Corn Tortilla Quesadilla with Chicken and Cheese

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This Corn Tortilla Quesadilla Recipe is filled with hearty chicken and ooey gooey cheese!   These are baked in the oven to save time for 15 minutes, so they are a quick-cooking family dinner!

If Chicken Enchiladas and Cheese Quesadillas had a baby, it would be this incredible Corn Tortilla Quesadilla Recipe!  To save time, they are all baked on a sheet pan in the oven for  crispy edges, a soft gooey center, and mouthwatering flavor.  I filled corn tortillas with hearty shredded chicken, flavored with warm and smoky Mexican spices.  Then layered in shredded Pepper Jack cheese and Cheddar that gets so melty and oozy and delicious. 

The result?  An irresistible new dinner or appetizer idea…maybe breakfast, a mid-morning snack, dessert 🙄…I’m just sayin’. 

Corn Tortilla Quesadillas are so Easy to Make!  

CORN TORTILLA QUESADILLAS ARE GLUTEN FREE AND DELICIOUS!

Quesadillas are typically made with flour tortillas.  However, if you want a gluten free option or just love that corn flavor that tacos or enchiladas give you, then Corn Tortilla Quesadillas are the way to go!  Corn definitely has health benefits, including fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins.  But, let’s be real here.  No one eats Quesadillas for the health benefits!  Not even if they are made with corn tortillas.

So, these guys are just darn good.  That’s why you should make them 🙂

If you’re like me, Mexican Food is a guilty pleasure and it’s hard to stop at just one dish.  So, if you now have a hankering for more, check out these recipes!  First, I give you easy Weeknight Black Bean Taco Bowls that give everyone the opportunity to build their own bowl with what they love, so it’s great for kids!  Next, my Huevos Tostadas and if you like Huevos Rancheros, this one’s for you.  Sticking with the corn tortilla theme, try my Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with pickled onions on top, my healthy Ground Chicken and Black Beans Taco Casserole, or a White Enchilada Casserole with Chicken & Veggies.

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

Easy Ingredients to Make Corn Tortilla Quesadillas

• Chicken Breast, skinless and boneless – I always have pre-cooked and frozen chicken on hand that I can easily thaw and use in recipes like this! For more tips on Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners.
• Seasoning: Salt, Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Garlic Powder (or use Taco seasoning)
• 5-6″ Corn Tortillas
• Shredded Cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Jack Cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil spray or oil to brush on

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for Corn Tortilla Quesadillas

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)

To start, determine what you want to fill your corn tortilla quesadilla with.  My kids really love Chicken and Cheese, so I went basic.  However, you can get creative or healthier by adding grilled zucchini, mushrooms, onions, peppers, steak, the list goes on!  In a pinch, I’ve been known to add frozen-then-cooked chicken fingers!

You can also use pre-cooked chicken from your store, whether that is rotisserie, grilled, or roasted.  Which leads me to my TIP…

TIP: buy already grilled chicken from the deli counter or a rotisserie chicken for super easy prep.  I love to get most of the ingredients for this recipe including the already grilled chicken breasts, from Hungryroot!  It’s a subscription box service that sends you prepped fresh and healthy food products every week.  The products range from fresh produce to healthy proteins like cooked or raw chicken, organic beef, and meat alternatives, such as Beyond Burger, and other vegetarian and vegan products. For a limited time, Hungryroot is running an amazing  promotion!  New customers get $50 off their first 2 orders ($25 off each order)!  Just click here to check it out!

If you’re roasting the chicken yourself, up to 5 days in advance, you can roast or grill your chicken!

Drizzle a little bit of Olive Oil on the chicken and rub it all around. Then sprinkle all sides of chicken with Salt & Pepper and roast in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes (Or Grill it for 5-6 minutes on each side) until temperature reaches 165 degrees in center. Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred it with 2 forks or with fingers. 

Add the shredded chicken to a bowl with the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and water. Mix to combine and coat the shredded chicken with the seasoning.

COOK YOUR CHICKEN CORN TORTILLA QUESADILLA RECIPE

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay out 8 tortillas on an oiled large sheet pan or split the tortillas 4 and 4 on two oiled sheet pans. Over each of the 8 tortillas, sprinkle a layer of the shredded cheese. You can use shredded cheddar, pepper jack cheese, monterey jack cheese, or other cheese that you would use in tacos or quesadillas.  Then add shredded chicken and sprinkle more shredded cheese. Then top with the second tortilla and spray or brush with olive oil.

Bake the quesadillas in the oven for 10 minutes, then take the pans out and flip the quesadillas over with a large spatula. Bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cut them into four triangles each, serve with your favorite accompaniments (guac, sour cream, tomatoes, etc), and enjoy!

Corn Tortilla Quesadilla Recipe FAQs

What other fillings could I use?

There are so many delicious options for filling these quesadillas.  From a meat perspective, and taco meat you would use, you can use here!  So, aside from shredded chicken, you could add chorizo, ground beef, shredded beef or pork, or even leftover Thanksgiving turkey!  If you want to add veggies, sauteed onions, green peppers, red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, or any other veggie that you can slice thin and then cook to soften.  To pre-cook the veggies, slice thin and then cook with a touch of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until glistening and slightly softened.

Are there other cheeses that would work?

Cheese options that melt the best in this recipe are shredded cheddar, monterey jack cheese, colbey, pepper jack cheese, or even mozzarella or Manchego.  

What can I serve with these?

On the side of these delicious quesadillas, you could make these delicious Refried Black Beans.  In fact, I make a ton of these, then portion them out and freeze them for dinners just like this!  Or how about Cilantro Lime Quinoa Side Dish.  For a veggie side, I love these Roasted Carrots with Cumin and Avocado Crema!

😍 Carrie

Check out the web story for these Corn Tortilla Chicken Quesadillas!

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