You guys. I didn’t know if anything could ever top my Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas, but we now have a very strong contender! These Ultimate BBQ Chicken Quesadillas are packed with tender chicken pieces, creamy cheddar, spicy jalapeños, black beans, cilantro, and red onion, and drenched in the tangy goodness of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce. They’re simply incredible.
Flexible Filling Ingredients
This recipe is quite flexible, too. If you’re not into black beans, just double the chicken. Not into chicken (or want a vegetarian version), double the black beans. Jalapeños too hot or does cilantro taste like soap to you? Either one of them can be skipped and you’ll still have a really rockin’ quesadilla. Want to try something fun? Add some crushed (and well drained) pineapple!
What Type of Chicken Should I Use?
Any pre-cooked chicken will work for these BBQ chicken quesadillas. If you’re in the habit of buying rotisserie chickens, just use one breast (from one side) and chop the meat into small cubes. Grilled chicken also works great and lends an even smokier flavor. Or, you could make a batch of my Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and use that. I used one boneless, skinless chicken breast that I cooked on my countertop grill, but you could also just cook it up quickly in a skillet if needed. Just aim for about 1.5 cups of cooked chicken.
You ready for this awesomeness??
Ultimate BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
Servings 5 2 quesadillas eachIngredients
- 1.5 cups chopped cooked chicken ($1.50)
- 1 15oz. can black beans, drained ($0.95)
- 1/4 red onion ($0.19)
- 1 jalapeño ($0.12)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro ($0.23)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar ($1.99)
- 1 tsp chili powder ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce ($0.53)
- 10 7-inch flour tortillas ($1.58)
Instructions
- Add the chopped chicken and drained black beans to a large bowl. Finely dice the red onion. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño, then finely dice. Pull the cilantro leaves from their stems and roughly chop. Add the onion, jalapeño, cilantro, shredded cheddar, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and BBQ sauce to the bowl with the chicken and beans. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Place about 1/3 cup of the BBQ chicken mixture on each tortilla and spread it evenly over one half of the surface. Fold the tortilla closed. Cook the filled and folded tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, until the outside is brown and crispy, the filling has heated through, and the cheese has melted. Cut each quesadilla in half and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Video
How to Make BBQ Chicken Quesadillas – Step by Step Photos
Begin by chopping about 1.5 cups of cooked chicken into small pieces. You can use grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, or even chicken that has simply been cooked in a skillet.
Finely dice 1/4 of a red onion. Remove the seeds from one jalapeño and also finely dice. Pull the leaves from the stems of about 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, and roughly chop them. Shred 2 cups of cheddar (if not already shredded).
Add the chopped chicken, one 15oz. can of black beans (drained), red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and cheddar to a large bowl.
Add 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, and 1/4 salt to the bowl.
Stir until everything is well combined and coated in BBQ sauce.
Place about 1/3 cup of the BBQ chicken filling on each 7-inch flour tortilla and spread it over one side. Fold the tortillas closed.
Cook the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until they are brown and crispy on the outside, heated through, and the cheese is melted.
Slice each Ultimate BBQ Chicken Quesadilla in half and serve!
Serious flavor bomb!!
This was amazing! I shredded the chicken and used Rudy’s Sissy sauce. Instead of making in the pan I baked in the oven at 375 for 10 minutes and froze the other quesadillas which I will bake at 375 for 15 minutes .. I will make bigger batches to freeze from here on out! Amazing!
2nd time making these – they are delicious!! How long do you think the “filling” will keep in the fridge?
Probably about 4 days or so, but it can depend on several factors, so that’s a very general estimate. :)
Honestly so so so easy and quick! AND yummy….seasoned well, had plenty for leftovers!
Just made this again for the 4th(?) time but this time with leftover turkey!! Definitely a good way to have thanksgiving leftovers! Didn’t have cilantro or jalepaneo but still yummy!
Left out the cilantro and onions just for preference—but loved this recipe! I second it tasted like restaurant quality. The only thing I found was it is easy to burn the quesadilla on the outside, so make sure to flip consistently. Overall great recipe!!
Amazing amazing i have no words allof my family members says its not a home food looks u order from restaurant thanx
This recipe is so amazing. The first time i made it it had too much onion aftertaste for me, also i dont like jalapeño or chili powder so i didnt add those and it was still very delicious. The 2nd time i made it i omitted onion, added some corn and mozarella cheese and less bbq sauce, it was perfect!!
Super easy, but flavourful! I liked that you can customize it for each person. I made two different version since my boyfriend is the pickiest eater. One with all the ingredients and another with just chicken, peppers and cheese.
I made these for dinner on the beach and everyone loved them. I prepped the filling earlier in the day. Then I lined baking sheets with foil and sprayed with canola oil. I loaded them and folded them and placed on the sheet. Then I sprayed the tops of the quesadillas with canola spray. I baked at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden. I cut them in half and pit them in a foil pan. I walked a block to the beach and voila. They held up well and were also great cold. It made more than 5 servings. I will definitely make this again for ladies night.
Do you know if this filling would freeze well?
I was thinking it might be nice to make a double batch and then portion and freeze half of it so it can be thawed and cooked another time. Can’t wait to try it!
It will probably freeze okay! The fresh cilantro and onion might wilt a bit, so you may get a little bit of water seepage.
Is it possible to make up the quesadilla filling and then keep it in the fridge in Tupperware to make the quesadillas fresh throughout the week?
Yep! That should work great.
Excellent meal for those nights you don’t want to fully commit to cooking a full dinner. Great if you have leftover chicken, however alternatively you can buy pre cooked chicken strips at your local supermarket. Served with some Pico de Gallo and sour cream, these were a hit.
You can’t just buy 1/4 of a cup of BBQ sauce. So they meal is more expensive than you think.
Nor do you buy an entire bottle of bbq sauce every time you need to use some. If I use something that is already in my fridge or pantry, I don’t consider that free, therefore I use the cost of only the amount of the ingredient used. I show the prices for example purposes only, so people can see how different ingredients can have different effects on the overall cost of a meal. The true cost will be different for everybody, depending on several factors.
Yeah when I clicked on this I was actually expecting the real price of a cheap dinner but when I go to buy this stuff for the recipe it’s going to cost a whole lot more then $7 bucks lol
Absolutely loved this! Followed the recipe to a T and my boyfriend said it was restaurant quality :) super easy and quick and definitely adds some variety to our dinner routine. I plugged this into a calorie counter and each serving is roughly 368 cals. Will 100% make again!
I have one fantastic recipe , same like this and more taste: https://www.sooperchef.pk/baked-chicken-quesadilla-recipe/
I have to say that I prefer Beth’s!
Holy millions of ingredients Batman! Yes, I prefer Beth’s too. It was BOMB!