Combining two different Mexican dishes, these chicken fajita quesadillas give you the best of both recipes and can be made in less than 30 minutes.
Oh how I love Mexican food – from chicken nachos to chili lime sweet potato and chicken skillet to vegetarian stuffed quinoa peppers. There are just so many choices that are delicious.
However, two that fall in my favorites category are quesadillas and fajitas. So I figured, why not combine theme? I mean to me they’re a match made in heaven! Speaking of both recipes, while fajitas are considered Tex-Mex, quesadillas are quintessentially Mexican.
Oh and did I mention how easy these are to make! Yeah it might take a little more time than just a regular old quesadilla but who just wants a normal dinner? No, I like something a little more unique and this is one of my go-tos. As I had mentioned in my sweet potato fajita post, I now make my own fajita seasoning, but you are more than welcome to just buy a fajita season packet.
To me the seasoning is everything and that’s what makes these fajita quesadillas so good. Well that, and lots of pepper jack cheese, which is never a bad thing!
Oh and remember that guacamole recipe I shared previously? Well it is the perfect complement to these quesadillas, or anything else for that matter. So set aside 30 minutes of your time and make these chicken quesadillas. Trust me you’ll love them.
What Ingredients are in this Chicken Fajita Quesadilla Recipe?
- Chicken breasts
- Produce – green bell pepper, red bell pepper, white onion, garlic
- Spices – chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper
- Tortillas
- Pepper jack cheese
- Unsalted butter
How to Make Chicken Quesadillas
- Place chicken in large mixing bowl and add chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. Add chicken into skillet and cook for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add peppers and onion into same skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes. You want them to be tender and slightly blackened. With 30 seconds left add garlic.
- Add chicken back into skillet to warm through and set aside.
- Place tortilla on plate and add 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese. Top with chicken, peppers and onions. Try to use about a 4th of the mixture as this will make 4 quesadillas. Fold the tortilla and repeat.
- Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add both quesadillas to skillet and cook on one side for about 5 minutes or until browned. Flip both quesadillas and cook for another 5 minutes or until browned. Use the pizza cutter to cut into four slices and serve immediately.
Can I Make the Chicken Fajitas in the Oven?
Yes you can. I actually have a sheet pan chicken fajitas recipe. Just follow that and then make the quesadilla.
And if you are feeling lazy, just buy a rotisserie chicken so you can skip having to cook the chicken.
Can I Use Different Vegetables for the Quesadillas?
While onions and bell peppers are the most traditional veggies included in fajitas, you can use any type of vegetable you like. However, you might have to change the cooking time if you are using a vegetable that is a littler heartier for these quesadillas.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Fajita Seasoning: If you don’t want to make your own fajita seasoning, you can easily buy one at the grocery store.
- Flour Tortillas: While corn tortillas are great, you need flour tortillas for the pliability and ability to hold the cheese and filling together.
- Use One Tortilla: Making a quesadilla with two tortillas can be difficult to flip. Using the half-moon technique makes it much easier to flip. Just spread the filling over half the tortilla, then fold the other half over the filling.
- Don’t Overstuff It: A quesadilla is best when you keep it on the lighter side. You want enough filling to hold everything together.
- Freshly Grated Cheese: don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has additional ingredients that you don’t need.
- Go Easy on the Butter/Oil: Flour tortillas absorb butter and oil easily, so you want to just lightly coat the pan for these chicken quesadillas.
- Cook on Medium Heat: Tortillas burn easily, so don’t cook on high heat. You’ll want to cook on medium-low to medium heat.
Other Mexican Recipes
- Chorizo and Avocado Quesadillas
- Chicken Mole Enchiladas
- BBQ Chicken and Peach Quesadillas
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
If you’ve tried these Chicken Fajita Quesadillas or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into strips
- 1 green bell pepper, seed removed and sliced into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper, seed removed and sliced into thin strips
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 large tortillas
- 2-3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Place chicken in large mixing bowl and add chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. Add chicken into skillet and cook for about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add peppers and onion into same skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes. You want them to be tender and slightly blackened. With 30 seconds left add garlic. Add chicken back into skillet to warm through and set aside.
- Place tortilla on plate and add 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese. Top with chicken, peppers and onions. Try to use about a 4th of the mixture as this will make 4 quesadillas. Fold the tortilla and repeat.
- Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add both quesadillas to skillet and cook on one side for about 5 minutes or until browned. Flip both quesadillas and cook for another 5 minutes or until browned. Use the pizza cutter to cut into four slices and serve immediately.
Notes
- Fajita Seasoning: If you don’t want to make your own fajita seasoning, you can easily buy one at the grocery store.
- Flour Tortillas: While corn tortillas are great, you need flour tortillas for the pliability and ability to hold the cheese and filling together.
- Use One Tortilla: Making a quesadilla with two tortillas can be difficult to flip. Using the half-moon technique makes it much easier to flip. Just spread the filling over half the tortilla, then fold the other half over the filling.
- Don’t Overstuff It: A quesadilla is best when you keep it on the lighter side. You want enough filling to hold everything together.
- Freshly Grated Cheese: don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has additional ingredients that you don’t need.
- Go Easy on the Butter/Oil: Flour tortillas absorb butter and oil easily, so you want to just lightly coat the pan for these chicken quesadillas.
- Cook on Medium Heat: Tortillas burn easily, so don’t cook on high heat. You’ll want to cook on medium-low to medium heat.
Leave a Reply