Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas are the perfect solution to what to make for dinner. This easy recipe is a crowd pleaser. Dress is up with some spicy jalapeno ranch dressing and you have a new family staple!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
When you are cooking three meals a day at home, the word burnout doesn’t compare to how tired of cooking you can get. The pressure to make every meal better than the one before can get a little overwhelming.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a pause and remember that sometimes the best meals are the simple ones.
When I’m feeling the cooking burnout, I like to rely on a few family favourites and then dress them up a bit. Chicken or beef quesadillas are one of the easiest and quickest recipes in my reservoir. I always have the ingredients on hand and can quickly whip them up and exit the kitchen just as quickly!
To make these quesadillas extra special, I like to whip up a special sauce like an Avocado Ranch or this new Jalapeno Ranch dressing!
What toppings go in quesadillas?
The best thing about quesadillas is how they can be customized to each person’s likes and tastes. Which is great if you have a picky eater or two.
We like to include vegetables like:
Bell Peppers
Green Onions
Tomatoes
Jalapenos
On top of the cheese, chicken and taco sauce, which are all essentials in a perfect quesadilla.
What you need to make cheesy chicken quesadillas
10″-12″ tortillas
Chicken breast
Chicken broth
Cheese
Choice of veggies
What you need to make the jalapeno ranch dressing
Sour cream
Mayonnaise
Jalapenos
Ranch Seasoning – Onion powder, dill, garlic powder, parsley, salt, pepper and chive
How to make chicken quesadillas
Add your chicken breasts into a dutch oven. Add in 1/4 cup of chicken broth.
Bring the chicken broth up to a boil and then cover the dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Monitor your chicken’s internal temperature using a digital thermometer.
When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the dutch oven. This should take 35 to 40 minutes.
You can now easily shred the chicken with a fork or use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to get the job done quickly.
Return the shredded chicken back to the dutch oven and turn the heat to low. Season the chicken with garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine all the ingredients and coat the chicken well with the seasoning. Turn off heat when all chicken is fully seasoned.
Begin heating a large cast iron skillet over a high heat.
On a plate, create your quesadilla by spreading an even layer of homemade taco sauce across half the tortilla.
Then add the cheese and chicken…
Then add in your favorite veggies.
Fold the tortilla in half so it looks like a half-circle.
Place the quesadilla onto the cast iron skillet. Adjust the temperature of the cast iron, if needed.
Toast the quesadilla until it is golden brown, flip and then repeat on the other side.
When your chicken quesadilla is beautifully toasted and all the cheese in the middle has melted, it is time to remove it from the skillet, slice it and serve with salsa, sour cream and a jalapeno ranch dressing.
How to make the jalapeno ranch dressing for your quesadillas
To make the jalapeno ranch dressing, you will need to finely dice your jalapenos.
Cut the jalapeno lengthwise, removing the membrane, the seeds and the stem. Now finely chop the remaining jalapeno.
You can make the dressing in a food processor to save time or use a bowl and whisk.
To make the dressing in a food processor, add all the ingredients together and blend until smooth.
To make it in a bowl, add all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until they all come together. This way will not be as smooth as the food processed version but it is just as tasty!
Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas are the perfect solution to what to make for dinner. This easy recipe is a crowd pleaser. Dress is up with some spicy jalapeno ranch dressing and you have a new family staple!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- chopped bell peppers
- chopped green onions
- diced tomatoes
- 10-12" tortillas
- taco sauce
For the jalapeno ranch dressing
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning
- 1/2 chopped jalapeno
Instructions
- In a cast iron dutch oven, place the chicken breast and chicken stock.
- Bring the stock to a boil, cover the dutch oven and reduce the heat to a medium-high temperature. Monitor the internal temperature of the chicken with a digital thermometer.
- When the chicken if fully cooked, about 35 minutes minutes, remove it from the dutch oven.
- Shred the chicken using a fork or stand mixer and then return it to the dutch oven.
- Add in the chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Combine using a wooden spoon.
- Prepare the toppings by shredding the cheese and chopping the veggies.
- Prepare the jalapeno ranch dressing by mixing together the mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch seasoning and jalapenos.
- Begin heating a large cast iron skillet over medium to high heat.
- Place a tortilla on a plate and then add 1 tbsp of taco sauce on half the tortilla.
- Then add 1/2 cup of cheese and then 1/2 cup of chicken.
- Then add on the vegetable toppings.
- Fold the tortilla and then transfer it to the skillet.
- Toast until the tortilla is golden brown, flip and then toast on the other side.
- When the tortilla is toasted and the cheese is melted, remove the tortilla from the skillet
- Use a pizza cutter to slice the tortilla and serve alongside the jalapeno ranch dressing.
More dinners for a busy week night
Shop this post
Enamel Coated Cast Iron Skillet
Pin for later!
Carol
24/01/2023 at 12:56 pmI need to learn to make some gluten free tortillas….these look amazing!