Best Chicken Quesadillas
Posted Aug 25, 2016, Updated Jul 14, 2024
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This is the best chicken quesadilla recipe ever. Made with chicken, vegetables, cheese and a secret ingredient – chicken quesadillas are a delicious, healthy, quick & easy dinner recipe that is ready in under 30 minutes!
This chicken quesadilla recipe is one of my family’s most-loved meals. The secret ingredient in this recipe might sound a little strange, but trust me it makes them delicious!
Made with chicken, peppers and more, these chicken quesadillas are a scrumptious, healthy, quick & easy dinner recipe that is ready in under 30 minutes!
Chicken Quesadilla Recipe: Ingredient Substitutions
- Chicken breasts. This is a great recipe to use up leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken (and one of our go-to’s for such a situation). Ground chicken or turkey can also be used in place of diced chicken.
- Olive oil. avocado oil is the best substitute.
- Onion. Use your favorite variety, white, yellow or red.
- Minced garlic. you can substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder for 1 Tablespoon minced garlic.
- Bell pepper. any color works well. Or you can substitute shredded zucchini for a less conspicuous vegetable option.
- Cheddar cheese. Any kind of cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, pepper Jack, etc. all work great.
- Tortillas. Choose your favorites, we prefer flour.
- Taco seasoning. Use homemade taco seasoning or store bought.
- Mandarin oranges. this is the secret ingredient that makes these incredible. You could also use pineapple.
How to Make Chicken quesadillas
To make this recipe, start with the filling. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat for about 1 minute, then add the chicken and cook until one side begins to turn slightly brown (about 4-5 minutes).
Next, add minced garlic, onion green pepper and corn. Cook until peppers become slightly soft and chicken is cooked through.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the taco seasoning and salt and pepper and cook until the chicken and veggies are slightly browned.
Then, add some of the reserved mandarin orange juice and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. This step imparts a delicious sweet and spicy flavor to the filling.
Remove the pan from heat and gently mix in the mandarin oranges, slightly breaking them up as you stir. Do this gently.
Note: At this point if you are serving people with dietary restrictions you can serve this filling over a salad if they’d prefer not to eat the cheese/tortilla. It tastes delicious that way!
Cook the Chicken Quesadillas
Once the filling is finished it’s time to assemble and cook the chicken quesadillas. Either preheat an electric griddle to 325 degrees F, or preheat a skillet over medium low heat.
Place a tortilla on the griddle and sprinkle about ¼ cup cheddar cheese evenly on the tortilla. Then, add about ¼ to ½ cup of chicken mixture (depending on the size of your tortilla) and sprinkle with another ¼cup cheese. The double layer of cheese is very important so don’t miss this!
Top it off with the second tortilla. Cook until the bottom tortilla is browned, then flip and cook until the second side is brown and cheese is melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas and cheese until you have used all the filling!
Serve
Cut and serve these chicken quesadillas as soon as they come off the griddle. Top with your favorite homemade salsa or homemade guacamole, sour cream, etc. Serve them with your favorite Mexican Recipes like Mexican rice or corn salad!
Store/Freeze
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop.
Chicken Quesadillas Recipe FAQs
To really crisp up the outside you could fry the quesadillas in a very small amount of olive oil.
Yes! Feel free to use leftover rotisserie chicken or leftovers to make this.
You will cook the juices until it is absorbed in the meat to create a sweet flavor.
I bet mandarin oranges never even crossed your mind! Well, get ready to have your mind blown and your life changed forever when you add mandarin oranges to the filling! You can also add beans, veggies, etc.
I love a really sharp cheddar, a Mexican blend is also delicious.
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Best Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast (diced small)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup onion (finely diced)
- 1 medium green pepper (finely diced)
- ½ cup corn
- 1 ½ Tablespoons taco seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt* (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounces mandarin oranges (drained, reserve the juice)
- 1-2 Tablespoons mandarin orange juice
- 8 Tortillas
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
Instructions
Making the Filling
- Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat for about 1 minute.
- Add chicken and cook until one side begins to turn slightly brown (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add onion, minced garlic, green pepper and corn. Cook until peppers & onions become slightly soft and chicken is cooked through.
- Add taco seasoning, salt (if desired) and pepper to the chicken mixture and stir.
- Cook until the chicken and veggies become slightly browned.
- Add 1-2 Tablespoons of the reserved mandarin orange juice and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Taste and adjust salt & pepper as desired.
- Remove pan from heat and gently mix in the mandarin oranges, slightly breaking them up as you stir. Set mixture aside.
Assemble the Quesadillas
- Preheat a griddle** to about 325 degrees F or cook over medium-low heat in a skillet.
- Place a tortilla on the griddle and sprinkle about ¼ cup cheddar cheese evenly on the tortilla.
- Add about ¼ to ½ cup of chicken mixture (depending on the size of your tortilla).
- Top with another ¼ cup of cheese and a second tortilla.
- Cook until the bottom tortilla is browned, then flip and cook until the second side is brown and cheese is melted.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas and cheese until you have used all the filling.
Video
Notes
- Chicken breasts. This is a great recipe to use up leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken (and one of our go-to’s for such a situation). Ground chicken or turkey can also be used in place of diced chicken.
- Olive oil. avocado oil is the best substitute.
- Onion. Use your favorite variety, white, yellow or red.
- Minced garlic. you can substitute 1 teaspoon garlic powder for 1 Tablespoon minced garlic.
- Bell pepper. any color works well. Or you can substitute shredded zucchini for a less conspicuous vegetable option.
- Cheddar cheese. Any kind of cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, pepper Jack, etc. all work great.
- Tortillas. Choose your favorites, we prefer flour.
- Taco seasoning. Use homemade taco seasoning or store bought.
- Mandarin oranges. this is the secret ingredient that makes these incredible. You could also use pineapple.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I like the sound of this recipe but i’m allergic to oranges. Any substitution ideas?
You can choose another fruit like pineapple!!
Love these! Pinned!
Your Mandarin Orange Chicken Quesadillas look awesome, thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great day and we sure look forward to more of your recipes!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
Thank you Miz Helen! 🙂
Talk about a fusion meal! This looks SO good! My go to quick and easy meal tends to be a veggie packed stir fry!
Actually the name is super misleading! It’s totally Mexican with just a touch of oranges for sweetness! Unfortunately no asian flavors going on here! But it’s a great idea! LOL!
OOH, mandarin oranges in a quesadilla! I need to try that; that’s a wonderful idea. I’m a little like your dad; I love making recipes, but I often don’t use a recipe. 🙂 I need to do it more though.
Hshs, it was my mom who didn’t use recipes in my family. And I believe it too, it was all stuff that needed using in our fridge all the time.
But this looks too good! Need to try the orange and chicken combo sometime
LOL! I remember asking my dad to teach me how to cook…his response…”Get a cookbook and start doing what it says, you will learn.” Turned out he was right…(surprise surprise!)
These look so delicious! Thank you Laura for posting this amazing recipe! – Suzie
Thank you Suzie! 🙂 <3
Love the asian-latin fusion ! I never would have thought to put these ingredients in a quesadilla. How creative!
My dad is a genius!
These quesadillas look amazing! I love the combination of chicken with orange but never would have thought to put them in a quesadilla. Can’t wait to make these.
I love how the sweetness of the oranges offsets the spice of the taco seasoning! Perfect balance! 🙂
Oh yum. I am the biggest fan of quesadillas. My favourite weeknight meal is vege fried rice. It is so quick and easy to make which is great because I usually arrive home from class totally starving and ready to eat anyone or anything in sight!
OooOoo my hubby LOVES fried rice! Do you use leftover rice or fresh rice when you make it?