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Looking for a quick and easy dinner? Cheesy, tangy, and oh so satisfying, these BBQ chicken quesadillas hit all of the right notes and are perfect for a weekend lunch or a quick weeknight dinner. They are sure to please out-of-town guests or your little ones.Â
You can cook your own chicken breasts using the delicious marinade below, or just use pre-cooked grilled chicken breasts or leftover rotisserie chicken. It couldn't be any easier! You can also make these quesadillas as open-faced little pizzas, too! They taste so similar to California Pizza Kitchen's classic BBQ chicken pizza that, if you're a fan of their's, we're sure you'll enjoy our version as well.
We love serving them with extra barbecue sauce and a little sour cream. Salsa doesn't go too well with these quesadillas, so they are a bit untraditional. We promise the new and unique flavor is worth it, though!Â
Ingredients
- 2 whole chicken breasts or about 1 1/2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 flour tortillas (fajita-sized)
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican-style cheese (shredded)
- 1 small red onion (sliced thinly)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (your choice, plus more for serving)
- Garnish: cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (for serving)
Steps to Make It
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Split each chicken breast so that you have four halves. Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl. Â
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Whisk together the lime juice, seasoned salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pour it over the chicken. Cover the chicken and let marinade for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. Any longer will cause the lime juice to "cook" the chicken (i.e. ceviche) so don't let it marinade for too long!
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Heat up your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat so that you will get nice grill marks. Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Then slice into narrow strips.Â
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Toss the strips with the barbecue sauce in a medium-sized bowl.
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Heat up a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-low heat. Quesadillas can burn easily, so monitor the temperature closely. Place a tortilla on the pan, top with about 1/4 of the cheese, some of the red onion and about 1/4 of the chicken. Place another tortilla on top. Cover with a lid to help allow the cheese to melt.
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Flip the quesadilla and finish cooking for a minute or two on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the quesadillas. You can keep them warm in a 200 F oven while you are cooking the rest of the quesadillas.Â
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Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Garnish with cilantro leaves, more barbecue sauce, and sour cream. Enjoy!
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