a plate of chicken quesadillas with salsa roja and sour cream on the side

These Chicken Quesadillas are a quick and easy midweek meal for the whole family! Stuffed with melted cheese and juicy shredded chicken coated in a spiced red sauce, they’re sure to go down a treat!

The thing I love about Tex-Mex food is that it’s usually pretty simple to make at home. And that’s what I love about these quesadillas. Using a few simple ingredients, you can have a tasty and cheap meal on the table in under an hour. That’s what I call a win.

These quesadillas have three main components. The sauce, which is used to flavour the meat AND for dipping, the chicken which you can either bake and shred your own breasts or use up any leftover roast chicken you have in the fridge (or you could just buy a supermarket chook for an even easier meal!) and the tortillas, which become super crispy and delicious when pan-fried!

The point is, this is a great weeknight meal that the whole family is sure to love…plus it’s super easy to make and won’t break the budget!

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve these quesadillas with the spiced red sauce and some sour cream but here are a few more suggestions if you want some more options!

a plate of chicken quesadillas with salsa roja and sour cream on the side

Chicken Quesadillas

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

For the Sauce

  • 700ml passata
  • 250ml chicken stock
  • 2 tsp cumin (see notes)
  • tsp garlic salt
  • tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp ground chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • tsp cayenne pepper (see notes)

To Assemble

  • 2 cups shredded chicken (see notes)
  • 4 tortillas
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • 1 tbsp oil

To Serve

  • sour cream optional

Instructions
 

  • Add passata, chicken stock and spices in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. All to boil, uncovered for 15-20 mins or until slightly thickened. Set aside.
  • Add chicken to a large bowl along with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the sauce, adding extra if needed. You want the sauce to cover all of the chicken without dripping. Stir thoroughly to combine.
  • To make the quesadillas, spoon chicken into one half of a tortilla and top with cheese. Fold over and carefully place in a hot, oiled frying pan on medium-high heat and grill for 2-3 mins on each side or until cheese has melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
  • Cut each quesadilla into thirds and serve with the remaining sauce and sour cream to dip.

Notes

  1. If you want this recipe to be even easier, you can replace all of the spices with a sachet of taco seasoning.
  2. These Quesadillas are on the mild side so if you want to make them spicy, simply add extra cayenne pepper.
  3. If you don’t have any leftover or supermarket roast chicken, bake two large chicken breasts at 200°C for 30 mins and shred with two forks.
Keyword Budget Meal, Chicken Recipes, Kid Friendly, Weeknight Meal, Winter Warmer

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