Quesadillas Recipe: How to Make Them at Home

A quesadilla is a Mexican dish made from a tortilla folded in half, or two tortillas, filled with cheese and sometimes meat or vegetables, then cooked on a griddle. The name is a Spanish diminutive of quesada and is often glossed as "little cheesy thing."

To make a quesadilla at home, lay cheese and filling on half a tortilla, fold it, and cook it in a dry or lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Flip once, after 2 to 3 minutes, when the underside is golden. It is ready when the cheese has melted, in about 6 minutes.

This recipe covers how to make a chicken quesadilla, the traditional quesadilla mexicana with corn tortillas, the best cheeses, fillings, storage and what to serve with it. Start with good tortillas: soft flour tortillas you roll yourself make the best chicken quesadillas.

What Is a Quesadilla?

A quesadilla is a filled, folded tortilla heated until the cheese inside melts. It has its origins in colonial Mexico and has changed and evolved over the years.

In central and southern Mexico, a warmed tortilla is filled, usually with cheese, folded and heated until the cheese melts. Fillings include cooked meats, potatoes with chorizo, squash blossoms and huitlacoche. In northern Mexico, cooks use wheat flour tortillas, often filled with Chihuahua cheese or queso menonita.

In the United States, the quesadilla is a regional favorite in the Southwest. It resembles a grilled cheese, is usually made with Monterey Jack or cheddar, and is often served with guacamole or sour cream.

Quesadilla Mexicana: The Traditional Style

A quesadilla mexicana, in the traditional sense, is a single corn tortilla folded over its filling and cooked on a comal, a flat griddle. The cheese of choice is often Oaxaca cheese, a stringy Mexican cheese made by the stretched-curd (pasta filata) method.

One surprise: in Mexico City, quesadillas are not assumed to come with cheese unless you ask for it. Elsewhere in Mexico, cheese is part of the definition. Quesadillas fritas, another style, are folded quesadillas fried until crisp.

Quesadilla vs Sincronizada

People often mix up the two, especially outside Mexico.

• Quesadilla (central Mexico): Corn, single (filling: Cheese plus optional fillings; shape: Folded half-moon)
• Quesadilla (northern Mexico and US): Flour (filling: Cheese, chicken, steak, vegetables; shape: Folded or stacked)
• Sincronizada: Flour, two (filling: Ham and cheese; shape: Stacked, like a sandwich)
• Oaxacan empanada: Large corn (filling: Cheese and fillings; shape: Folded)

A sincronizada is ham and cheese between two flour tortillas. It is not considered a quesadilla in Mexico, though restaurants outside Mexico often label it one. In Oaxaca, large cheese-filled corn tortillas are called empanadas, though elsewhere they would be quesadillas.

Best Cheese for Quesadillas

The best quesadilla cheese melts smoothly and stretches without turning greasy.

• Oaxaca: Stringy, stretchy (flavor: Mild, milky; best use: Traditional corn quesadillas)
• Asadero: Smooth, creamy (flavor: Mild, buttery; best use: Chicken quesadillas)
• Chihuahua: Smooth (flavor: Mild, slightly tangy; best use: Northern-style flour quesadillas)
• Monterey Jack: Very smooth (flavor: Mild; best use: Any quesadilla, easy to find)
• Cheddar: Good, can oil out (flavor: Sharp; best use: Mix half and half with Jack)
• Queso fresco: Softens, does not melt (flavor: Salty, fresh; best use: Sprinkle on top, not inside alone)

Shred cheese from a block for the smoothest melt.

Chicken Quesadilla Ingredients

This recipe makes 4 large quesadillas, enough for 4 people.

• 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (about 10 ounces)
• 2 1/2 cups shredded asadero or Monterey Jack cheese (about 10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup pico de gallo, drained
• 1 small poblano or 1/2 green bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 1/2 small onion, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon butter or oil, plus more for the pan

To serve: tomatillo avocado salsa or salsa verde, sour cream or crema, guacamole, lime wedges.

Equipment

• Large nonstick or cast-iron skillet, or a griddle
• Wide spatula
• Mixing bowl
• Cutting board and sharp knife or pizza cutter
• Sheet pan and wire rack (to keep finished quesadillas crisp)

How to Make a Chicken Quesadilla

1. Season the chicken. Toss the shredded chicken with cumin, chile powder, garlic powder, salt and lime juice.
2. Cook the vegetables. If using them, sauté the poblano and onion in 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the chicken and warm it through. Let it cool for 5 minutes.
3. Heat the pan. Wipe the skillet clean and set it over medium heat. Add a thin film of butter or oil.
4. Build the first layer. Lay a tortilla in the pan. Scatter 1/3 cup cheese over one half.
5. Add the filling. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons pico de gallo over the cheese. Top with another 1/3 cup cheese.
6. Fold. Fold the empty half over the filling and press gently with the spatula.
7. Cook. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown underneath.
8. Flip. Flip carefully and cook 2 to 3 minutes more, until the second side is golden and the cheese has melted.
9. Rest and cut. Rest 1 minute on a rack so the cheese sets. Cut into 3 wedges and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Keep finished quesadillas on a rack in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest.

How to Make a Quesadilla Mexicana with Corn Tortillas

This is the simple, traditional version. It makes 6 small quesadillas.

1. Warm the comal. Heat a dry comal, griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
2. Soften the tortilla. Warm a 6-inch corn tortilla for 20 to 30 seconds per side, until pliable. A cold corn tortilla cracks when folded.
3. Add the cheese. Lay about 1/4 cup pulled Oaxaca cheese over half the tortilla.
4. Add a filling. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling, such as sautéed squash blossoms, mushrooms or potato with chorizo.
5. Fold and cook. Fold, press and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the tortilla has toasted spots and the cheese stretches.
6. Serve. Open one edge, spoon in salsa and eat by hand.

Fresh corn masa tortillas, pressed and cooked to order, are the gold standard. Store-bought corn tortillas work if you warm them well first. For more on choosing between the two, read how corn and flour tortillas differ.

Quesadilla Filling Ideas

• Squash blossoms (flor de calabaza). Sauté with onion and a little chile.
• Huitlacoche. Sautéed with garlic, onion and epazote.
• Potato and chorizo. Diced cooked potato fried with crumbled chorizo.
• Mushrooms. Sautéed with garlic, onion and a pinch of chile.
• Chicken tinga. The tomato-chipotle chicken from this shredded chicken tinga recipe makes a smoky filling.
• Steak. Thin slices of grilled steak with roasted poblano.
• Beans and cheese. Refried beans and Jack cheese, a cheap and kid-friendly option.
• Grilled corn. Kernels cut from a leftover ear of Mexican street corn, with cotija on top.

Keep fillings to a thin layer. Too much filling makes a quesadilla hard to flip and keeps the cheese from melting.

Tips for the Best Quesadillas

• Use medium heat. High heat burns the tortilla before the cheese melts.
• Cheese on both sides of the filling. Cheese is the glue. A layer above and below holds everything together.
• Dry the wet ingredients. Drain pico de gallo and salsa before adding them, or the tortilla turns soggy.
• Use cooled, cooked filling. Hot, steaming filling softens the tortilla from the inside.
• Butter for flavor, oil for crunch. Butter browns faster and tastes richer. Oil gives a crisper shell.
• Press, do not smash. A gentle press helps the cheese meet the filling.
• Rest before cutting. One minute keeps the cheese from running out.

Other Ways to Cook Quesadillas

Sheet-Pan Quesadillas in the Oven

For a crowd, use the oven. Heat it to 425°F and brush a sheet pan with oil.

Lay 4 to 6 filled, folded quesadillas on the pan. Brush the tops with oil. Bake 6 minutes, flip, then bake 4 to 6 minutes more, until golden and melted.

Quesadillas Fritas

Fried quesadillas are a crisp Mexican street style. Fill a raw corn masa round or a corn tortilla, fold and pinch the edge, then shallow-fry in 1/2 inch of oil until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve with salsa and crema.

High-Altitude Notes for Mountain Kitchens

Breckenridge sits at about 9,600 feet. Skillet quesadillas cook about the same at any elevation, because the pan's heat does not depend on a boiling point.

Altitude matters most for the filling. If you poach chicken for the quesadillas, expect it to take longer, since water boils at about 193°F at 10,000 feet. Meats cooked by simmering may need about one-fourth more time at 5,000 feet than at sea level, and more as you climb.

Dry mountain air pulls moisture from food faster. Keep tortillas wrapped until you use them so they do not dry out and crack.

For quesadillas fritas, lower the oil temperature about 3°F for every 1,000 feet of elevation.

Food Safety for Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken and all poultry must reach 165°F. If you cook raw chicken for the filling, check it with a thermometer in the thickest part before shredding.

A quick quesadilla may not heat a cold filling all the way through. Warm leftover or rotisserie chicken to 165°F first, then cool it briefly before building the quesadilla.

Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Make ahead. Cook and season the filling up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it. Shred the cheese ahead too.

Storage. Refrigerate leftover quesadillas within 2 hours of cooking. Use them within 3 to 4 days.

Reheating. Reheat in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, or in a 375°F oven for about 8 minutes. Leftovers should reach 165°F. The microwave works but softens the tortilla.

Freezing. Freeze cooled, uncut quesadillas with parchment between them. Use within 3 to 4 months. Reheat from frozen in a 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

What to Serve with Quesadillas

• Salsa. A tangy green tomatillo salsa cuts through the cheese.
• Guacamole. Serve a bowl of fresh lime and avocado guacamole for dipping.
• Pico de gallo. It is a fresh, chunky relish, different from a blended salsa. See how pico de gallo compares with salsa.
• Rice and beans. Turn a quesadilla into a full plate with Mexican rice and black beans.
• A burrito night. Quesadillas share most of their fillings with a rolled flour-tortilla burrito, so cook both from one batch of chicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Mexican quesadillas have cheese?

Usually, yes. In most of Mexico, cheese is part of what makes a quesadilla. In Mexico City, though, quesadillas are not assumed to include cheese unless you ask for it.

What does quesadilla mean?

Quesadilla is a Spanish diminutive of quesada. It is often glossed as "little cheesy thing."

Should I use corn or flour tortillas?

Both are correct. Corn tortillas are traditional in central and southern Mexico, and flour tortillas are standard in northern Mexico and the US. Flour tortillas are larger and easier for chicken quesadillas.

How do you keep quesadillas from getting soggy?

Drain wet fillings, use cooled filling, and cook over medium heat with a thin film of fat. Rest finished quesadillas on a wire rack, not a plate, so steam can escape.

Can you make quesadillas ahead for a party?

Yes. Build them, cook them on a sheet pan in a 425°F oven, and hold them on a rack in a 200°F oven. Serve within about 30 minutes for the best texture.

The Chicken Quesadilla at Mi Casa in Breckenridge

At Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Breckenridge, our chicken quesadilla is filled with shredded chicken and asadero jack cheese. It is served with pico de gallo and tomatillo avocado salsa. You will find it under Platos Tradicionales on our Mi Casa dinner menu.

Bringing kids? Our kids menu with cheese quesadillas serves a grilled flour tortilla with cheese, rice and black beans. Short on time after skiing? Order Mi Casa takeout and pick it up near the Peak 9 base.