Toasty and flavor packed cheesy chicken quesadillas. An easy weeknight or lunch meal to satisfy any craving.
These Quesadillas are flavor packed to the max! Marinating the chicken before cooking it, then sauteing the onions in a little brown sugar and butter before combining both in the Quesadilla, brings a big flavor.
I love to cook in “layers” with flavor. What I mean by that is, I flavor each section of the meal separately before adding them all together. Then all those flavors come together to make for one tasty meal!
So I don’t just cook the chicken for this and shred it, I marinate it first, then cook it , adding flavor to just the chicken.
Same with the onions, I don’t just cook the onions, I saute them in a little butter and olive oil, and salt, then slowly cook them in a little brown sugar, adding flavor to just the onions.
You can easily add some sauteed bell peppers along with the onions to get more veggies into this meal.
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Ingredients for Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
Tortilla Shells: Extra large size, flour tortillas. Big enough to spread all the ingredients out and then cut into quarters.
Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless is best. One pound is plenty for this recipe. The chicken is marinated before cooking with lemon, orange, and lime juices.
Shredded cheese: Mexican blend shredded cheese is a good choice for these quesadillas. You will need around two cups of cheese for this recipe.
Onion: One small onion, chopped up in small pieces, then sauteed in butter, salt, paprika, and brown sugar before adding to the quesadillas.
Cilantro: Chopped up and added for flavor in the quesadillas. Also used as a garnish on top of the quesadillas.
Brown Sugar and Butter, and Paprika: Used to saute the onions in.
Olive Oil: Heated and added to cook the chicken in.
Orange, Lemon, and Lime Juices: The marinade for the chicken.
How to make Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
Cut up the chicken breasts into small, thin pieces and put inside a plastic gallon bag.
Pour in the orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice with the chicken.
Put in the refrigerator and marinate for 2-3 hours.
Add a small amount of olive oil to a big pan on the stovetop over high heat. Add the chicken along with the marinating juices.
Cook the chicken until done about 8 minutes or so. Remove and let cool off to the side. Shred the chicken when it has cooled off.
Chop up the cilantro and set aside.
Slice up the onions into small pieces and set aside.
Wipe out the pan you were using and add a little butter to the pan over very low heat.
Add the onions and season with salt and smoked paprika.
Cook until onions are translucent and soft. Add the brown sugar and cook on low heat very slowly until they are caramelized.
Remove and set aside.
Clean out your pan completely and dry, or you can use a different clean pan.
Over a dry high heat, add one tortilla and add some cheese on the top.
Cook until the cheese starts to melt a bit.
Then add in some chicken, onions, and cilantro. Make sure to divide your ingredients to make 4 Quesadillas.
Add some more cheese over the top and then another tortilla to close it up.
Cook on each side until it is nice and browned and the cheese has melted.
Slice the tortilla into quarters.
Ingredients for Pico de Gallo with cheesy chicken quesadillas
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
To make the Pico de Gallo, chop up tomatoes, onions, and cilantro and add salt and pepper.
Let the mixture sit together for about 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.
Serve the tortilla along side Pico de Gallo and Creamy Homemade Guacamole, with some cilantro sprinkled over the top.
Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
Description
Toasty and cheesy flavor packed chicken Quesadillas. An easy weeknight or lunch meal to satisfy any craving.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut up the chicken breasts into small, thin pieces and put inside a plastic gallon bag.
- Pour in the orange juice, lime juice, and lemons juice with the chicken.
- Put in the refrigerator and marinate for 2-3 hours.
- Add a small amount of olive oil to a big pan on the stovetop over high heat. Add the chicken along with the marinating juices.
- Cook the chicken until done about 8 minutes or so. Remove and let cool off to the side. Shred the chicken when it has cooled off.
- Chop up the cilantro and set aside.
- Slice up the onions into small pieces and set aside.
- Wipe out the pan you were using and add a little olive oil and butter to the pan over very low heat.
- Add the onions and season with salt and smoked paprika.
- Cook until onions are translucent and soft. Add the brown sugar and cook on low heat very slowly until they are caramelized.
- Remove and set aside.
- Clean out your pan completely and dry, or you can use a different clean pan.
- Over a dry high heat, add one tortilla and add some cheese on the top.
- Cook until the cheese starts to melt a bit.
- Then add in some chicken, onions, and cilantro. Make sure to divide your ingredients to make 4 Quesadillas.
- Add some more cheese over the top and then another tortilla to close it up.
- Cook on each side until it is nice and browned and the cheese has melted.
- Slice the tortilla into quarters.
Notes
- Serve along side with Pico de Gallo and guacamole, with cilantro sprinkled on top.
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[…] my Southwest Chicken Wrap recipe that I occasionally add this guacamole in, or my Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas recipe that I use the guacamole as a dipping […]