Name: Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups leftover cooked chicken (cut into bite-size pieces); 8 oz Pepper Jack cheese (grated); ½ cup corn kernels (fresh or canned); 4 scallions (thinly sliced); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 4 10-inch flour tortillas; 4 tablespoons butter (softened); Sour cream (salsa, and/or guacamole for serving)

This seriously easy chicken quesadilla recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken. Throw in some scallions, cilantro, and corn kernels, if you have them on hand, and enjoy a delicious cheesy dinner in minutes!

Folding tortillas into a half-moon shapes makes it so easy to flip the quesadillas.

Table of Contents

Time-saving tip:

This recipe uses leftover cooked chicken making weeknights so much easier. Alternatively, pick up a rotisserie chicken and make this a hassle-free dinner in under 20 minutes. Ps. Last night’s leftover can also be tonight’s quesadillas fillings!

Ingredient notes:

Leftover cooked chicken – I like to use boneless chicken breasts for this recipe. But this recipe is so versatile you can use any chicken leftovers you have on hand or other protein.
Cheese – Pepper Jack cheese is a firm favorite. It’s a semi soft cheese studded with a combination of black pepper and hot chilli peppers. You can however use your cheese of choice anything from Gouda cheese to cheddar cheese works too.
Tortillas – Traditionally corn tortillas are used but we like to use the wheat flour tortillas. You can buy them in 9- or 10-inch size.
Corn – You can use both fresh or canned corn. Take a look at my corn 101 for some handy tips.

How to make this recipe:

Get your leftover chicken out and slice it into bite-size pieces. Then take a medium bowl and combine the chicken, cheese, corn, scallions, and cilantro.

Take your tortillas and place about a ¼ of chicken mixture on one half. Leave roughly a ½-inch border at the edge and then fold it over and seal it firmly. Continue until all tortillas have been filled.

Melt butter in a 12-inch non-stick skillet and then place two folded quesadillas side by side in one pan. Cook for roughly 2 minutes on each side.

Remove from heat, slice into wedges and serve with optional salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.

Got leftover chicken? Make these easy cheesy chicken quesadilla with leftover rotisserie chicken. Quick and easy dinner in minutes! #quickdinnerrecipe #busycooks #chickenquesadilla

How do you seal the edges of quesadillas?

Make sure you have a ½-inch border at the edge with no filling on it and seal it firmly. It’s not great when all the good filling oozes out.

What can I put on my quesadillas?

Quesadillas are really so versatile so feel free to experiment. This can be part of your weekly meal prep as there’re so many variations, so it won’t become a monotonous meal.

Protein – You can choose from beef, chicken, seafood or vegetables.
Cheese – Try using different cheeses to experience different flavors.
Different Tortillas – You can even change up tortilla type, try corn or beetroot.
Spice them up – I like to add jalapenos.

How do you make them crispy?

I like to use butter in my skillet, but don’t be tempted to add more as they then go soggy. You can also use oil if you prefer it.

Side dish ideas:

Refried beans – super tasty and here’s my Instant Pot version!
Cilantro lime rice – this rice is a nice addition to make sure your guests don’t leave hungry.
This corn salsa adds a nice flavor to the meal.

Finish it off with a refreshing frozen beer margarita.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Let me know once you’ve tried it by leaving a comment below or sharing a photo and tagging @busy_cooks on Instagram!