These Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas are made with a unique chipotle lime sauce made with chipotles in adobo, lime, orange, garlic, and soy sauce. It is spicy but flexible enough for the whole family (even those who don’t like spicy) and can be on the table in 40 minutes. It also makes plenty of leftovers to have throughout the week.
This recipe is one of my family favorites. We make it all the time. It’s easy enough that it can be made during the week or over a busy weekend. Over the years, I have created a few go-to recipes that we make for our family like this one as well as this Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken Sausage or these Cajun Chicken Wraps.
But we also love to make this recipe when having friends and family over because it gets the reaction, “Woah… that’s good!”. Our other all-time favorite recipe to make when having people over is this Grandma Pie Pizza made with an easy homemade dough in a sheet pan. It's easy and serves a crowd.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Family Friendly: This recipe can be made both spicy and not spicy without going through any extra effort of making a separate dish for kids or those who don’t like spicy foods. Another family-friendly recipe that can be made both spicy and not spicy without extra work is this Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Wings recipe.
- Quick: It only takes 20 minutes to cook the chicken and about 20 minutes to assemble the quesadillas. So it’s a great weeknight meal especially because baking the chicken is hands-off. The chicken and/or the quesadillas can also be made ahead of time allowing for flexibility during busy weeks.
- Chipotle Lime Sauce: One of the best and most unique sauces that you will ever make. It’s smoky, spicy, and tangy. The sauce is made with chipotles in adobo, fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, garlic, cumin, and soy sauce.
Ingredients
Below are the ingredients needed to make Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas.
- Chipotles Pepper in Adobo: These can be found in a small 7oz can at most grocery stores, including Target.
- Garlic: I recommend peeling fresh garlic. It does not need to be diced as it will go straight into the blender.
- Limes: Use fresh lime juice from 2 small limes. Do not use bottled lime juice. If you do not have a juicer or citrus reamer, squeeze the lime before cutting it (press it between the counter and the palm of your hand rolling in all directions). Then cut the lime in half, and to make juicing easier, stick the prongs of a fork into the lime as you squeeze the lime around the fork.
- Orange: Use fresh squeezed orange juice from half an orange. It is way more cost-effective than buying a bottle of orange juice, it's fresher and tastes better. You only need the juice from half the orange, so I recommend juicing the other half and drinking it while preparing the dish so it doesn’t go to waste.
- Cumin, Salt, and Black Pepper: Basic spices added to the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Adds a salty umami (savory) flavor. Despite adding only 1 tablespoon, it adds a lot to the flavor of the sauce.
- Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil. I tend to buy extra virgin olive oil from Spain which you can find at Costco and Trader Joe’s, having lived in Spain for two years. While there I met olive oil producers that produce high-quality olive oil that is often exported and included in Italian olive oils.
- Chicken Breasts: Choose organic if possible. Slice in half so that you have thin cutlets.
- Monterrey Jack Cheese: Monterrey Jack cheese is a great cheese to use in quesadillas because it is not overpowering, but still plenty melty and savory. I recommend that you buy a block of Monterrey Jack cheese and grate the cheese yourself. This is not the same as pepper jack cheese which has added spicy peppers.
- Whole Wheat Tortillas: I use 8-inch tortillas. I prefer whole wheat tortillas because they are less bland compared to regular flour tortillas, but any tortillas will work.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations:
- Spicy: To make these quesadillas spicy add extra chipotle sauce to each quesadilla.
- Not Spicy: To make the quesadillas not spicy, leave off any extra chipotle sauce. Even though the chicken breast is cooked in the chipotle sauce, if you add the chicken diced into cubes without any extra sauce it is not too spicy for kids, especially with the melted cheese and mild-tasting tortillas.
- Cheese: I strongly recommend Monterrey Jack cheese (NOT pepper jack cheese), but mozzarella would be a good substitute.
- Tostadas: Our other favorite approach is to make this into tostadas. Brush smaller tortillas with olive oil and toast them in the oven at 350 ° F for 10 minutes. Then top with the chicken, extra sauce, and any extra fixings such as sour cream, guacamole, refried black beans, etc. My other favorite version of tostadas are these Green Chili Tostadas for a weekend project meal.
- Chicken: The chicken can be baked in the oven, or grilled, or you could even use shredded rotisserie chicken in a pinch with the chipotle sauce drizzled on top in the quesadilla.
Toppings:
Here are a few ideas for toppings:
- Refried Black Beans: We love to make homemade refried black beans.
- Avocado slices or guacamole: For a super simple version just mash avocado with a tiny bit of olive oil, or lime juice and salt.
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Chipotle Lime Sauce: Use the extra chipotle sauce for topping or drizzling on top of the quesadilla.
How to Make Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
Below are the step-by-step instructions and accompanying photos for making Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas.
Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.
Step 1. Add the entire jar of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, peeled garlic cloves, the juice of two small limes, the juice of half an orange, soy sauce, cumin, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Blend for about 1 minute until the ingredients have emulsified and become a sauce.
Step 2. Divide the sauce in half. Reserve half of the sauce which will be used both when assembling the quesadillas, but also as a side for dipping when serving the quesadillas. The remaining half will be used in the step below to cook the chicken.
Expert Tip: The photos above show the color and consistency of the chipotle sauce. If your sauce looks darker or thicker, add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil (1 tablespoon at a time) until you get the desired color and consistency.
Step 3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Slice the chicken into thin cutlets and place in a large oven-safe casserole dish. Divide the sauce in half. Set aside half of the sauce for assembling the quesadillas and as a topping. Use the remaining half of the sauce to cover the chicken.
Bake the chicken for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Discard the excess sauce and dice the chicken into small cubes.
Step 4. Heat a large saute pan to medium heat.
Expert Tip: When cooking on the stovetop at medium heat, I recommend turning the temperature dial to "4" on a scale of "1-10" on the stove. A setting of "5" is usually too hot and you'll be more likely to burn the food.
Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the pan and allow to warm through for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add a tortilla to the pan and fill it with the diced chicken, shredded cheese, and extra sauce. Skip the sauce for anyone who doesn't like spicy foods. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling and repeat with a second tortilla in the pan, so that you have two quesadillas going at once.
Cook the quesadillas in the pan for 3-5 minutes until the bottoms of the tortillas are crispy and the cheese has started to melt. Then gently slide a wide spatula under the tortilla and quickly flip it over. Repeat with the second tortilla. If any chicken or cheese falls out in the process, tuck it back in with the tip of the spatula.
Recipe Tips:
- Sauce Consistency: The recipe calls for ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil. I find that this is the exact right amount. However, if you feel that the sauce is too thick, add extra olive oil (1 tablespoon at a time)to thin out the sauce and temper the spiciness.
- Crispy Quesadillas: I love to make my quesadillas crispy. To make crispy quesadillas, add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to a pan at medium heat – about ½ to 1 tablespoon, then build the quesadilla in the pan. Using a small amount of olive oil in the pan toasts the tortillas making them crispy. If you have a good tasting olive oil it adds an extra savory layer of flavor to the crispy tortilla. I also use this same technique for making Crispy Cheesesteak Wraps.
- Make Ahead: The chicken and the sauce can both be made ahead, or even the night before to ease up logistics around dinner time. Even the quesadillas can be made ahead and added to the pan right before serving to warm through, melt the cheese, and crisp up the tortillas.
Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla FAQs
One of the best kinds of cheese to use for quesadillas is Monterrey Jack cheese. It is easy to find at the grocery store, inexpensive, melts well, and adds savory flavor, but does not overpower other ingredients in your quesadilla. I recommend buying it in block form and shredding it yourself to avoid any additional anti-caking ingredients that can be added to pre-shredded cheese.
Refried black beans, avocado or guacamole, and sour cream go best with these quesadillas.
Wait until the cheese has started to melt before flipping so that the melted cheese holds the ingredients in the quesadilla better. If possible, flip the quesadilla over the folded edge to help prevent the chicken from falling out. However, if you are able to gently slide a wide spatula under the quesadilla, then quickly flip it over (in any direction) you should be just fine. It may take a little practice, but anything that falls out of the quesadilla (which happens to everyone) can just be quickly tucked back in with the tip of the spatula.
How to Serve, Store, and Reheat:
Serve: Serve the quesadillas cut into thirds or quarters with refried black beans, guacamole, sour cream, and extra chipotle sauce. We love to drizzle the chipotle sauce over homemade refried black beans served on the side.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can either make all of the quesadillas and store them pre-made, or you can store each of the components in the fridge and make up fresh quesadillas for another meal at a later time.
Reheat: Either reheat pre-made tortillas in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil to warm through, crisp up the tortillas (flip on both sides), and melt the cheese, or use leftover chicken, sauce, and cheese to make fresh quesadillas. Both ways are equally delicious, and I don’t think that one approach is better than the other. It's more about whether or not you have a little more time when you first make it, or a little more time when reheating.
Other Dinner Recipes That You May Love:
If you tried these Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I would love to hear from you!
Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 7 oz jar chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 small limes, juiced
- ½ orange, juiced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil + more for the pan
- 4 chicken breasts, sliced into thin cutlets
- 1 lb Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
- 14 whole wheat tortillas
Toppings
- Extra chipotle sauce (from the ripe above)
- sour cream
- avocados or guacamole
- refried black beans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a blender, combine the entire contents of the can of chipotle peppers in adobo, peeled garlic cloves, lime juice, orange juice, soy sauce, cumin, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. The sauce should be fairly thin, easy enough to use as a marinade, and thin enough for dipping and drizzling over the chicken when assembling the quesadilla.Divide the sauce in two. Set aside half the sauce for assembling the quesadillas and as a dipping sauce when serving. The other half will be used when cooking the chicken (next step).
- In an oven-safe casserole dish, coat the chicken in the remaining half of the sauce. Bake the chicken at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until fully cooked. Allow to cool, then dice the chicken. Discard any excess sauce in the casserole dish.
- Heat a large sauté pan to medium heat (I find that medium heat is best at "4" out of a "1-10" scale, not 5, which is more likely to burn food). Add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pan. Allow to warm through for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add a tortilla to the pan laying it flat and adding the diced chicken, a handful of grated cheese, and a drizzle of the extra sauce over half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half to make the quesadilla. Then add a second tortilla to the pan (it will overlap the first one while you are filling it). Fill it with chicken, cheese, and sauce, and fold it in half. Allow both quesadillas to cook until crispy, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and allow the other side to get crispy. Cook for 1-2 more minutes. Remove and repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese, etc.
- To Serve: Slice the quesadillas into thirds or quarters and serve with the remaining chipotle sauce, refried black beans, sour cream, avocado or guacamole, or any toppings of your choosing.
Notes
- Sauce Consistency: The recipe calls for ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil. I find that this is the exact right amount. However, if you feel that the sauce is too thick, add extra olive oil to thin out the sauce and temper the spiciness.
- Crispy Quesadillas: I love to make my quesadillas crispy. To do this add a small amount of extra virgin olive oil to a pan at medium heat – about ½ to 1 tablespoon, then build the quesadilla in the pan. Using a small amount of olive oil in the pan toasts the tortillas making them crispy. If you have a good tasting olive oil it adds an extra savory layer of flavor to the crispy tortilla.
- Make Ahead: The chicken and the sauce can both be made ahead, or even the night before to ease up logistics around dinner time. Even the quesadillas can be made ahead and then added to a pan right before serving to warm through, melt the cheese, and crisp up the tortillas.
Leave a Reply