I really did try to think of something sweet to bake for Cinco de Mayo. But my love for cheese and carbs won over! This quesadilla recipe uses the filling from a baked taquito recipe I adore. I posted this on Instagram and loved the quesaditos suggestion. Isn’t that cute?!
You take some spicy chicken, shred it, add some more spices and then some cheddar and cream cheese. And of course I left out the salsa and onions called for in the recipe, just because I don’t like them. Go check out the original recipe if you want a “fancier” version. ;)
These are more work than your usual slap-some-meat-and-cheese-in-there-quesadillas. But it’s still really quick. And you can make the mixture ahead of time and just pull it out of the fridge when you need it.
I used these homemade tortillas. You can make them 100% whole wheat if you like, and I do that sometimes, but to be honest… tortillas are just so much better with all all-purpose flour. So soft and pillowy and perfect.
If you’ve never made homemade tortillas, then you’re in for a treat. They’re so much better than what you can find at the store (at least the stores here in Germany!) and aren’t that difficult to make. And there’s no lard, either. Just two teaspoons of oil.
These quesadillas can also be made on the grill! Cook directly on the grates over high heat for about 2 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown. I don’t think I’d fire up the grill just for these, but if it’s on anyway, I’d definitely throw these on. That and some tortilla pizzas!
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Some other fun looking quesadilla recipes:
- Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas – Chocolate Moosey
- Brie & Brisket Quesadillas – Confections of a Foodie Bride
- Grilled Corn Quesadillas – Taste and Tell
- Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas – Belly Full
Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 4 quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken1
- 4 ounces (110 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (125 grams) grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 small tortillas
Directions
- Mix everything together except the tortillas in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Over medium heat, heat a non-stick frying pan or cast iron pan that's slightly larger than you tortillas.
- While the pan is heating up, spread the chicken mixture over four tortillas. Place the remaining four tortillas on top of the filling.
- One by one, cook the quesadillas until the bottom or the tortilla is browned in several spots and the filling is halfway melted. Flip over, and brown the other side of the tortilla.
- Cut into four pieces and serve hot. If these cool too quickly, you can reheat them in the microwave at half power for 10-15 seconds or until warm.
Notes
- If you don't have any shredded chicken on hand, butterfly 13 ounces (380 grams) chicken breasts, rub with 1 teaspoon of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning (or whatever spices you like!) and pan fry until no longer pink in the middle. Shred the meat by pulling apart with two forks.
Adapted from Our Best Bites - Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos, as seen on The Comfort of Cooking - Baked Chicken Taquitos
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55 comments on “Creamy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas” — Add one!
These sound so good, thanks for sharing this delicious looking recipe.
Simon
Thanks! I hope you get the chance to try them out. :)
I was too lazy to make the homemade tortillas but I did make the quesadillas for lunch today and they were delicious! I know a recipe is a real winner when my picky eater asks me “Mom, can we have these for lunch again tommorow?”.
Hi Heather! Thanks for the feedback and rating. So happy that you and your picky eater enjoyed these! :)
I would add the salsa and onions but otherwise, love your quesadillas. I’m just back from Mexico and tasted the BEST flour tortillas ever! I’ve only ever made corn at home. Will have to try flour next time. :)
I loved seeing your Mexico pictures! It looks like paradise. And yeah, you have to try homemade flour tortillas! Sooo good. :)
I think I know what I will be dreaming of tonight…Mmmmm…creamy cheesy chicken quesadilla.
I love quesadillas and these look to be so creamy and cheesy my carb. tooth would have taken over too!
LOVE that you made your own tortillas! Happy belated Cinco de Mayo to you and I am sure you had a great celebration with these tasty delights! Beautiful photos!
Homemade tortillas are on my list of things to make!! Using them for quesadillas sounds over the top!
You have to try them! They’re so so yummy. :)
Homemade tortillas and these wonderful quesadillas…love this dinner idea. I want to check out your tortilla recipe. Need to make them soon.
I hope you get a chance to make them! They’re really SO good and easy!
I make quesadillas ALL the time, so this sounds like another fun filling to try! And thanks for linking to my buffalo chicken ones :)
No problem, Carla! They look really good so I had to include them. :)
Yummy, quesadillas!! I love how versatile they can be. I normally just add cheese and fresh spinach to them. My kids love them, but chicken and cream cheese sounds even better :-) I need to give this a try.
Spinach?! Oh no! ;) Your version sounds much healthier. I would stick with that one! :D
Who needs fancy when you have a boat-load of cheese? These look delish!
Haha. Good point. When it comes to cheese or fancy, cheese wins. Every time!
I can never get enough cheesy quesadillas- so easy to make and I STILL always want to order them at restaurants! Love the new look of the site!
Thank you, Anna! I’ve never actually ordered quesadillas in a restaurant. I need to see how other people make them so maybe I’ll give that a try. :)
These quesadillas look amazing!!! Just like your new blog layout! Double love.
Aww, thanks a bunch! So happy that you like them. :)
These look heavenly Erin!
Thanks, Trish! :)
These look SO SO good! Totally gonna try them!
I hope you do! Let me know how they come out. :)
Carbs and cheese always win ;) At least you made your carb-worship into a real recipe; my post was literally just about the tortilla itself, ha! I’ve got to try those Texan tortillas next time…they look so thick and fluffy!
Happy Cinco.
Hahaha. Carb worship? For sure. And I’m sure your tortillas are just awesome. I’ll have to check them out! :)
We celebrate 1st and 3rd of May in Poland, I had no idea about existence of Cinco de Mayo. It makes me unhappy that I missed out a perfect occasion for a good food celebration. I had a small break with visiting blogs and today it turned out that I missed out Cinco de Mayo. No more breaks for me! I like you cheese tortillas. I think it would make a great breakfast as well :)
And one thing I must share I had the most ridiculous bike accident kind of two days ago. I made over 40 km on my speed bike and 100m away from my home I forgot to take out my feet from holders and I stopped the bike. You can imagine dozen people laughing around :) I am not sure if I’ll leave home ever again, hahaha. I hope you had a great weekend Erin.
What is the 3rd of May? And oh no! Your poor thing. :( I’m not a good bicycle rider so that’s definitely something I would do. I tried riding Alex’s bike a few months ago and didn’t remember how to stop. So I just fell over. It hurt. :( So I can sympathize! I promise not to let you miss any more food holidays. Next one: July 4th!
It’s a long story with 3rd of May, it’s a day of “Constitution of 3rd May” in Poland. Plenty of history involved :)Somehow I’m happy that I’m not the only one not that good on bike, hahaha. Now I can leave my apartment again.
I see! So in Poland you have even more holidays than in Germany?! That’s crazy! And wonderful. :) And you can ride your bike in the city – that means you’re an amazing bike rider! I’m way too terrified to even try.
I really need to get on making my own tortillas! I love the quesodittos idea too ;) So darn cute! And these look so yummy! Wish I would have had these last night
Yeah, you do! And there’s always tonight. :) Y’all get good Mexican / Tex-Mex up in BC?
We love quesadillas and I’m always looking for ways to switch things up! The filling in these sounds wonderful!
Well here’s a way to complicate things a little. :) Definitely not easier than a normal quesadilla but so much better in my opinion! Cream cheese and cheddar. Yum!
I love, love, love quesadillas and taquitos so this is pretty much the best of all worlds for me! And those tortillas look amazing – so fluffy! Happy Cinco de Mayo :)
PS – Loving the new design, just gorgeous!
Haha. So quesaditos are okay by you? Yay! Hope you had a nice Cinco de Mayo and thank you for the design comment. :)
Erin! These look wonderful. I need to make my own homemade tortillas one day! Happy Cinco de Mayo :) PS: LOVE love love the new design! It’s so clean, sleek, and fun!
Thanks, Sally! And yeah, you have to make your own tortillas. So much better than store bought! And Mr. T will be very happy to hear that you love the new design (I am too, of course!) :)
The filling for these quesadeillas sounds wonderful. I do make my own tortillas – always whole wheat, and these days with the addition of mesquite flour (which I also make from our two honey mesquite tree pods). There are many different styles of tortillas, as you discover when you live on the border with Mexico. A friend of ours who lives in Mexico makes small fluffy ones; the style I make, and prefer, are very thin. You are right that homemade are better than standard store-bought. But we do have one grocery in town that has a tortilleria, and they make the best white flour tortillas I’ve ever had. I’d be surprised if you could find really good tortillas in Germany… :-))
Small fluffy ones sound yummy. :) I’ve had a few Hispanic roommates whose mothers provided them with homemade tortillas and it was always like Christmas when we got a bag of their mother’s tortillas. But I love these tortillas just as much! They do taste different than the ones made with loads of lard, but a good different. And hey, you never know – I bet you could get a really great pretzel roll in the US! But you’re right… only awful tortillas in Germany. And I’m not really a fan of Mexican food, but I’ve heard it’s awful here. At least we have tons of awesome Italian food. :)
Wow, wish I had these for lunch, they look fabulous! Definitely very droolworthy! The light is so pretty in your photos!
I’m thrilled to hear that because I thought the coloring in these pictures looked so off! Thank you. :)
Loving the sound of these quesadillas! They look delish! Yummy!
Thank you, Holly! :)
You can never go wrong with carbs and cheese, love these!
I absolutely agree, Laura! When have cheese and carbs ever been a disappointment? Never! ;)
We love quesadillas. These look amazing, Erin. The filling sounds perfect to me!
Thanks, Cassie! The filling is so addictive. I kept eating spoonfuls while waiting for the tortillas to brown!
This looks so good and your tortilla is so fluffy looking.
You have to try those homemade tortillas! SO good. And you can make them as thick or thin as you like them. I like ’em thick. :)
Wow Erin! I love the new design on the blog! Congratulations. I am heading to that homemade tortillas recipe, it’s gotta be a good one! I always use store bought tortillas…but nothing good really they are always too thin and bland. I do not bake much but I like to make some bread and pizza at home so, I am ready to learn how to make tortillas too! Feliz Cinco de Mayo! :)
Thanks a bunch, Flavia! Those tortillas are really magical. At least for me. I tried so many bad recipes before I found that one! And I’m honored that you check out my blog although you don’t bake much. So I guess you appreciate the savory posts? I think that makes you the fourth person who likes them. Kidding. ;) Happy Cinco de Mayo to you as well and thanks for stopping by!