Mexican
Chicken Quesadillas
Seasoned chicken and peppers are cooked in a skillet, then folded into tortillas with melted cheese until the outside is crisp. They taste savory and a little smoky, with a stretchy cheese center.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Cooking the chicken first means the tortilla only has to crisp and melt cheese.
- A dry skillet, not a pool of oil, keeps the tortilla crisp.
- Peppers add moisture so the filling is not just meat and cheese.
- Resting the quesadilla one minute stops the cheese from running out when it is cut.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Toss the chicken with the salt, cumin, and chili powder.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. If the oil smokes, turn the heat off and let the pan cool slightly before continuing. Cook the chicken until it reaches 165°F, about 5 minutes. Move it to a plate.
- 3
Add the remaining oil, the bell pepper, and the onion. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir the chicken and cilantro back in, then move the filling to a bowl.
- 4
Wipe the skillet. Lay a tortilla in the dry skillet over medium heat, about 325°F at the surface. Sprinkle it with 1/2 cup of the Monterey Jack and a quarter of the chicken filling.
- 5
Fold the tortilla in half and cook about 2 minutes per side, until the cheese melts and the outside is spotted brown. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- 6
Rest each quesadilla 1 minute, then cut into wedges.
Pro tips
- Do not overfill, or the tortilla will not seal and the cheese will leak.
- Medium heat browns the tortilla without burning it before the cheese melts.
- A clean skillet between batches keeps burned bits off the next tortilla.
Easy substitutions
- Monterey Jack cheese
- cheddar cheese
- flour tortillas
- large corn tortillas
- chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate filled quesadillas in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat until the tortilla is crisp again and the center is hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 512
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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