Y’all know how I love a good quesadilla, right? My unofficial motto is, “everything is better in a tortilla with cheese.” I have several awesome quesadilla recipes on the website already, but I wanted to make one that was seriously simple and easy enough for quick weeknight meals. These Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas hit the spot with a super short ingredient list and a seriously delicious and creamy flavor.
If you want a vegetarian version of this recipe, go to the post for my Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadillas!
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How to Serve Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas
Because the filling in these quesadillas is so rich and creamy, I highly suggest serving this with salsa, instead of sour cream and guacamole, like you’d normally see in a restaurant. The acid in salsa is absolutely perfect for balancing and brightening up the creamy quesadillas. In the photo above I served it with a Chipotle Pepper Salsa (the red one) and a Tomatillo Poblano Salsa (the green one). Both are from Kroger’s Private Selection label.
How Many Does This Serve?
Quesadillas are a little unique because you can either eat them as a side dish, or a meal on their own. I’m sure the preferred serving size will vary quite a bit from person to person (I ate one, my boyfriend at three), so I’m just pricing them out per quesadilla. You can decide your own serving size. ;)
Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas
Servings 4 quesadillasIngredients
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) ($2.97)
- 3/4 tsp chili powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 cups fresh spinach ($0.87)
- 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded ($1.00)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.35)
- 4 8-inch flour tortillas ($0.96)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or mallet to briefly pound the chicken breast to an even thickness (this should only take 15-20 seconds). This will help it cook quickly and evenly without drying out.
- Combine the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture over both sides of the chicken breast.
- Heat the cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast and cook on each side until cooked through (about 5 minutes each side, use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165ºF). Allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes on a clean cutting board, then chop into tiny pieces.
- While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Add the chopped chicken, spinach, cheese, and sour cream in a bowl and stir until evenly combined.
- Divide the filling between four tortillas, then fold the tortillas closed. Place the quesadillas (one or two at a time) in a skillet* over medium heat. Cook on each side until the tortillas are brown and crispy, and the filling is melted (3-5 minutes each side). Slice each quesadilla in half and serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Quesadillas are life. <— I need a t-shirt that says that.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Quesadillas – Step by Step Photos
Cover a boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) with a piece of plastic wrap and pound it to an even thickness using a rolling pin or mallet. This helps the chicken cook quickly and evenly in the skillet, preventing it from drying out before the thick end cooks through.
In a small bowl, combine 3/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken breast.
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken and cook on both sides until cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). I highly suggest getting a simple instant read meat thermometer (affiliate link) to take the guess work out of this. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board, let it rest for five minutes, then chop it into small pieces. Small is critical here. Once you think that it’s in small pieces, chop it up a little more. ;)
While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop about 2 cups of fresh spinach.
Add the chopped chicken, spinach, 4oz. shredded Monterey Jack (1/2 of an 8 oz. block), and 1/2 cup sour cream to a bowl. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
Divide the filling mixture between four 8″ flour tortillas (I spread it over half) and then fold them closed.
Cook the quesadillas one or two at a time in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the the tortillas are brown and crispy and the filling is hot and melted (3-5 minutes each side). I prefer to not use oil in the skillet (it doesn’t stick), but you can if you prefer a more fried texture to the tortillas.
After cooking in the skillet, transfer them to a cutting board and slice in half, then serve.
I definitely like to serve these Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas with salsa to balance the creamy filling. It’s absolute perfection. 👌
Hi Beth! I meal prep all my lunches and dinners . Do you think the filling would hold up in the fridge throughout the week if I made it ahead? Thanks. By the way, I have made probably 20 of your recipes so far and loved them all! Currently eating Cold Noodle Salad with Peanut Lime Dressing :)
I kept my filling for a few days and made a quesadilla later with it and it was still pretty good. Not *quite* as good as day one, but still good. But definitely don’t pre-fill the quesadillas because the tortilla will get soggy.
These were sooo good. I made a triple batch od the meat and froze two for future use! Your recipes are always gold.
These were fantastic, and quite easy to make. The spice rub on the chicken added all the flavour needed.
Made these. They were great. Whole fam enjoyed tgem. Did the chicken in the crockpot with a little cajun seasoning.
Thank you for the recipe.
Just made this yesterday and it was great. I sprinkled an extra helping of cheese in to the quesadilla after filling in the mixture cause I’m a cheese junkie. Served it with some homemade guac.
Awesome Recipe!! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe with us.
Amazing recipe!! Thank you so much for sharing with us! It was so easy to put together and I made Spanish rice as a side. Definitely going to be making it again! ❤️
This is a new family favorite! I actually preferred the tortillas without frying them in oil or butter… thank you for sharing!
I can’t get Monterey jack cheese in Germany – or any cheese in this family. Is there a substitute you would recommend?
A white cheddar would be similar. :)
This was very good, DH says to try it with fish next time. I’m thinking tilapia or cod.
Soooo good!! Easy and delicious!
That looks great. Quesadillas are some of the quickest and most inexpensive meals to make. I like how you get some color on your quesadilla. I also like that crunch.
Looks great! What are the brands of salsa that you used in the picture?
It’s from Kroger, their Private Selection brand. I have a link to it up in the post in the paragraph titled “how to serve creamy chicken and spinach quesadillas” :)
I made this with cheddar-jack and Bolthouse ranch dressing (which is made with yogurt) instead of sour cream because I don’t like sour cream, and I thought it was good! Too much ranch dressing, so I’d probably do about 1/3c next time instead of 1/2c. With the ranch, it’d probably be delicious adding bacon to it. The chicken seasoning was great! I had some left over after making 4 quesadillas, but not enough to make a 5th, so I just ate it out of the bowl, and it was like a delicious over-dressed salad. Thanks!!
This looks awesome, Beth! Out of curiosity – what would be your advice if I wanted to make this using frozen spinach?
I would thaw the spinach and make sure to squeeze out as much of the water as possible so your quesadillas don’t get soggy. The frozen/squeezed spinach will have less volume than the fresh spinach though, so that might change how many quesadillas you’re able to make.
Good to know. Thank you for the advice!! I’m excited to try it :)
Everyone is right. It’s delicious.
These are delicious, my housemates ask me to make them all the time. I hold the cheese from the mix and add it on top if the wrap, that way it doesn’t get lost in the mix and you get a nice melty layer of cheese.
To clarify I meant in the wrap first before everything else