A healthy chicken quesadilla recipe that you can customize based on what's in your fridge, and who you are serving! Kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and ready in minutes.
Confession time: quesadillas are a STAPLE in my house. Why? Because the kids love them, they are fast to prepare, and they are so easy to customize!
Today I'm sharing my chicken quesadilla recipe along with a ton of ideas for how you can customize them, how to prepare them for meal prep, and how you can make them healthier.
PS- This chicken quesadilla recipe is part of a series where I show you how to use a whole Instant Pot chicken in multiple meals. Check out the full meal plan here!
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Reasons to love this chicken quesadilla recipe:
- you can meal prep the ingredients ahead, then assemble in under 5 minutes
- it's gluten-free and full of clean, wholesome ingredients
- you can mix and match with ingredients you have on hand
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Ingredients you'll need
- cooked chicken- for this recipe I am using pre-cooked and shredded Instant Pot whole chicken. You can pick up a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or cook up a batch of these perfect baked chicken breasts.
*make sure you shred or slice your chicken quite small so you don't bite into huge chunks of chicken. - cheese- shredded
- tortillas- use your favorites! We usually purchase regular flour tortillas, but I used whole wheat tortillas in the photos for this post, and corn tortillas are another great option!
- veggies- now this is totally optional! I used tomatoes and spinach for this recipe, and also some steamed broccoli in some of them. I leave them out for the kids and serve on the side instead.
How to cook quesadillas
I like to cook my chicken quesadillas in a pan because it's quick and I can cook two at a time! Here's my method for how to make chicken quesadillas:
- Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Assemble two tortillas in the pan, propped up on each other in the middle of the pan
- Sprinkle bottoms (half the tortilla) with a thin layer of cheese
- Spread chicken across the cheese
- Spread veggies (if adding) over the chicken
- Sprinkle with another layer of cheese
- Press tortilla tops firmly down
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, until bottom is golden
- Flip
- Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until other side is golden
Enjoy!
How can I meal prep this recipe? You can actually meal prep thischicken and cheese quesadilla recipe in multiple ways:
- You could cook these quesadillas ahead, refrigerate (or freeze), then re-heat in a pan when you are ready to eat
- You could cook the chicken, shred the cheese, and wash the veggies ahead, then spend 5 minutes prepping them when you're ready to serve
Personally I like option 2 because your quesadillas are perfect and fresh when you cook them up for the first time!
Serve it with
I like to serve mine with a salad or some veggies since the quesadillas are somewhat heavy. Here are some other ideas:
- guacamole
- salsa
- greek yogurt
- fresh chopped tomatoes
- cilantro
Tips & equipment
- I cooked my quesadillas in my (teflon-free) nonstick pan
- I stored my pre-cooked chicken & shredded cheese in these meal prep containers
- Looking for more quesadilla recipes? Check out these Smashed White Bean & Spinach Quesadillas, these Broccoli Cheddar Breakfast Quesadillas and these Chipotle Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Healthy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tortillas (10-12 inch)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 2 cups cooked chicken (chopped or shredded into small pieces)
- vegetables of choice (steamed broccoli, spinach and tomatoes pictured)
Instructions
- Heat nonstick pan over medium heat.
- Place two tortillas in the pan, propping up the sides against each other in the middle of the pan.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese on the bottom half of each tortilla. Top with chicken, then veggies, then another 2 tablespoons of cheese.
- Press the top part of the tortilla over on itself, pressing firmly to keep it in place.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until lightly golden and crispy.
- Enjoy with salsa, greek yogurt, or guacamole
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Nutrition Information
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A. Barnes says
Great recipe! I made this a few days ago and it turned out delicious! My kids loved this!
This is just so easy & quick that anyone can make this happen! Don't need a degree to fix a simple dish. Thanks, Denise for giving us all these wonderful ideas. Pinned!
Denise says
I'm so happy you and your kids enjoyed them! They are such an easy meal when you're in a rush!
Praveen Kumar says
Was looking for something different to make this weekend and came across this. Thank you for a lovely recipe
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed! Thank you for your review 🙂