Spicy Pepper Jack Chicken Quesadillas take 15 minutes to make and are filled with chicken, peppers and a mix of cheddar and pepper jack cheese. You’ll love this quick and easy dinner!
My family is crazy about quesadillas, especially chicken quesadillas, and they’re frequently on the menu at our house. They’re perfect when you want a quick and easy dinner, super kid friendly and a delicious way to use up leftover chicken. Sometimes, I even get a little creative and make Caprese quesadillas or BBQ chicken ones.
Since we have them so often, I can’t believe I never posted a more traditional quesadilla recipe here on the blog yet. Well, technically I have a recipe for chicken and black bean quesadillas, but I posted that when I first started blogging, and it’s not even in recipe format. Sigh.
I don’t know what I was thinking back then, but I think that this easy recipe for spicy chicken quesadillas makes up for it! I like to start out with leftover cooked chicken, since it saves time, but you can always cook some chicken just for this recipe. Then, I just heat it up along with some onions and peppers for extra flavor.
Sometimes, I do add black beans, but they tend to fall out when I’m cooking the quesadillas. So, we’re just leaving them out this time.
You can make quesadillas with just about any type of cheese. I usually use cheddar or even packaged Mexican blend for convenience. But for these quesadillas, I wanted some extra spice, so I used a mix of cheddar and pepper jack cheese. I also used a combination of jalapeno peppers and Anaheim peppers because we actually had some Anaheim peppers from our little patio garden!
You can make quesadillas by just melting cheese over a large tortilla on the stove or in the oven. Whenever we go out for Mexican food, we get them this way. But if you’re adding chicken and other goodies, it’s best to use two tortillas and use the cheese and meat as a filling.
Just use a griddle to heat a large tortilla, add the cheese and chicken mixture, top with another tortilla, and flip.The outsides will be all crisp and golden brown. The insides will be filled with melted cheesy chicken goodness. Yum!
Top with more pepper slices, sour cream, guac or whatever makes you happy!
Recipe for Spicy Chicken Pepper Jack Quesadillas
Spicy Chicken Pepper Jack Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chopped white or yellow onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 1 Anaheim pepper, diced
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 flour tortillas
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, cook the onions and peppers in olive oil or cooking oil until soft.
- Add the chicken, season with sea salt, pepper and garlic powder, and heat until warm. Set aside
- Place 1 tortilla on a large griddle over medium-high heat, and add about half of the pepper jack and cheddar cheese and half of the chicken mixture
- Top with second tortilla, cook for about 2 minutes or until first side is golden brown. Then, flip and cook for additional 2 minutes or until second side is golden brown and cheese is melted
- Transfer to large plate and slice. Repeat process with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture
Nutrition
So whenever you want a quick and easy chicken dinner or lunch, whip up these spicy pepper jack chicken quesadillas in just a few minutes. They’re perfect for busy weeknights or if you’ve got the kids home for lunch — think summer!
Happy Cooking,
Miz Helen says
We will love your Quesadillas! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday! Hope you are having a great week and come back to see us real soon.
Miz Helen
Jenny | Honey and Birch says
My pepper-jack loving husband is salivating looking at the computer screen! Good sign 😉
Dee says
That’s definitely a good sign — awesome! 🙂
Paula - bell'alimento says
Quesadillas are so quick and easy and I love a little extra spice!
Dee says
We actually had these twice in a row — perfect busy day dinner!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
My family will love these! We love the heat around here too!
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
We love chicken quesadillas too. These look amazing!
Jen says
These look so good! You can never go wrong with quesadillas!! I actually use my panini press to make them too, lol! Works great when you’re making a bunch quickly for the kids.
Dee says
I need to get a panini press then — especially with the kids home now!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
I always add a little pepper jack to my quesadillas! I love the heat. These look great!
Dee says
Thanks, Des. Pepper jack is the best!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
YUM! What a delicious and easy dinner to make for the whole family! I can see these going over wonderfully in our household. And that spiciness – so good!