I have never visited Mexico, although many of my friends have. I just have never been thus blessed. That has not stopped me from enjoying the flavours of Mexico however! I discovered them in my early 20’s as a young Bride. My husband took me to a Tex Mex Restaurant for supper and I fell in love with the food. Through the years I gradually (through trial and error) developed my own recipes for Tex Mex Cuisine. Authentic or not, they became family favourites and one of our favourites has always been this Chicken Quesadilla Recipe!
Chicken Quesadillas are a wonderful repurposing of leftover cooked chicken from your Sunday lunch, or even canned chicken. Often I will poach a package of chicken breast fillets at the weekend to use for recipes like this during the week.
Chicken Quesadillas are great for quick lunches or light suppers and they make wonderful appetisers for when you are entertaining. People love to eat with their hands. A tiny bit messy, but just pass the napkins and watch your guests tuck in with gusto to these quick to make and spicy bites of cheesy deliciousness!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN QUESADILLA
One thing I love about this recipe is that the ingredients required are fairly simple and things which I have in my freezer, refrigerator, and larder all the time. I have a whole shelf in my store-cupboard devoted to Tex Mex, so I am able to whip up Tex Mex Delicacies most days at the drop of a hat!
| INGREDIENTS |
| 1 cup chopped cooked chicken |
| Salt and black pepper to taste |
| 1 cup grated Monterrey Jack and Cheddar blend cheese |
| 2 flour tortillas, burrito size |
| Canola oil spray |
| ¼ cup mayonnaise |
| 2 tsp chopped pickled jalapeno |
| 2 tsp pickling juice from the jalapeno jar |
| ½ tsp sugar |
| ½ tsp paprika |
| Pinch cayenne pepper |
| Pinch garlic powder |
| Fine sea salt to taste |
| Salsa to serve (optional) |
| Sour cream to serve (optional) |
HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST CHICKEN QUESADILLA RECIPE
If you follow my hints and tips I guarantee you will be able to create the tastiest ever Chicken Quesadillas for your family!
- Read through the recipe several times to familiarise yourself with the ingredients needed and any equipment you might need. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This can help to prevent you from leaving out an important step or ingredient.
- Assemble all of your ingredients and equipment needed prior to beginning to cook. This is such an important step. Nothing is more annoying than getting halfway through cooking a recipe and discovering you are lacking an ingredient that is vital to the recipe.
- Use the freshest ingredients you can.
- For a recipe such as this it is quite acceptable to use pre-grated cheese. I recommend a blend of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar.
- Chop your chicken quite finely for this. You do not want it to be a paste, but neither do you want it to be overly chunky. A fine dice is perfect.
- Use full fat mayonnaise for the sauce.
- If there is an ingredient that you think is too hot for your family tastes it is quite acceptable to leave it out or cut it down. For instance, the pickled jalapenos. I cannot tolerate a lot of these because of my gastric disease, so I often cut the amount in half when I am cooking them just for us. I also cut back or leave out the cayenne pepper. Conversely, if you are fond of really spicy food, feel free to increase the spice, or even use a spicy Jack Cheese.
- You want really fresh tortillas for this. You can use corn tortillas if you wish, or even whole wheat. Today I used white and because I did not have full burrito sized tortillas I used smaller taco sized ones, making four quesadillas instead of two. Check out this taco recipe if you’re craving some now that I mentioned them.
- No matter how tempted, do not overfill your tortillas. You need to be able to fold them neatly and you do not want too much filling escaping during the cooking or the eating. This is a case when it is best to err on the side of caution.
- Do not be in too much of a hurry when cooking these. I find that cooking them slowly over medium to low heat works best. Any hotter and you risk burning the outside of the tortillas before the filling is properly heated and the cheese melted.
HOW TO MAKE THE CHICKEN QUESADILLA RECIPE
This Chicken Quesadilla Recipe has to be one of the simplest things to make and one of the most enjoyable to eat! It’s amazing what you can create with just a few simple ingredients using a few simple steps!
One vital component of this recipe is a special sauce that you spread on half of each tortilla. This special sauce is rich and spicy. Measure the mayonnaise, spices, chopped pickled jalapenos and jalapeno juice into a bowl and whisk together until well combined.
Lay your tortillas on a flat surface in a single layer. Using approximately 1 ½ TBS of sauce for each, spread sauce over half of each tortilla. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of the cheese evenly over the other half of the tortilla. Scatter the chopped cooked chicken over the cheese and season lightly with some salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the cooked chicken on each tortilla and then fold the sauced side over to cover the filling completely.
Spray a large non-stick skillet lightly with some canola cooking spray. Carefully transfer the folded and filled tortillas to the pan. Place the skillet over medium low heat and toast the quesadillas on both sides, cooking them from two to four minutes per side. I use a flexible spatula to turn them over carefully when one side is toasted.
At the end of that time the cheese should be completely melted, and the chicken heated thoroughly. Place onto a cutting board and cut into serving sized wedges.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN QUESADILLA
What you choose to serve with this Chicken Quesadilla Recipe depends entirely on when you are serving them. If you are serving for a quick lunch, I would pass some raw vegetable sticks for the family to enjoy along side of them.
Spicy Mexican Rice goes well with them if you are planning on serving them as a part of a main course. If you are serving them as a snack or appetiser it is totally adequate to serve them with nothing else but some salsa and sour cream for your family and guests to spoon over top.
I enjoy a nice tomato salsa with mine, but green salsa is also exceptionally good. Sour cream can help to cut the spiciness a bit with its cool creaminess!
Children love to help cook. This Chicken Quesadilla Recipe is an excellent recipe for them to help you make! In any case, I think you are all going to enjoy this deliciously simple and appetising recipe. Quick and easy to make, economical and incredibly delicious! Why not take a trip to Mexico with your taste buds today!
Print Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
The perfect quick fix for a tasty lunch for two, or an appetiser for more. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken. You can very easily expand this recipe to serve more.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 2
Ingredients
For the quesadilla:
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup grated Monterrey Jack and Cheddar blend cheese
- 2 flour tortillas, burrito size
- Canola oil spray
For the quesadilla sauce:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp chopped pickled jalapeno
- 2 tsp pickling juice from the jalapeno jar
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp paprika
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Pinch garlic powder
- Fine sea salt to taste
You will also need:
- Salsa
- Sour cream
Instructions
- First make the sauce. Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk well together. Set aside.
- To make the quesadillas lay both of your tortillas out on a flat surface. On half of each tortilla spread about 1 ½ TBS of the sauce. On the other half sprinkle ¼ cup of the cheese.
- Top with half of the chopped chicken. Season lightly with salt and black pepper and then sprinkle over another ¼ cup of cheese. Fold the sauced half of the tortilla over the chicken and cheese side to cover.
- Spray a large skillet lightly with canola oil spray. Heat over medium low heat
- Add the folded tortillas. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes per side, until toasted and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the skillet to a cutting board. Cut each tortilla into 4 wedges and serve immediately with some salsa and sour cream for dipping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch
Nutrition
- Calories: 490
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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