This easy 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. Plus, they’re on the table in about 30 minutes! You’re gonna love these!
Hey friends! How was your weekend? For my American friends, hope you’re having a fun long weekend with lots of good eats! Missed all you guys last week. I’m all fired up to bring you lots of yummy recipes! Today, it’s these chicken and cheese quesadillas and they’re gooooood….if I do say so myself 😉
What Goes In This Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe?
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.
For this chicken quesadilla recipe, you’ll need –
- Tortillas (opt for about 7-8 inch in diametre)
- Cooked chicken
- Canned black beans
- Hot peppers
- Corn
- Shredded cheese
- Oil
- Any condiments that makes you happy!
How to Make Chicken Quesadillas
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!
What Goes with Chicken Quesadillas?
You know me and my garnishes and little sidekicks (love ’em). 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 for Making this Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
- 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.
- Speaking of chicken, if you don’t have leftover chicken, cook about 1 boneless skinless chicken breast and 2 boneless/skinless chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet in a 400 F degree oven for about 22-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and internal temperature reaches 165 F at the thickest part. Let cool slightly before chopping up for use in quesadillas.
- 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. Bon Appetit has some great melting cheese options.
- These make awesome leftovers. You can certainly reheat in the microwave, but they won’t have that same exterior crunch, but still taste delicious. If you want, you can reheat in the oven on 400 F for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
- There’s 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!
Like these Chicken Quesadillas? You May Enjoy These Too
- Breakfast Quesadillas – With perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, lots of cheese and black beans, this breakfast quesadilla recipe is ready in about 15 minutes.
- Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas – Super savoury, and totally delish, these cheesy quesadillas are sure to be a family favourite that will disappear fast.
- Oven Baked Fish Tacos – Panko coated white fish is oven baked and drizzled with a smoky chipotle sauce. Perfect for taco Tuesday (or any day of the week, really)!
Hope you love this easy chicken quesadilla recipe as much as we do!
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂
~Dawn
P.S. If you think this is the very best chicken quesadilla recipe (YAY!), please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO
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Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe {with cheese}
Ingredients
- 6 large tortillas
- 2.5 cups cooked chicken -cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2.5 cups cheddar cheese -shredded
- 3/4 cup canned black beans -rinsed, drained and patted dry of excess moisture (I used an unsalted variety)
- 1 ear corn -kernels removed
- 1/3 cup banana peppers -squeezed with paper towel to remove excess moisture
- 2 tbsp adobo sauce -or more to taste
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil -or cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Distribute cooked chicken evenly over tortillas (on one half of each tortilla).
- Top chicken with cheese, black beans, corn, banana peppers and adobo sauce. Fold over top so you have half moon shapes. Cook per either method below.
Stovetop Method (preferred method)
- Preheat oven to 200 F (to keep quesadillas warm while preparing batches). This is optional.
- Brush top of tortilla with olive oil (or spray a non stick pan with cooking spray).
- Place 2 half moons in pan at a time, cook on medium heat about 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy, being careful not to burn. Once golden and cheese is melted, place quesadillas in oven on a sheet pan to keep warm while finishing batches (3 batches in total). Lest rest for about 5 minutes before cutting in half. Makes 12 pieces. Serve with salsa, Greek yogurt, guacamole or sour cream. Enjoy!
Oven Baked Method
- Brush top of tortilla with olive oil. Bake for about 10 minutes until heated through and cheese melted. Lest rest for about 5 minutes before cutting in half. Makes 12 pieces. Serve with salsa, Greek yogurt, guacamole or sour cream. Enjoy!
Notes
- 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.
- Speaking of chicken, if you don’t have leftover chicken, cook about 1 boneless skinless chicken breast and 2 boneless/skinless chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet in a 400 F degree oven for about 22-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and internal temperature reaches 165 F at the thickest part. Let cool slightly before chopping up for use in quesadillas.
- 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.
- These make awesome leftovers. You can certainly reheat in the microwave, but they won’t have that same exterior crunch, but still taste delicious. If you want, you can re-heat in the oven on 400 F for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
- There’s 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)
I love quesadillas!! These look so bomb, Dawn!! 😀
Me too! Thanks so much, Michelle 🙂
Oh. My. Gosh. These look amazing. The perfect weeknight dinner!! I think my husband would love it if I add these into our dinner rotation!
Thank you Sasha! They are a favourite around here 🙂 Can’t beat chicken and lots of cheese!
I don’t make quesadillas nearly enough – but your photos are reminding me why I need to be. So beautiful, melty and packed with yummy stuff. Fantastic idea to bake them, and to use BBQ sauce if you don’t have adobo sauce (which I don’t – Mexican ingredients can be weirdly hard to come across in the UK)
Thanks so much Christine! Every time I have them, I always think I need to make more often. Can’t beat something with lots of cheese, if you ask me 😉
I always forget about adobo sauce, but it’s SO GOOD! This looks delicious- I need more cheesy quesadillas in my life!!
So so good! You really do 😉 Thanks Sarah!
Hot & melty cheese with chicken – this is right up my alley! They look so delicious, would love to have one right now despite the fact that I just had breakfast 😉 Have a wonderful weekend ahead, my friend!
I already have everything I need for these! They look amazing.
Yep, I’m drooling. Quesadillas are one of my husband’s favorite meals. I pinned the pics of this post before even reading it. I thought, “Whelp, my hubbers needs to see this, he’s going to approve!” 🙂
Seriously, lovely pictures and kick butt recipe!
These look delicious, Dawn! And yo can’ beat it in the quick and easy category either! I’ve never made quesadillas in the oven before. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to bake them. It’s such a time saver!!
Oh my – Dawn – I so love how chunky these quesadillas are! When my daughter was younger, quesadillas happened often in our kitchen but we haven’t had them in way way too long. I had forgotten how easy and comforting they can be and looking at these reminds me of how tasty they are too!
We had a long weekend – but my daughter and I made it a long week+3 days and headed to Seattle and the Oregon coast for a vacay – so glad to be back catching up with your delicious eats on your blog and not just on Insta! Happy Wednesday to you and your hubs!
XOXO
Thanks Shashi! You’re always so sweet! Quesadillas always hit the spot – we love ’em around here 🙂 Hope you’re having a lovely weekend, my friend! XOXO
Hi Dawn! How are you? These quesadillas look bomb. We regularly make quesadillas too and your recipe looks packed with so much yummy stuff! Red usually whips up a sour cream/chipotle sauce for it. I am excited to try adobo sauce too. We’ve been enjoying (or maybe I’m the only one enjoying haha) a heatwave these past few days. Hope you’re having a lovely week!
Hey Jolina!! Thanks you so much! I’m sure you’ll love the adobo sauce and these quesadillas! Send along some sunshine, would ya 😉 Hope you’re having an awesome weekend!
Confession: I could eat quesadillas a few days a week, every week, and be perfectly happy. Especially when they’re paired with so many different dips and toppings. SO. GOOD. Loving everything about these, Dawn.
Me too, Marissa!! Thanks so much, my friend 🙂
Quesadillas are a go-to in our house too, and we always make them in the oven. So quick and easy! Love the chicken and cheese combo. That’s a classic I never get tired of!
It is quite the tasty combo 😉 Thanks Leanne!
Dawn, your process shots are amazing! (Which feels like a weird compliment to me but I struggle with them so I’m super impressed!) I’m not sure if you’re aware of just how often I eat quesadillas, but it’s a lot. Like, almost as much as I eat peanut butter :). These are going to make it into my rotation for sure!
Awww- thanks Kelsie!! I eat them a lot too…they’re just too dang tasty!! Hope you love ’em as much as we do 🙂
Love quesadillas for a quick and easy meal and these look perfect! A great way to use up leftover chicken 🙂
Thanks Jennifer! We love them too!
I don’t think I’ve ever made quesadillas in the oven. So much easier and time saving and such a great way to use up rotisserie chicken leftover meat. I will be sure to load mine with lots of extras! Pinned!
SO easy!! Thanks Milena! Hope you guys love ’em 🙂
Quesadillas always hit the spot!! This is a meal I can never get enough of! They look incredible! YUM!! Have a great week, my friend! XOXO
Most definitely! Thanks Annie! Have a great week too! XOXO
Who doesn’t love quesadillas? These look absolutely incredible — and your photos have me wanting them right now at 8:30 in the morning.
Right?! Thanks Lisa…I think I could eat these for breakfast too 😉
These quesadillas look fully loaded! Such a great dinner option!
They sure are 🙂 Thanks Demeter!
I love making quesadillas for a quick and easy dinner too! I love the banana peppers in this recipe, I love that tang and can never get enough of them!
Same here! We always have them on hand 🙂
yessss! This is the perfect recipe for me. Love everything about this recipe! I want to eat it every day! I’m sure this is very tasty. Looks incredible! Thank you!
Thanks so much Neli! It is quite taste and a favourite around here 🙂
Okay these might just be the most beautiful quesadillas I’ve ever laid eyes on. Chicken and cheese is the BEST combo, I need these in my face.
Well, so happy to hear that! Hahaha -you definitely do need these in your face! Thanks Chris!