Chicken Quesadillas with Golden Flour Tortillas and Melty Cheese

Cooking the filling before putting it in the quesadilla will allow the chicken to be fully cooked. Adding cheese to the filling is a good idea to help bind the ingredients of the quesadilla. Common ingredients in a chicken quesadilla include taco-seasoned chicken, peppers, onions, garlic, jalapeños, cheese, and a flour tortilla fried to a golden brown color.

Start by cutting chicken breast meat into small pieces and sautéing it in oil with taco seasoning. Sauté the chicken for 4 or 5 minutes and then add sliced bell peppers, onions, and garlic to the skillet, as well as sliced jalapeños if you want some heat. The vegetables provide moisture and other flavors to the taco filling without interfering with the taco-seasoning flavor. You can use any color bell pepper. Pick a melting cheese and medium tortillas, which the recipe suggests using for a crispy taco.

As tortillas cook, look for golden-brown coloring on both sides and melted cheese in the chicken filling. The chicken filling is removed from the pan before adding tortillas. It will not continue to cook while you fry the tortillas. One problem people often have is adding too many tortillas to the pan or flipping them too early, which leads to pale, limp tortillas. Fry the tortillas in smaller batches.

Slice quesadillas in half or thirds and offer sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and other sauces on the side. Optional avocado slices can be included with the cheese layer on the tortilla before adding a second layer of cheese. Another idea for using leftover cooked chicken is given in the article: Cook peppers and onions and add cooked chicken and taco seasoning.