Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe {with a secret ingredient}
This easy chicken quesadilla recipe is so delicious, quick to make and a great way to use leftover chicken!
I often have leftover chicken breast in my refrigerator and I don’t always want to just eat chicken. A great and easy solution is easy chicken quesadillas. Everyone in my family loves them, and even my husband can make them! Win/win!
But my chicken quesadillas aren’t your regular quesadillas. They have a secret ingredient. Stay tuned…
Here’s what I do to make my delicious chicken quesadilla recipe: I cut up the leftover chicken. You can thinly slice it, cut it up in small bites or shred it. It really doesn’t matter!
I cover the bottom of a tortilla with MAYONNAISE! Yes, that’s the secret ingredient. Cooking a quesadilla in mayonnaise is so surprisingly yummy. And I don’t even like mayo. It makes the outsides so crispy and delicious!
Place the tortilla mayo-side down in the pan and cover with grated cheese. I usually will add some sauce at this step, too, but didn’t show it in these pictures.
And then cover with chicken.
Add your flavor of choice. I picked BBQ sauce, because that’s what I had, but I like Ranch dressing, too.
Follow it all up with another tortilla on top with mayonnaise on the outside. I’ll add some more cheese at this point, but didn’t show it in the pictures.
Cook it for 2 minutes on each side on medium-high heat. Flip carefully!! I cook it long enough for the outside to get golden brown and crispy. It’s so yummy! So much more flavor than if you just cook it in oil or butter!
Add a yummy dollop of sour cream on top and you have a perfectly easy lunch or dinner!
Delicious! Enjoy!!
Easy Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- flour tortillas
- 1-2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into thin slices, small pieces or shredded
- ranch dressing or barbecue sauce
- mayonnaise
- cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
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Cook chicken and shred it, or cut into small pieces, before starting.
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Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side of a tortilla.
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Place it mayonnaise side down in a large skillet.
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Top the tortilla with a thin layers of cheese, chicken, a drizzle of ranch dressing (or barbecue sauce), more chicken and more cheese.
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Spread mayonnaise on another tortilla and place it on top of the topping in the skillet, mayo side up.
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Heat the quesadilla in the skillet for 1-2 minutes on medium-high, until the first side is browned.
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Carefully flip the tortilla and cook it on the second side for another 1-2 minutes.
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Cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- This could easily be cooked in a sandwich grill where both sides cook at the same time.Â
- If you like spice, add some chopped green chilies to the barbecue sauce.Â
Absolutely love these chicken Tinga tacos!! I easily doubled the recipe by using a whole rotisserie chicken. I love these left overs; they have a deeper flavor! Definitely will make again!
Thank you, I have always loved candied orange peels, and your recipe looks so easy, it will be an excuse to use my new electric pressure cooker.
I might be willing to try the mayo thing out…I generally don’t allow mayo in the house because I find it so gross but if it can make this gorgeous and perfect quesadilla I think I may be able to swing it! Mmmm quesadillas!!!
To be honest, I pretty much hate mayo. I don’t eat it unless it’s for quesadillas or in chicken salad. Otherwise, a big fat NO! 🙂
I’m a big quesadilla fan! I never thought of frying it in mayo. Interesting! I might try it.
It’s delicious!
I always use butter. I would have never thought of mayo. Will have to give it a try. Thanks!
Sounds fabulous Laura and i would have never guessed to use mayo. Will try this weekend. Yum! Shared and pinned.
I’ll have to try this. My mom used to make grilled cheese the same way, and I’ve never heard of anyone else using mayo to grill until now:)
I often use mayo to make grilled cheese. It doesn’t take a lot and it makes for beautiful browning. Never thought of using it for quesadillas. Gotta try that now!
These look so good ~ this would be a great dinner to make for my boys {and me….I’m always hungry!} ~ Thank you so much for sharing at this week’s Project Inspire{d} ~ pinned 🙂
Those look yummy. I wish I had some left over chicken to use tonight 🙂
We make these quesadillas all the time. It’s the meal we make when we can’t think of anything else to eat. We always use ranch, but I bet BBQ sauce is good. We’ll have to try that next!
We only started making them recently … we’ve been missing out!!