Easy, cheesy, and craveable: that’s what these quesadillas are! It’s such a great way to use up leftover chicken or throw together for a quick anytime meal. And the best part is that they are in this crunchy, cheesy, crispy, golden-baked tortilla!
Crispy & Crunchy Baked Quesadillas
Summer is rearing its fiery head in Arizona, and the last thing I want to do is make heavy meals that, honestly, require a ton of effort.
This is where these sheet pan quesadillas are a lifesaver! These come together in mere minutes and are way better than the stovetop ones. You can make these in the oven or even in the toaster oven.
Baking them on a lightly oiled pan in the oven gives them the same ‘skillet’ richness, but you also get the crispiness from the oven’s dry heat. You get that creamy flavor of a jalapeno popper, the saltiness of crispy bacon, tender chicken, and gooey melted cheese all wrapped in a crispy, cheese-crusted tortilla.
Why You’ll Love This Baked Quesadilla Recipe
- Budget-friendly: This means no fancy or obscure ingredients
- 5 Simple Ingredients
- One Bowl and One Pan: not 487 dirty dishes
- Easy to Customize: Change up the cheeses, add bacon, or even add heat!
- Perfect any time: meal prep, game day, cookouts, or snack time
Watch How To Make Crunchy Quesadillas
In the video, I walk you through the steps to make these crispy, delicious bites! Y’all, these are so incredibly good that it was our lunch for three straight days in a row!
Cheese & Chicken Quesadilla Ingredients
Man, I so love recipes like this! They are perfect when you want to clean out the fridge or don’t want to fuss over making a huge meal.
Chef Lori’s #1 Tip for Sheet Quesadillas
- Cheese: Use freshly grated cheese. Do not use pre-shredded material because it contains an additive starch that affects its “meltability”.
- Cooked Chicken: sliced or shredded
- Cheese: cheddar and Colby Jack
- Flour Tortillas
EASY WAY TO SHRED COOKED CHICKEN
If you want to use shredded chicken instead of sliced chicken, do the following:
- To obtain smaller shredded pieces, you can use two forks or place the hot chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer to low and slowly increase the speed until the chicken is finely shredded.
How to Assemble Sheet Pan Quesadillas
- To one half of a flour tortilla, add 1-2 Tablespoons of the cheeses, followed by a few slices of the chicken, and add a tablespoon or two of cheese. Fold to close. Repeat this process until all four tortillas are prepared.
- Brush a rimmed half sheet pan with a bit of olive oil and place the folded tortillas on the pan. Brush the tops of each quesadilla with the remaining olive oil. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, carefully flip it over, add the remaining cheese, and return the pan to the oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and the quesadilla is crispy.
GBD: Golden Brown and Delicious Crispy Quesadillas
What you’ll love about these when you pull them out of the oven is how the cheese that gets onto the pan will crisp up frico-style, and that the quesadilla is crunchy!
Sheet Pan Quesadillas FAQs
- What type of tortillas can I use? You can use any type or size of flour tortillas, including gluten-free options. You can use corn tortillas, BUT I find the baked texture of them off-putting.
- Can I make these on the stovetop? Absolutely! Just follow the same steps, but use a cast-iron or heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat.
How to Reheat Baked Quesadillas
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a pan with cooking spray and reheat until warmed through.
What to Serve With Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas
- Dips: Sour cream, Guacamole, Salsa, or Baja Cream Sauce
Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe Customizations
- Meatless: Omit the chicken. They are still tasty this way!
- More Meat: Add crispy bacon
- Different Meat: Skip the chicken and add pulled pork, chopped brisket, ground meat, or even chopped seafood
- Veggies: Add black beans, charred corn, or caramelized onions
- Heat: Add diced green chiles or jalapenos
Here’s what I used:
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Easy Sheet Pan Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas Recipe
Easy, cheesy, and craveable: that’s what these quesadillas are! It’s such a great way to use up leftover chicken or throw together for a quick anytime meal. And the best part is that they are in this crunchy, cheesy, crispy, golden-baked tortilla!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: appetizers, easy recipe, finger foods, game night, munchies, snacks
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: appetizers, easy recipe, finger foods, game night, munchies, snacks
Ingredients
- 4 8” flour tortillas
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar, divided
- 1 cup freshly shredded Colby Jack, divided
- 4 ounces cooked chicken – sliced or shredded
- ~2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a bowl, mix the cheeses; set aside.
- To one half of a flour tortilla, add 1-2 Tablespoons of the cheeses, followed by a few slices of the chicken, and add a tablespoon or two of cheese. Fold to close. Repeat this process until all four tortillas are prepared.
- Brush a rimmed half sheet pan with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and place the folded tortillas on the pan. Brush the tops of each quesadilla with the remaining olive oil. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, carefully flip each quesadilla over, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for an additional 7-9 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the quesadilla is crispy.
- Immediately remove from the pan and plate, then enjoy. Store any leftovers in a covered dish in the fridge.
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