Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
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These quesadillas are filled with gooey melted cheddar, shredded chicken and a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce.
Crisp flour tortillas stuffed with gooey melted cheddar and tender shredded chicken, all smothered in a sweet, smoky, and savory chipotle sauce—these could easily claim the title of the world’s best quesadillas! Think of them a gourmet twist on my classic chicken quesadillas—I’m a fan of those too, particularly for kids, but these are truly in their own league. The recipe is adapted from Curtis Stone, one of my favorite chefs and cookbook authors.
“Sweet Lord these were amazing!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
- Red onion, garlic, and scallions: These aromatics form the flavor base, adding depth and a slight sweetness to counter the heat of the peppers.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: Provide a smoky, spicy flavor that is the signature of these quesadillas. They add heat and a rich, complex taste. See the FAQs to learn more about these peppers.
- Tomatoes: Offer a fresh, acidic, and slightly sweet component that balances the smokiness of the chipotle peppers and also adds moisture to the sauce.
- Honey: Adds sweetness to balance the heat from the chipotle peppers and the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Cooked shredded chicken: Serves as the protein base; you can use leftover or rotisserie chicken and either white or dark meat based on your preference.
- Cilantro: Brings a fresh, herbal element that brightens the dish and pairs well with the other flavors.
- Flour tortillas: Act as the casing for the quesadillas, holding all the ingredients together. They crisp up when cooked, adding a satisfying texture.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: Melts into the quesadillas, adding a rich, creamy texture and a tangy flavor that complements the spicy and smoky elements.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the red onions and garlic in olive oil.
Add the diced tomatoes and minced chipotle peppers.
Cook until the liquid is gone and the mixture is thickened.
Stir in the shredded chicken, salt, honey, green onions and cilantro. Keep the filling warm while you prepare the quesadillas. (Note: the chicken mixture can be made up to two days ahead of time.)
Heat a flour tortilla on a griddle or in a sauté pan. Cover the entire tortilla with cheese and spread the filling over one side.
When the cheese is mostly melted, fold the tortilla over the filling into a half-moon shape.
Cook until crisp and golden, a few minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Serve immediately with sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are typically small peppers, often red jalapeños, that have been dried, smoked, and then preserved in a spicy, smoky tomato sauce. You can usually find them in the Latin section of most supermarkets. If you’re looking for more ways to use them, try my chipotle honey vinaigrette and black bean and corn salad.
This recipe uses six peppers, including the seeds, which might sound like a lot, but it doesn’t make the quesadillas overly spicy. However, if you are sensitive to heat or making these quesadillas for kids, you might want to use fewer peppers.
For the crispiest texture, quesadillas should be assembled and cooked just before serving. However, the chicken mixture can be prepared up to two days in advance, cooled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator.
Yes, the cooked quesadillas can be frozen for up to three months. To serve, defrost them in the refrigerator and then reheat, wrapped in foil, in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) until hot, which should take 15 to 20 minutes.
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Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
These quesadillas are filled with gooey melted cheddar, shredded chicken and a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ⅓ cup minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you'll need about 6 chilis)
- 4 vine-ripened tomatoes (about 1¼ pounds), seeded and diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2½ cups cooked shredded chicken (white and/or dark meat)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 6 10-inch diameter flour tortillas
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour cream, for serving (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the chipotle peppers and tomatoes. Cook until most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated and the mixture is thickened, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir in the scallions, honey, chicken, salt and cilantro. Keep warm.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan and heat until hot to the touch but not crisp (air pockets may form). Flip the tortilla over, then sprinkle ⅔ cup of the cheese evenly overtop, being careful to keep it off the pan. Spread a generous ½ cup of the chicken mixture over half of the tortilla. When the cheese is mostly melted, fold the tortilla over to cover the filling and form a half-moon shape. Cook until the tortilla is crisp and golden and the cheese is melted, adjusting the heat as necessary, a few minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Let the quesadillas rest a few minutes to allow the filling to set, then cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and lime wedges, if desired.
- Note: If you have a large griddle, use that to make the quesadillas so you can make a few at a time. Also, be sure to serve your quesadillas hot of the pan (or off the griddle), otherwise, they’ll get soggy and the cheese will harden. If this does happen, you can pop them in a 350°F degree oven to heat them up, but they won’t be as crisp and gooey as they are fresh.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the optional ingredients.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: For the crispiest texture, the quesadillas should be assembled and cooked just before serving. However, the chicken mixture can be prepared up to two days in advance, cooled, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. Leftover quesadillas can be frozen for up to three months. To serve, defrost them in the refrigerator and then reheat, wrapped in foil, in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) until hot, which should take 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 quesadilla
- Calories: 694
- Fat: 45 g
- Saturated fat: 19 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Sodium: 1383 mg
- Cholesterol: 121 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This is a delicious spin on a chicken quesadilla. I followed recipe as written and added corn and sliced black olives. Definitely a keeper!
I wanted to make the quesadillas this weekend. How do I make the shredded chicken? Thanks
Hi Amreeta, but if you’d prefer to cook your own chicken, I’d suggest roasting the chicken as described in this recipe. Hope you enjoy!
These quesadillas are the most delicious ones I have ever made or eaten! There is a nice heat, with the honey offsetting some of the spiciness (and I like spicy). I initially thought 4 cloves of garlic would be too much, but the blending of all of the ingredients works so well together, and not one ingredient is overpowering. I used a mix of half white and half dark chicken, and left out the cilantro since I did not have any. My husband and I thought they were fantastic and I will definitely be making these again and again. I served them with tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa (the salsa more for the chips than the quesadillas). I thought about serving with a side of refried beans but I did not, which was fine because we could eat more of the quesadillas! These would make a fantastic appetizer also.
The best quesadilla! Next time I will add more vegetables because the meat and cheese needed a little something. I was thinking grilled onion/pepper. That is why I didn’t give all stars.
The basic recipe was very easy. I used a griddle covering two burners for the tortillas, and I made the chicken mix in a cast iron and put it on low. I put one 1/2 cup measuring cup with the chicken mix and a cup measuring cup (with lines on it) for the cheese, scooped, plopped and spread. Couldn’t be easier! PS I made the recipe TO THE LETTER, but my daughter said it was too spicy. I added a PLAIN chicken breast, shredded, to the two others and it came out flavorful also.
Hubby approved…delicious!
Hey Jen,
I’d like to make this for my parents, but my dad has a strong dislike for the “smoked” taste associated with chipotle peppers in adobe. Can you offer a recommendation as to a substitute for this ingredient, one which won’t alter the overall flavour significantly?
Looking forward to attending your book event in Toronto!
Thank you.
Hi Alan, I might try finely minced sun-dried tomatoes. You could also try a not-sweet barbecue sauce. Hope that helps! I’ll be at Indigo Books at Eaton Centre on May 16th from 5-6:30PM for a very casual drop-in book-signing. Hope you can come and say hi!
This is an amazing recipe that is so easy to make. I tried it with both chicken and black beans and it’s amazing both ways!! I actually prefer it with the black beans.
The whole family loved these, just a little spicy for the littlest one. They were so good, I had been craving *something* that I couldn’t pinpoint for days and these totally satisfied that!
This was way too sweet for us. We are used to pretty spicy Mexican food, so I decreased the amount of honey to just a little over a tablespoon. Wish I’d have tasted it first then add a little honey at a time. I’d think 1/2 tablespoon would’ve been plenty for us.
I made these quesadillas last night and they were just delicious. I especially loved the layering of flavors, without any one in particular dominating the dish. I did use the recommended amount of the chilis, and the other reviewers were correct in that this dish is not spicy. I did not need to cook the mixture for the full 20 minutes after adding the peppers and tomatoes-perhaps tomatoes are a little less juicy in the mid-west in April! We enjoyed your Best Ever Rice Krispie Treats for dessert. Another home run, Jenn. I can’t wait for my cookbook to arrive :-).
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your support with the cookbook! 🙂