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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Hi Jen, I think this would have been really good except it was too hot for my taste. I used 3 smallish peppers and was surprised at the amount of heat. Is there another way I could still use the filling other than a soup? (I just made taco soup that’s in my freezer) Do you think using it in a burrito with sour cream, beans and rice would take it down a bit? Or perhaps incorporating it into cheese enchiladas (I’ve never made them before-so not sure how I’d do that) Any advice would be great. I do want to try this again, the sauce was wonderfully fragrant while simmering; perhaps one pepper with the seeds scraped out? Thank you 🙂
Sorry you found these to be a bit too spicy! Either of those options would work. I like the idea of the burrito as the sour cream in there will help to temper some of the heat.
These are AMAZING! The sauce and chicken is incredible, I can’t wait to make again.
So simple and so good! This may now be my favourite way to use up leftover chicken. The flavour combo of honey and chipotle was GENIUS. The one substitution I made was to use a can of Rotel tomatoes, because I never have fresh tomatoes on hand.
Yet another winner by Jenn! Thank you.
Made it today and it was delicious!! A little on the spicy side so definitely reduce the amount of peppers for kids or if you don’t like spice.
I made this recipe tonight after you posted it on Instagram a few days ago. I happened to have everything on hand. It was delicious! The bit of honey really added a nice touch. Thanks for another great recipe!
Are these able to be made and then frozen?
Yes, they can be. See the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jenn
I think that you’re among the very best bloggers out there – on par with Cooks illustrated and Serious Eats. I know that you need to make a living. All that said, can you do something about that HORRIBLE pop-up ad for seniors flu shots? I was looking at one of your posts and the ad came up twice! Totally blocked my screen both times. I was so aggravated that I gave up on my recipe search – holy cow! It just came up again! While I am writing this! PLEASE Jenn – you’re better than this!
Hi Heather, thanks for your very honest comments. I’m sorry the ads have been really intrusive! I know how frustrating it is. Couple questions:
-What type of device are you using? If it’s an iPad, the ads can move around depending on how you’re holding it.
-If you’re using a computer, do you have it in full-screen mode? If not, depending upon how narrow the page is displayed, if the ads don’t have room to be alongside the content, they will display on top of it. This will resolve itself with the full-screen view.
I do use an outside company to run the ads, and I have to constantly monitor to make sure that the site doesn’t get too ad-heavy. I wish I didn’t have to have any ads at all…it’s a balance between user experience and the high cost of running a site. Thank’s again for the feedback.
Have made this several times now and it’s delicious! Made it once exactly as recipe stated and a few other times with some short cuts (can of no-salt petite diced tomatoes, Adobe sauce instead of peppers, and cilantro paste found in produce section instead of freshly chopped cilantro). Definitely tasted better following the exact recipe but was still tasty with the short cuts, and they helped me squeeze this recipe into rotation on busy weeknights. Love this! Thank you for all the great recipes, everything I’ve made from your site is truly delicious.
Made these delicious quesadillas a second time…..on my George Foreman grill. I brushed the tortillas on one side with oil, added the filling, folded it over and put on the grill (open end facing upwards) and grilled for 5-6 minutes. Came out perfect, with nice grill marks. Just cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. I can do several of these in short order, for inclusion in a larger Mexican buffet.
Made this tonight. So, so good. It is spicy but we like spicy so it was perfect for us. If you garnish with sour cream that calms the heat. Dairy cuts the heat of hot spice which is why it’s always served with cuisines that are spicy. Yogurt with Indian and Thai food; sour cream with Mexican for example. I used plain Greek yogurt because that’s what I had and it was delicious, and effective! You can also just cut the amount of chipotle peppers by a third or even half. It will definitely be a regular. I braised two chicken breasts and then shredded them instead of buying a whole chicken. I also added some fresh spinach to each. Couldn’t taste it very much. I just wanted the extra greens and had some I needed to use up.
What a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey (we celebrated early)! I loved it! I added mushrooms and used a tube of chipotle paste, just squirting enough for everything to be lightly coated.