15-Minute Easy Chicken Quesadilla Recipe (Cheesy!)

These easy chicken quesadillas are the best – cheesy, flavorful and a bit spicy! In case you’re wondering, the reason I said we only need 15 minutes to make them for dinner tonight is that we’re using rotisserie chicken for the quesadilla filling. That’s the magic trick! The quesadillas turn out so incredibly delicious and even have some vegetables inside, so you might actually label the recipe as healthy if you’re super generous about it.

Not a lot of clean-up is involved and you get to use up leftover chicken as well as some veggies. As you can tell, there are many many reasons these super simple cheesy chicken quesadillas are one of my go-to dinner recipes! They are perfect for a cozy weeknight when you don’t feel like cooking.

The Fastest Quesadilla Filling With Rotisserie Chicken (15-Min Prep)

Made with cream cheese, tomato paste, garlic, and shredded rotisserie chicken this easy quesadilla recipe is perfect for when you don’t have much left in your fridge. In fact, you can change up ingredients and actually clean out your fridge by making it.

Have some old vegetables? You can put them in there. The motto is: when in doubt, make quesadillas with it! It’s always GOOD and gets eaten by everyone at the table.

What’s in the filling for these quick chicken quesadillas:

• cooked chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken, but any kind should work)
• cream cheese and cheese
• tomato paste
• spices: cumin, coriander, crushed red pepper
• vegetables: jalapeno, arugula, basil or dill, garlic

Put it all together and everyone will be so happy…I mean, who wouldn’t be happy with cheese, chicken and garlic wrapped in bread?

How To Make The Best Easy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

You will actually enjoy the process of preparing these easy chicken quesadillas, as it’s pretty fail-proof. Here’s what you’ll be doing:

• Make the spicy sauce: Mix cream cheese, herbs, spices and tomato paste in a bowl

• Shred or chop the rotisserie chicken: if you don’t have shredded chicken, now’s the time to do it! You can use two forks as shown here it or just chop the chicken with a knife.
• Add the shredded rotisserie chicken to the spicy sauce, then the basil and jalapeno and mix. This will be the filling for our easy cheesy chicken quesadillas.
• Spread this filling over 1/2 of a flour tortilla, top with cheese and fold in half.

• Toast in a pan with olive oil until golden brown and then flip carefully to do it on the other side as well.
• Slice and enjoy immediately!

Tips

• Let’s address the chicken in the room – you’ll need some pre-cooked chicken – whatever leftover chicken you have: boiled, grilled or rotisserie. Shred it and use it here – that’s how you make the recipe in no time. You can also use another type of cooked meat if you don’t have chicken.
• Making a spicy, creamy sauce: I used tomato paste, cream cheese, garlic, herbs, and spices to make the creamiest, tastiest sauce that went perfectly in these chicken quesadillas.
• Fold the tortilla in half: I prefer to make 1/2 quesadillas as it helps with the flipping. Things almost never fall out and this makes the process of making quesadillas so much more enjoyable!
  

What To Serve With These Easy Chicken Quesadillas

You can definitely enjoy the quesadillas just the way they are, but if you want to have something on the side you can try:

• guacamole
• some salad with arugula, tomatoes and avocado (that’s what I did)
• this garlic sauce
• extra fresh herbs like basil or parsley will help lighten them up
• any other type of dipping sauce you like

15-Minute Easy Chicken Quesadillas (Cheesy!)

Yield: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

These easy chicken quesadillas are the best - cheesy, flavorful and a bit spicy! We only need 15 minutes to make them for dinner tonight since we're using rotisserie chicken for the quesadilla filling. That's the magic trick!

4.9 Stars (64 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded or chopped chicken (rotisserie or cooked)
• 2 Tbsp cream cheese
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 tsp cumin
• 1/3 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped arugula
• handful basil leaves or some chopped dill*
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 2 flour tortillas

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, garlic, tomato paste, cumin, coriander and crushed red pepper, a tsp of water until smooth.
2. Add the chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken, basil (or dill), chopped jalapeno and the arugula to the mix.
3. Spread 1/2 of the mixture on one half of a flour tortilla and top with cheese of your choice - mine was mozzarella. Repeat for the other tortilla.
4. Fold each tortilla in half and toast in a non-stick pan with olive oil until golden brown. Flip and toast on the other side as well.
5. Slice in 3-4 pieces and serve like this, or with guacamole.

Notes

*I tried this quesadilla one time with basil, the other time with dill and I can't decide - both are great, so use whichever herb you have.

Nutrition Information

Yield 2 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 462Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 92mgSodium 522mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 30g

You Might Also Like:

I hope you enjoy these delicious, easy chicken quesadillas, they’re one of my favorite recipes to make with leftover chicken. And if you’re looking for other quesadillas to make in no time, here are some options:

• Spicy Feta and Chicken Quesadilla
• 10-Minute Tuna Melt Quesadilla
• Easy Ground Beef Quesadilla

This recipe was originally published in October 2019 and updated wth new tips and images on August 4th 2022. Last updated October 2025.