crisped tortilla, heat, cover and flip for a second heat
4: Serve with hot sauce of choice and guackamole
So fast and so good! thanks for the recipes!
Hi Trent! YUM!!! We love having leftover tinga chicken!!! Your use of it sounds spectacular! Thanks so much for sharing! You’re making us hungry!!!
This is my #1 go-to recipe for quesadillas.. and your taco seasoning too! Absolutely delicious and my husband loves it as well! Thank you so much 🙂
Hi Alex! Yay! We LOVE that you are enjoying our chicken quesadilla recipe (and taco seasoning)! That is one of our all-time favorite dishes! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the GREAT review. That means the world to us! Stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Made these many time, sooo yummy!
Hi Lisa! Yay! So so so thrilled you made the quesadillas and had such great success with them! And thank you for letting us know and for the GREAT review! That means the world to us! All the best, Kris & Wesley
These were absolutely fabulous. I served with sour cream and chopped cilantro. They were a huge hit. Another fab recipe!
Hi Stephanie! Sorry for the delayed response! Woo hoo! We are so so happy you had such great success with the chicken quesadilla! That is a favorite in our household, for sure! Thank you so much for sharing and as always, the GREAT review!!!! xoxo
Super confused….this recipe tells you to preheat the oven but there are no instructions for what the oven is for in this recipe. It is all done in the skillet on the stove top.
Hi Kimberly, not sure if you received our response yesterday (we responded remotely, and not sure if it went through). The low-temp is just to keep completed quesadillas warm while you prepare the others. We double-checked and it does actually say in Step 14 to place the prepared quesadilla in the oven to keep warm while you continue with the remaining quesadillas. We truly hope you give these babies a shot. They have been a favorite of ours for many years! Let us know if you do or if you have any other questions! Best, Kris & Wesley
This is my go to recipe for chicken quesadillas, adding chicken broth instead of just water like taco packets suggest give it so much flavor. I also like to add a little cotija cheese in with the cheddar to bring it to the next level.
Hi Jessica! We are so so thrilled you are loving our chicken quesadilla recipe! That has been one of our all-time favs for many, many years. Thanks so much for sharing and for the GREAT review. That means the world to us! Stay in touch! Kris & Wesley
Awesome!!!! Awesome!!!! Awesome!!!!!
That is music to our ears!! We are sooo happy you loved our chicken quesadilla recipe! That has been a favorite of ours for many years! Thank you for letting us know and for the great review! That is AWESOME!!!! Kris & Wesley
I’ve never been a big fan of quesadillas, not that I dislike them, just prefer chimichangas or other dishes. I had some left over fried chicken and it just sounded good after reading your recipe. Cooked them for dinner tonight and wow. Nothing bland about these quesadillas.
Thanks for sharing and I’ll be eating and serving these on a weekly basis for a while. I’m just going to prepare extra chicken, steak, or whatever protein I might be making the previous dinner.
Again, thank you so much for giving to the rest of us.
Hi Tom!! You have no idea how happy this makes us!! We love chimichangas a lot, too!!! We are so so thrilled you enjoyed our quesadillas! We have been enjoying them for many, many years and we are so happy that you are enjoying them now, too. Thank you SO MUCH for letting us know and for the fantastic review!! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
So delicious! I prefer shredded chicken and will try that next time with thighs. (I’m a convert- used to always choose breasts!)
Hi Claire!! SO so so happy you loved the chicken quesadilla! And shredded chicken is awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know and for the great review! That means the world to us!! Best, Kris & Wesley
I’ve made this recipe several times now, and it’s delicious!
Margaretha! That is so awesome to hear! That chicken quesadilla has been a home favorite of our for years and we are thrilled you love it, too! Thank you so much for letting us know and for the wonderful review. That means the world to us!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
These are truly delicious. Great weeknight meal for our family. I used both a quesadilla maker and fried some on the stove top. Both are good but it was faster to fry them myself and it def took it up a notch. Thanks!
Hi Monica! We are so glad you and your family enjoyed the quesadillas!! And we have to agree, the quesadilla maker is convenient, but there is something about them when they are fried up on the stove that makes them irresistible. Thanks for letting us know and stay in touch!! All the very best, Kris & Wesley
I have some left over grilled flank steak which had a simple marinade: oil, garlic, lemon. Do you think this recipe could work for steak quesadillas?
Hi Gail, not sure if my previous response went through or not. YES!! Grilled flank steak would be great in the quesadilla!! Let us know how it turned out!
Yes I did. Thank you. Would you put the seasoning and flour with the steak to warm it up? Any other modifications you might have? Thank you ! This looks delicious!
Just made these for Saturday morning late breakfast.
I’ll be making them again for sure, absolutely delicious, especially with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice over the top.
Cheers for sharing.
Andy
Perth, Western Australia
Hey Andy from Perth!! We LOVE Australia!! So so so glad you enjoyed the quesadillas!!! A squeeze of citrus over the top sounds perfect!! Thanks for letting us know and thanks for the GREAT review! Stay safe and stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley