Chicken quesadillas are one of Berke’s go-to responses whenever I text “what’s for dinny?” They’re easy and I usually have everything I need on hand: tortillas, cheese, onions, peppers, and some chicken breast — nothing fancy required.

One of my favorite random single-use kitchen appliances my family had when I was little was a quesadilla maker! Every couple of weeks we’d have quesadilla night: Mom cooked the chicken and veggies, then everyone assembled their own and waited their turn to heat it up. If I ever came across a quesadilla maker in a thrift store I would buy it just to see those perfectly stamped triangles again.

Moving to Türkiye was a rude awakening when it came to Mexican food (Tex-Mex, Cali-Mex, any and all). The “salsa” often tastes like ketchup, and the guacamole can lean mayo-ish instead of chunky and fresh. It makes sense — the avocados here aren’t as creamy, the peppers are totally different, and cilantro is not a beloved spice. But still, I’ve managed to make do with our own quesadilla, enchilada, and taco nights.

For dinner?

Quesadillas can be as involved or simple as you want them to be! Craving a late night snack? Pile shredded cheese on one half of a tortilla, fold, cook, and dip in salsa. Need a quick lunch and you have leftover chicken from the other day? Same steps, but with chicken! Feel free to substitute with beef, shrimp, or just veggies.

How to get started:

I sauté onions and peppers on high heat to blister, then lower it so they soften while keeping a little crunch. I do this first so I can use the same pan for my chicken.

As always with these types of dishes, if you have any sort of leftover chicken (from a rotisserie chicken, the chicken you shredded earlier for chicken salad, the grilled chicken breast you made for dinner last night), use it! If I don’t have any leftover chicken available, I like to rub a cajun-style spice mix on the chicken breast and then cook it on top of the stove.

Once the filling’s ready, assemble and cook. For a snack or quick lunch, Berke and I split one large tortilla quesadilla. For dinner, we each make our own or do a batch of smaller ones. Cook until the bottom tortilla browns, flip, repeat, and enjoy!

Optional Vinaigrette:

There was a viral “sauce” hack at Chipotle a couple years ago — people were mixing the chipotle vinaigrette with sour cream to make a thick, creamy dip for quesadillas. The closest Chipotle to me is in Frankfurt, Germany, but I was still excited about it because it solved my salsa problem at home. We use yogurt in place of sour cream here (you can too, if you’re looking to make a recipe “healthier”) and the result is a perfect match for the chicken quesadillas. My favorite recipe for the chipotle vinaigrette can be found here (she also has a good “copycat” spice rub for the chicken!)

Chicken Quesadillas

Recipe by CarlyCourse: MainCuisine: American, MexicanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

1–2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, sliced
2–3 large bell peppers, sliced
1.5 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a mix)
4 large flour tortillas (or 6–8 smaller ones)
1–2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Prep the ingredients
Slice your onion and peppers and set aside. Season your chicken breast with spices (chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper).
Cook the chicken
Heat a pan over medium heat and add a little oil. Add chicken and lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 6-8 minutes (depending on thickness), then repeat on the opposite side. Let rest, then cut into strips or bite size pieces.
Cook the veggies
In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Sauté sliced onion and bell peppers on medium-high heat until slightly blistered but still crisp-tender. Lower the heat if they start to burn.
Assemble the quesadillas
Lay a large tortilla flat and sprinkle cheese over one half. Add chicken, peppers, and onions, then more cheese on top. Fold the tortilla over to close.
Cook the quesadillas
Place the folded tortilla in a hot pan over medium heat. Cook until the bottom is golden and crispy, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Finish: Cut into triangles and serve with salsa, guacamole, sour creek (optional: sub greek yogurt) or the chipotle vinaigrette dip.
Enjoy!