This is a recipe that has made it into my normal dinner routine for years, and I usually make these at least once or twice a month. Not only are they super tasty, but they’re a quick and easy meal that can be made in less than 30 minutes.
I refer to this recipe as a restaurant style chicken quesadilla, because although the seasoning blend is all my own, the way I make my quesadillas is the same way I learned how to do them at my first restaurant job in Chicago back in the late ‘90s. I normally make mine with chicken, but you can also substitute steak or pork, or omit the protein and just make this a cheese quesadilla as well.
What is a Quesadilla?
A Quesadilla is a traditional Mexican dish made by filling a corn or flour tortilla with a combination of cheese, meats, and vegetables. There are an incredible number of variations out there, some without cheese altogether, and several combinations with different meats and vegetables. After filling, they are typically cooked on a comal (picture a round, cast iron griddle) until the cheese is melted.
The Chicken Quesadilla recipe here is a much more common version found in Mexican American restaurants. They can be made as a full quesadilla that uses two tortillas with the fillings sandwiched between them, or as a half quesadilla that is filled and then folded over and sliced. Personally, I prefer the half quesadilla style and use flour tortillas over the corn ones. Most restaurants that use the full quesadilla style do so to charge more money while using less cheese and protein.
Ingredients for Making a Chicken Quesadilla
Chicken – I’ve made this recipe with chicken breasts, chicken tenderloins, chicken thighs, and even leftover chicken that I shredded. Feel free to experiment or use your own preferences here.
Seasoning – For this recipe I use salt, black pepper, hot-Mexican chili powder, Chipotle powder and onion powder. You can also use taco or fajita seasoning blends if you prefer those.
Flour Tortillas – You can also use corn, but I prefer flour tortillas for this recipe. Buy the larger versions labeled as “Large” or “XL Flour” or “Burrito”, they should be about 10” in size.
Shredded Cheese – I always use a Cheddar-Jack blend for my quesadillas, but you can use almost any cheese you prefer if it is a melty cheese. Oaxaca is a very traditional cheese and tastes great as well.
Bacon – The recipe uses bacon bits, whether made fresh or bought.
Pico de Gallo – This blend of tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice gives a great pop of fresh flavors without the sogginess a salsa would add when folded inside.
How to Make Chicken Quesadillas
Quesadillas make for a great dinner because not only are they simple to make, but they’re quick too. You can easily go from start to finish in 30 minutes or less.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about a ½ inch or so dice. Mix with the seasonings.
Heat a 10–12-inch skillet with a small amount of oil (about 1 tablespoon) over medium heat. I usually use Grapeseed oil. Add the chicken once the skillet is hot.
Sauté the chicken until cooked, about 7-8 minutes.
Using the same 12-inch skillet wiped clean, or a fresh 12-inch skillet, heat over medium heat until hot. Add some butter (roughly ½ a tablespoon or less) and let melt.
Place the tortilla into the skillet and quickly wipe it and spin it through the butter to fully coat the outside.
Add your shredded cheese, then the bacon, and then the Pico de Gallo almost like you’re adding pizza toppings. Finish with the cooked chicken covering the bottom half of the tortilla only.
Cook until the bottom of the tortilla begins to brown and become crispy, and the cheese has melted. Using tongs, fold the quesadilla over the chicken into a half-moon shape and remove from the heat.
Cut the quesadilla into equal pieces and serve. I usually cut mine in half, and each half into halves. This gives you 4 equally sized triangles of crispy, cheesy goodness.
What to Serve With Chicken Quesadillas
A single quesadilla makes for a filling meal, but they are also great to cook up multiples of and serve as appetizers for a crowd.
Sides that make for great toppings and/or dips for quesadillas include:
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Pico de Gallo - such as my Classic Pico de Gallo
Salsa
Spicy Aioli
📋 Recipe
Restaurant Style Chicken Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 8-9 chicken tenderloins, cut into ½in cubes (a little over 1lb)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon hot-Mexican chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 3 10" flour tortillas
- 1½ cups cheddar-jack cheese, shredded
- 3 tablespoons Pico de Gallo
- 3 teaspoons bacon bits
Directions
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about a ½ inch or so dice. Mix with the seasonings.
- Heat a 10–12-inch skillet with a small amount of oil (about1 tablespoon) over medium heat. I usually use Grapeseed oil. Add the chicken once the skillet is hot.
- Sauté the chicken until cooked, about 7-8 minutes.
- Using the same 12-inch skillet wiped clean, or a fresh 12-inch skillet, heat over medium heat until hot. Add some butter (roughly ½ a tablespoon or less) and let melt.
- Place the tortilla into the skillet and quickly wipe it and spin it through the butter to fully coat the outside.
- Add ⅓ of your shredded cheese, then ⅓ the bacon, and then ⅓ the Pico de Gallo almost like you’re adding pizza toppings. Finish with ⅓ the cooked chicken covering the bottom half of the tortilla only.
- Cook until the bottom of the tortilla begins to brown and become crispy, and the cheese has melted. About 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, fold the quesadilla over the chicken into a half-moon shape and remove from the heat.
- Cut the quesadilla into equal pieces and serve.
Tom
Excited to try this. Do you have a chili powder brand you recommend?
Chris
I normally use McCormick's brand "Hot Mexican-Style Chili Powder", but any decent brand labeled "hot" or "dark" chili powder would probably be fine. Another option with a great flavor would be to mix ancho chili powder with chipotle chili powder.