These Chicken Quesadillas get that Mexican spice mix just right, and are perfectly crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside. Serve them in a stack, loaded with guacamole, Greek yoghurt and fresh coriander.
Whenever I make these easy Chicken Quesadillas they are devoured in five minutes flat. They're such a perfect weeknight dinner that you just KNOW everyone will enjoy, even the fussy eaters out there.
You can whip these Mexican beauties up in just half an hour, and they're a healthy, fresh and full of flavour.
What's inside these Chicken Quesadillas?
- Chicken: marinated in a Mexican spice mix of paprika, cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper and chilli powder.
- Filling: red onion, capsicum, corn kernels.
- Cheeses: We use grated cheddar and crumbled feta in this Chicken Quesadilla recipe for the strong cheesy taste, but you can use any shredded cheese. Mozzarella and cheddar mix works well because you get both flavour and stretch.
- Tortillas: use large tortillas.
- Guacamole: Avocado, lemon, salt and pepper.
- Topping: chopped coriander, green onion, Greek yoghurt and guacamole.
How to make the best ever Chicken Quesadillas
There are some tips and tricks to making great quesadillas
- Marinate your chicken first - because the whole cooking time of this recipe is just half an hour, make sure you start to marinate your chicken before you do anything else.
- Make your own spice mix - don't use some generic store bought Mexican spice mix - there are all sorts of preservatives in these that you can totally avoid by making your own. Just use the spices in step 1.
- Have your filling ready to go before you compile everything - the actual making of the tortilla should be the VERY last step - you don't want to be trying to grate cheese while your tortilla is cooking.
- Use one tortilla and fold in half - don't try and create a "sandwich" with two tortillas in your pan. Why? It'll be too big for you to flip easily and harder to move around the pan and cook easily. Trust me, I tried it.
- For crispy tortillas use olive oil in the pan with your tortilla - NOT butter. If you know me, you know I'm a fan of butter, but butter has too much water in it and will make your tortilla soggy. Olive oil will give you that perfect crispy shell.
- Press down on your tortilla - use the back of your egg flip to press down on your tortilla and get that cheese into all the right places. This'll help the filling bind together too and make it easier to flip.
- Keep warm under foil and slice just before serving. Stack wedges on top of each other and dollop with guacamole and Greek yoghurt.
What to serve with Chicken Quesadillas
These are a meal all to themselves, but if you're looking for some more sides you can make a Mexican Bean salad, or Corn cobs, or Pico de Gallo.
Substitutions
- Alternative protein - you can use beef or pork strips too, however change the order that you cook it - you should cook this first, then set aside to rest while cooking the filling so the meat doesn't get tough.
- Vegetarian - swap chicken for black beans.
- Gluten Free - use corn tortillas.
- Dairy Free - Swap the cheese for dairy free shredded parmesan cheese and skip the Greek yoghurt and use more guacamole, or use dairy free plain yoghurt.
Kid-Friendly Variations
- Skip the seasoning and chilli in the spice mix.
- To serve, slice quesadillas into fingers and serve with guacamole and Greek yoghurt on the side. Skip the coriander and green onion.
Equipment
You will need a stovetop and frying pan.
More Mexican-inspired Dinner Recipes
If you like Mexican flavours, you should try
- Mexican Layer Dip Our take on a 7-layer dip - with an added extra layer of beef to make this truly dinner worthy.
- Mexican Potato Feast this is a vegetarian delight - round circles of golden paprika potatoes topped with beans, avo, eggs and spices.
- Healthy Chicken Enchiladas - these are so fresh and another absolute crowd-pleaser. Don't expect leftovers here!
Recipe
The Best Chicken Quesadillas
Equipment
- Stovetop
- Deep frying pan
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 500 g chicken breast
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder optional
Fillings and toppings
- 1 large avocado
- 1 lemon
- ½ bunch coriander
- ¼ bunch green onions
- ½ red onion
- 1 red capsicum (red pepper) red pepper
- 1 cob corn
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 200 g cheddar cheese grated
- 100 g feta
- 4 jumbo tortillas (sub jumbo corn tortillas or wraps)
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice chicken into thin strips and add to a bowl with olive oil, paprika, cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper (opt.) and chilli powder (opt.), and stir to combine.500 g chicken breast, 2 teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 2 tablespoon olive oil
- On a separate board peel and slice avocado and add to a bowl. Juice over the lemon, add salt and pepper (opt.) and mash.1 large avocado, 1 lemon, ½ teaspoon Salt and pepper
- Trim and finely slice coriander and green onion. Use half to top the guacamole then set aside the rest.½ bunch coriander, ¼ bunch green onions
- Dice red onion and capsicum into 1 cm pieces. Slice corn kernels from the cob.½ red onion, 1 red capsicum (red pepper), 1 cob corn
- Heat a large (at least the size of your tortillas) non-stick frying pan or skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and cook onion and capsicum for 2 minutes until soft.½ red onion, 2 teaspoon olive oil, 1 red capsicum (red pepper)
- Add corn and chicken to the pan, using a spatula to make sure all the oil and spices make it into the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Once cooked, transfer to a plate.1 cob corn, 500 g chicken breast
- Meanwhile, grate cheddar and crumble feta. Roughly divide into the number of serves you’re making.200 g cheddar cheese, 100 g feta
- Lower the heat of the pan, wipe with paper towel and spray with oil. Add a tortilla and sprinkle half a portion of cheese over half the tortilla. Add a serve of the chicken and press down with the back of your spatula to flatten. Add more cheese on top.4 jumbo tortillas
- Fold the tortilla in half, then press down with the back of your spatula. Cook for a minute then turn to cook the other side. Repeat until you’ve used all the tortillas, cheese and chicken. Set aside cooked quesadillas on a plate and keep warm in the oven or cover in foil.
- To serve, slice each quesadilla into 3 wedges, stack them and add a dollops of guacamole and Greek yoghurt and top with coriander and spring onion.½ bunch coriander, ½ cup Greek yoghurt, ¼ bunch green onions
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