You all know my obsession with chicken fajitas… okay any kind of fajitas…. okay, pretty much just ย all Mexican food period ๐ ย And quesadillas are one of those things I love to order when we go out to eat. ย They’re easy to eat, fun to dip and top with things, and go great with a margarita! ย So for this recipe, I found some great inspiration from Jo Cooks, and combined my love of chicken fajitas and quesadillas!
One of the greatย things about these quesadillas is that you can make your fajitas any way you want! ย I prefer my set it andย almost forget it Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas, but you could cook them in a skillet, or on a grill. ย You could also toss in some different veggies if you’d like.
Chicken not your thing? ย Switch up the protein and use steak, or shrimp, or any vegetarian protein!
I used leftover oven baked chicken fajitas from the night before to make my quesadillas, so it all came together in about 10 minutes! ย If you choose the skillet method to make your quesadillas, it’ll come together in about 30 minutes. ย You have to love a quick and easy meal that the whole family will love!
So if you want to cook your fajitas in the skillet, here’s the quick breakdown:
Mix up your fajita seasonings (see recipe below) in a small bowl, slice up your onions and peppers, and dice your chicken into bite sized pieces. ย Toss your chicken with the fajita spices. ย Add a little oil to your big skillet and cook the chicken over medium/medium-high heat for about 7-10 minutes until it’s cooked through and a little charred.
Remove the chicken to a plate, and add your onions and peppers to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes until they’re soft. ย Add your chicken back to the pan and stir to combine everything well. ย Now you have your chicken fajitas made and you’re ready to make the quesadillas.
Remember, if you want a different twist to make your chicken fajitas, try the oven method!
Add a bit of butter or oil to a skillet over medium heat, (love my cast iron for this), and lay a flour tortilla in the skillet. ย To one half of the tortilla, add a sprinkle of cheese, a handful of chicken fajita fillings, and another sprinkle of cheese.
Let it cook for about half a minute, fold the other side over the top of the filling side and let it cook until the tortilla is golden brown. ย Flip it over to brown the other side. ย Ta-da! ย You have yourself oneย amazingย quesadilla!!
Cheesy, flavorful, crowd-pleasing, and fun to make!
Now what’s a great quesadilla without a great dip? ย Obviously sour cream is delicious, and I also love to serve this with some fresh guacamole. ย I need to make that and put it on the blog… problem is, there’s never any left and I can’t keep my family’s, (and my) hands out of it long enough to take a picture ๐
You can see in that picture that I also served this with my super tasty Restaurant-Style Salsa and Roasted Corn and Poblano Salsa. ย Both of those areย always a hit around here! ย Garnish your plate with a few lime wedges and some cilantro and you have yourself a GREAT looking, and tasting, plate of food ๐
Are you ready for a fiesta??
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- FAJITA SEASONING:
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
- QUESADILLAS:
- 2 small yellow onion sliced
- 1 medium green bell peppers sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper sliced
- 1 lb chicken breasts sliced into strips
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 8 large flour tortillas burrito size
Instructions
- OVEN-BAKED METHOD:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients for the fajita seasoning in a bowl
- and set aside.
- Cut the onion and bell peppers into strips. Place them in a large 13x9 baking dish. Slice the
- chicken breast into thin strips and add it to the baking dish with the vegetables.
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the meat and vegetables. Drizzle the vegetable oil over
- everything and then use your hands to toss the ingredients until they are well coated. Bake
- for 35-40 minutes, stirring once half way through.
- ALTERNATE SKILLET METHOD:
- In a bowl, sprinkle fajita seasoning over the chicken and toss to coat the chicken.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium/medium-high heat, and add the chicken.
- Saute the chicken for 7-10 minutes until it's fully cooked and golden brown and slightly charred.
- Remove chicken from skillet to rest on a plate.
- Add the remaining Tbsp of vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the onion and peppers to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the chicken to the skillet, mix with peppers and onions and cook for about 1 minute.
- TO MAKE THE QUESADILLAS:
- Add a bit of butter or oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add 1 flour tortilla, sprinkle one half of the tortilla with a little cheese, then add a handful of cooked chicken fajitas, and top with another sprinkle of cheese.
- Fold the other half over to create a half circle. Pat down with a spatula. Cook for a few minutes, until golden brown on the bottom.
- Carefully flip the quesadilla over to cook the other side until golden brown. Remove to a plate, slice and serve.
- Serve garnished with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.
- Serve with whatever dips you'd prefer.
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Chef Tips
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Mary Anne says
Delicious! This will be added to our recipe rotation.
Blake wilkerson says
Where did you find this plateware? i love the side dishes, and the quesadillas look beautiful.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Blake ๐ I believe the salsa dishes were from a local market here in Cincinnati, and the large plate was from Crate and Barrel, but I’m not sure if they still carry it, as I purchased them years ago.
Carla says
Do I use the fajita seasoning plus all the other spices that are listed? Iโm confusedย
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Carla, no you don’t use any store-bought fajita seasoning. The spices listed are a homemade fajita seasoning.
Paige says
Hi, just wanting to confirm the measurements of the fajita seasoning. I don’t see any numbers.
“Tbsp ยฝ paprika
tsp ยฝ onion powder
tsp ยผ garlic powder
tsp ยผ cumin”
I’m guessing 1 Tbsp paprika and 1 tsp of each of the rest?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Paige ๐ It looks like there was a glitch in the recipe card coding, but I’ve fixed the amounts. It should read as follows:
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp corn starch
Paige says
Awesome! Thanks!
Frani says
I left out the sugar and cornstarch and it was delicious! We also ate ours as a bowl instead of a burrito/quesadilla with sour cream and cheddar cheese. Thank you, this recipe is going into my recipe tin!
Stephanie says
Quesadillas are one of my favorites and these look amazing!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Stephanie!! I love all Mexican food, but I have a soft spot for these ๐
Lou Lou Girls says
Wow! That looks incredible. I’m so impressed. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you stopping by to party with us. We hope to see you, Monday at 7 pm. Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Kimmie!! I’ll see you tomorrow night ๐
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
I love the Jo Cooks blog and yours too! Mexican is one of my favorites as well…we pretty much eat it every week. Always glad to find a new quesadilla recipe to try!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Michelle!! Glad I’m not the only one who wants to eat Mexican once a week ๐ I hope you love these! I’m making your roasted garlic spaghetti tonight!
lili says
Yum yum! Very tasty-looking! Also looks great with the three curvy strips of sauces on your plate! ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Lili!! I love that little serving dish, I wish I had bought more than one at the time ๐
lili says
๐ I wish I even had just one! ๐
Kate @KateMovingForward says
I love how quick and easy throwing a quesadilla together is for lunch! Pinned this recipe!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Kate!! You’re so right… quesadillas are amazingly easy to make for lunch ๐
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
YUMโd! This looks delicious. A definite must try! Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! Weโd love to have you for a visit. The Door is OPEN. http://lifewithlorelai.com/2015/06/04/home-matters-linky-party-40/ ๐
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Lorelai!! I’ll be sure to stop by, thanks for the invitation ๐
Judi Graber says
They sound delicious Amanda – this time of the year I like to make these on the grill. I’m sure I can adapt your recipe to grilling ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Judi! Ohhh yes, these would be fantastic grilled ๐
Margherita says
When any kind of fajitas are around I’m totally in! Your dish looks scrumptious!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Margherita!! ๐
Liz says
Just looking at that crusty tortilla with melty cheese made my mouth water. We love quesadillas in our house and this looks like a delicious variation.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Liz!! I hope you all love these ๐
Mila says
It looks so good and tasty! Do you deliver? ๐
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Mila!! Haha, if you lived close I would ๐
Jhuls | The Not So Creative Cook says
Oh! I could eat these all day, everyday!! These look so scrumptious, Amanda!! Thanks for sharing. Happy FF! ๐ xx
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Jhuls!! Happy FF to you as well ๐
Sridevi Ravi says
Wow! Beautiful presentation with lovely colours! Nicely crisped and well stuffed Fajitas! Very tempting!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Sridevi!! I love quesadillas that are super crispy on the outside and melty on the inside ๐
Tracy @ Served From Scratch says
Genius!! These are totally drool wrothy!! Um also, I ADORE that serving dish with the 3 sauces!! Where can I find one?!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you so much Tracy!! Combining some of my favorite foods is always a fun time ๐ I got that dish at a local exotic foods market, but I did a little google searching and found this one that looks similar ๐ http://eco-friendlycookware.com/casual-dinnerware/entertaining/porcelain-glass-appetizer-dish
Stephanie says
UM, wow… this is GENIUS…………PURE genius! I have to say, these quesadillas look far better than what I’ve gotten at any restaurant, you are GOOD! Look at that crispy outside and cheeeesy inside… I’m dying.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you food sista!! I wish I could take credit for coming up with the idea… as soon as I saw Jo’s post, I was like “why didn’t I think of that?!” I just looooooove me some Mexican food and you know how I love things nice and crispy ๐
Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen says
I absolutely love Fajitas too!! I definitely need to add this to the menu Amanda! ๐ You blog has inspired me to make more mexican food at home… starting with those delicious taquitos! ๐ YUM!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Dini!! Ohhh I hope you love these, and the taquitos! ๐ ๐ It’s funny, my hubby sends me pins on pinterest of meals he wants me to make… he’s unknowingly sent me like 5 of your recipes in a row ๐
Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen says
oh wow!! I am so honoured! ๐ We’ve made your Taquitos twice and the chicken tenders with the sweet and spicy sauce twice too! (even sent the link to my sister too!) So so so good!!
The Chunky Chef says
Ahhhhh, I’m SO glad you guys liked those recipes!! And thank you for passing it on to your sister too ๐ We made your Coq Au Riesling and ohhhhh man… absolutely delicious!!