Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken Quesadillas are absolutely a go-to recipe in our household, but while I’ve made them on my show (and have posted different variations of quesadillas here through the years), I just realized yesterday that I’ve never posted the recipe! I’m organized and on top of things like that.

Here it is! Such a simple recipe, but always delicious results. And always very, very family friendly.

 

 

 

Start with three boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

 

 

 

Sprinkle them generously with whatever you’d like: taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or just a mix of chili powder, cumin, seasoned salt, etc. You just want them really flavorful!

 

 

 

Heat some oil in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat…

 

 

 

And cook them on both sides until they’re nice and brown on the surface and totally cooked in the middle.

 

 

 

Then remove them from the heat and let them cool slightly.

 

 

 

Next, slice a big, honkin’ onion into thick slices…

 

 

 

Then grab a big bell pepper (this one’s from my garden!)…

 

 

 

And cut it into slices.

 

 

 

Set the same skillet over medium to medium-high heat (don’t clean it! You want all that gunk in there) and throw in the veggies…

 

 

 

And cook them until they’re nice and brown. And you can have fun with the veggies! Do different colors of bell pepper, add sliced mushroom, zucchini…any veggies will do.

 

 

 

Finally, grate up a whole buncha cheese (cheddar-jack, straight jack, even pepper-jack will work)…

 

 

 

And dice up the chicken into small pieces.

 

 

 

Now it’s time to build the quesadillas! You can use a huge griddle and do them all at once, or you can use a small skillet and do them one at a time. Heat some butter over medium heat…

 

 

 

Drop in a flour tortilla (or, heck, a corn tortilla if you prefer)…

 

 

 

Lay on a good amount of cheese…

 

 

 

Some of the veggies…

 

 

 

And several pieces of the chicken.

 

 

 

Then, to make it extra delicious, grab some hot sauce…

 

 

 

And add several dashes.

 

 

 

Wow. Whoa. Wow. This looks amazing.

 

 

 

Finally, sprinkle on a teeny bit more cheese…

 

 

 

And pop on the lid! (I had smeared it in the melted butter before I put the bottom tortilla in the skillet.)

 

 

 

Cook it until the bottom tortilla is golden and slightly crisp and lovely. Cook the bottom until it is, too, and until the filling is all melted and gooey.

 

 

 

Remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and slice it in half (I used a pizza cutter)…

 

 

 

Then into small wedges.

This is where my family is pretty much lined up at the stove, eyes wide, hunger emanating from their beings.

And this is where I lovingly respond, “HOLD YOUR HORSES! GEESH!!!!!”

Or something like that.

 

 

 

I like to put a little dollop of sour cream in the center…

 

 

 

And I usually like to spoon on salsa, but this time I did tomatoes…

 

 

 

And, for the adventurous among us, a couple of slices of fresh jalapeno.

Here’s the handy dandy printable! And speaking of that, I just added a brand new print feature on the recipes here on Pioneer Woman and over on Tasty Kitchen. Let me know how you like it—I tried to make it a little more streamlined and user-friendly! NOTE: If the print feature does not work for you, will you please leave a comment and describe what happens (along with your operating system and browser)? It will help me make sure all is running smoothly!

Enjoy, friends.

Recipe
Chicken Quesadillas

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 6





.recipe-actions {
position: relative;
z-index: 2;
}

#pdf-popover {
background: rgba(255,255,255,.9);
border: 1px solid #efeeed;
color: #6e5c3a;
display: none;
font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
right: 20px;
margin: 2px;
padding: 54px 20px 7px 10px;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
width: 380px;
}

#pdf-popover form {
margin: 0;
}

#pdf-popover h4 {
background: #b15818;
color: #fff;
font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 20px;
font-weight: normal;
left: 3px;
margin: 0;
position: absolute;
padding: 6px 12px;
right: 3px;
top: 3px;
}
#pdf-popover legend {
font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
font-size: 120%;
font-weight: bold;
margin-bottom: 2px;
margin-left: 10px;
text-transform: uppercase;
}
#pdf-popover fieldset {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
#pdf-popover input[type="checkbox"] {
height: 14px;
margin: 2px 0 10px 10px;
padding-left: 14px;
position: relative;
visibility: visible;
width: 14px;
}

#pdf-popover input[type="checkbox"],
#pdf-popover input[type="radio"] {
margin-left: 10px;
}
#pdf-popover .close {
background: #b15818;
color: #FFFFFF;
cursor: pointer;
height: 35px;
font-size: 16px;
font-weight: bold;
line-height: 26px;
position: absolute;
right: 3px;
text-align: center;
top: 3px;
width: 25px;
z-index: 1;
}

#pdf-popover .button {
background-color: #b15818;
border: 0;
color: #fff;
cursor: pointer;
font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
margin-left: 10px;
padding: 8px 10px;
text-transform: uppercase;
}






x
Print Options







Page size
Letter
3x5
4x6



Text Size
Small
Medium
Large



Content
Include description

Include prep time, etc.

Show image



Print





Print Recipe


Ingredients
3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts2 Tablespoons Taco Or Tex-mex Seasoning Vegetable Or Olive Oil For Frying1 whole Large Onion1 whole Large Bell Pepper (color Of Your Choice)12 whole Small Flour Tortillas (fajita Size)2-1/2 cups Grated Cheddar-Jack Cheese (or Straight Jack) Hot Sauce (I Used Cholula) Butter, For Frying Salsa, For Serving Sour Cream, For Serving Cilantro, For Serving Jalapeno Slices, For Serving Preparation Instructions

Heat vegetable oil or olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with taco seasoning. Add the chicken to the skillet and saute over medium-high heat until done, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet, allow to cool slightly, and dice into cubes. Set aside.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, throw in the onions and peppers and cook until the veggies are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Melt 1/2 tablespoon of the butter in a separate skillet or griddle over medium heat and lay a flour tortilla in the skillet. Build the quesadillas by laying a good amount of grated cheese on the bottom tortilla, and then arranging the chicken and cooked peppers on the cheese. Top with a little more grated cheese and top with a second tortilla.

When the tortilla is golden on the first side, carefully flip the quesadilla to the other side, adding another 1/2 tablespoon butter to the skillet at the same time. Continue cooking until the second side is golden.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas and fillings. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream, jalapeno slices, and cilantro.

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on September 10 2014