This cheesy chicken quesadilla recipe is bursting with flavour from plenty of chicken, black beans, hot peppers, corn and lots and lots of cheese. The finishing touch? Adobo sauce for that smoky heat. You’re gonna love these!
Hi friends!
Today I’m sharing a cheesy chicken quesadilla recipe that I think you’re going to love (well, I know we do!)
Quesadillas are something hubby and I regularly enjoy.
They not only taste delicious, but are super quick to whip up, which is why we enjoy them for busy weekday dinners or even for Friday night eats.
Some of our favourites include ground beef quesadillas, black bean quesadillas, turkey quesadillas and even breakfast quesadillas. Suffice to say, we are big fans of quesadillas.
I mean, what’s not to love? A crispy exterior with a cheesy, hearty centre? Sign me up!
Ingredients for this Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
For this chicken quesadilla recipe, you’ll need:
- Flour Tortillas
- Cooked chicken
- Canned black beans
- Hot peppers
- Corn
- Shredded cheese
- Oil
- Any condiments that makes you happy!
How to Make It
For this recipe, I used cooked chicken so everything came together quite quickly.
All you need to do is distribute the chicken on half of each tortilla and top with everything else.
Fold over, brush with a touch of oil and bake (or pan fry) until they are heated through and the cheese is melted.
You may want to wait a few minutes before cutting, though, ’cause that cheese is all hot and melty … not that that’s a bad thing, if you ask me! Of course, full details are in the recipe card below.
Serving Suggestions
You know me and my garnishes and little sidekicks (love them). They’re what takes a meal from yummy to something special.
Some off my faves to serve with these chicken and cheese quesadillas are:
- Salsa
- Greek yogurt
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Lime
- Pickled red onion
- Cilantro
Tips and Variations
- Make sure your beans are rinsed, drained and patted dry so they don’t leak too much moisture into the quesadillas … same with the banana peppers.
- Omit the chicken if you prefer a vegetarian option.
- Want something besides chicken in these cheese quesadillas? Shredded cooked pork or roast beef works wonderfully here too
- Don’t have, don’t like or don’t want to use adobo sauce? Your favourite BBQ sauce works awesome too.
- Cheddar cheese was used here, but you could use another variety if you prefer (or mix some). Just pick a nice melting cheese. Here are some great melting cheese options.
- There are two methods here for cooking these chicken and cheese quesadillas: oven or stovetop. While both are great, the stovetop method yields crispier results, which is always a good thing when we’re talking quesadillas!
More Recipes You May Enjoy
Hope you love this easy chicken quesadilla recipe as much as we do!
If you make this cheesy chicken quesadilla recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 flour tortillas, each about 7 to 8 inches in diameter
- 2.5 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded
- ¾ cup canned no salt added black beans, rinsed, drained and patted dry of excess moisture
- ½ cup corn kernels, from about 1 ear of corn
- ⅓ cup pickled banana peppers, squeezed or patted dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotles in adobo sauce), or more to taste if you want things spicier/smokier (another delicious option is BBQ sauce)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (to grease pan)
Instructions
- Divide half of the cheese (1.5 cups) among one half of each tortilla.
- Place cooked chicken among each tortilla (on top of cheese), then top chicken with black beans, corn, banana peppers and adobo sauce. Divide remaining 1.5 cups of cheese among the tortillas (on top of adobo sauce). Fold over each tortilla so it's a half-moon shape. Cook per either method below.
Stovetop Method (preferred method)
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (to keep quesadillas warm while preparing batches). This is optional.
- To cook quesadillas, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil or vegetable oil in large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat on the stovetop. Gently swirl the oil around the pan so you get good coverage.Note: Cook the quesadillas in batches, two quesadillas at a time, adding more oil to the pan between batches as necessary.
- Place two quesadillas in the pan. Cook quesadillas for 2 to 3 minutes on one side.
- Carefully flip the quesadillas to the other side and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until they're golden brown and crispy on the outside, the filling is heated through, and the cheese is melted (carefully watch to ensure they don't burn). Once done, transfer the quesadillas to a sheet pan and place into your preheated oven to keep warm while you are continuing to cook the remaining quesadillas.
- Repeat process to cook remaining quesadillas.
- Once the quesadillas are done, lest rest for about 5 minutes before cutting in half. Cut each quesadilla in half so you end up with 12 pieces. Delicious served with salsa, Greek yogurt, guacamole or sour cream. Enjoy!
Oven Baked Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place quesadillas on a sheet pan. Brush top of each tortilla with olive oil. Bake for about 10 minutes until heated through and cheese melted. Once done, let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting in half. Makes 12 pieces. Delicious served with salsa, Greek yogurt, guacamole or sour cream. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure your beans and banana peppers are rinsed, drained and patted dry so they don’t leak too much moisture into the quesadillas.
- Omit the chicken if you prefer a vegetarian option.
- Want something besides chicken in these cheese quesadillas? Shredded cooked pork or roast beef works wonderfully here too
- Don’t have, don’t like or don’t want to use adobo sauce? Your favourite BBQ sauce works awesome too.
- Cheddar cheese was used here, but you could use another variety if you prefer (or mix some). Just pick a nice melting cheese.
- There are two methods here for cooking these chicken and cheese quesadillas: oven or stovetop. While both are great, the stovetop method yields crispier results, which is always a good thing when we’re talking quesadillas.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
