Upgrade Your Snack Game With This Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
Some days, you might spend hours preparing an elaborate meal that uses unique ingredients and challenges your cooking abilities. But other days, nothing hits the spot quite like a simple toasty, melty, cheesy chicken quesadilla.
Before you run off to your nearest Mexican food joint to get your quesadilla fix, those calories can stack up pretty quickly with excess sodium, fat, and simple carbs. But that doesn’t mean you should just slap a couple Kraft Singles on a tortilla and call it a day, either.
Since we can always add a little extravagance to even the simplest of meals, here’s a hearty, 10-minute chicken quesadilla recipe that you can whip up at home. It packs 32 grams of protein in each serving while delivering soul-warming cheesy goodness in each bite.
Whether you’re looking for a full meal or just a quick snack, browse hundreds of simple, healthy recipes with Openfit’s One Minute Meal Plan! Try it here for free.
Chicken Quesadilla Ingredients
FOR YOGURT SPREAD:
- 2 Tbsp. reduced fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ½ medium lime (approx. 1 Tbsp.)
FOR QUESADILLA:
- 1 (8-inch) whole wheat tortilla
- 2 oz. cooked skinless chicken breast
- 1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp. pico de gallo
Because quesadillas rely on so few ingredients, it’s important that you select ones that are healthy, wholesome, and full of flavor. Instead of sour cream, we use a Greek yogurt spread mixed with cilantro and lime for that refreshing tang that we love with our chicken quesadillas. Cheddar is our cheese of choice for a deeper, more robust flavor profile than we’d get with some other cheeses, like American. Finally, we’re opting for a whole wheat tortilla, since whole grains are healthy complex carbs that provide fiber and other important micronutrients.
To keep things as easy as possible, you can use cooked chicken breast that you’ll find in any market. While you’re more than welcome to try your hand any of our 9 ways to cook chicken breast, store-bought cooked chicken breast still gets the job done here.
Once you’ve assembled the chicken quesadilla and cooked it up, top it off with some pico de gallo or your favorite salsa, making for a delicious snack that’s truly greater than the sum of its parts.
Easy Go-To Chicken Quesadilla
Enjoy this comfort classic that you can whip up in just 10 minutes!
Ingredients
FOR YOGURT SPREAD
- 2 Tbsp. reduced fat (2%) plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- ½ medium lime (approx. 1 Tbsp.)
FOR QUESADILLA
- 1 (8-inch) whole wheat tortilla
- 2 oz. cooked skinless chicken breast
- 1 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tbsp. pico de gallo
Instructions
-
Chop cilantro and juice lime.
-
To make spread, add yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice to a small bowl; stir well to combine. Spread yogurt mixture evenly on tortilla; set aside.
-
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
-
Add tortilla, yogurt side up; top with chicken and cheese. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes, or until tortilla is crispy on bottom. Fold in half; flip. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, or until tortilla is crispy on both sides and cheese is melted.
-
Top with pico de gallo. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- You can purchase cooked chicken breast, usually located in the deli or refrigerator section. For an even quicker and more cost-effective hack, buy low-sodium or no-salt-added canned cooked chicken breast in water.
- You can replace pico de gallo with your favorite salsa.
The Nutrition Facts box below provides estimated nutritional information for this recipe.
Photography by Anguel Dimov, AB Creative
