Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
These buffalo chicken quesadillas are the perfect blend of bold, spicy flavor and cheesy comfort food. Packed with tender sliced buffalo chicken, sautéed peppers and onions, and plenty of melty cheese, they are crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. It’s everything you want in a fast and delicious meal.
These quesadillas came about when I was making a quick lunch with leftovers from a mashup of leftovers (chicken fajita quesadillas x buffalo chicken cheesesteaks!), but turned out SO delicious that I kept making it…and figured you might love it too!
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
What You’ll Love About Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
- Gooey CHEESE and buffalo chicken…need I say more?
- Melty cheese and tender chicken
- Minimal prep time
- Ready in 30 minutes
- Made with simple ingredients
- Satisfying and delicious
Ingredients
- Onion – I recommend using a white onion, but you could also use a yellow onion or even a red onion if you prefer.
- Pepper – You can use any bell peppers you prefer. Red, yellow, or orange peppers will give a sweeter flavor while green peppers will give more of a fajita flavor.
- Oil – Use your favorite olive oil or vegetable oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Chicken – I prefer using chicken breast tenders as they are already cut a bit and it helps with prep time, but regular chicken breasts or sliced chicken breast will work. For a shredded buffalo chicken quesadilla, make a batch of crockpot buffalo chicken. And for a shortcut, you can use rotisserie chicken.
- Butter – Use high-quality butter for the best flavor.
- Buffalo sauce – Use your favorite buffalo sauce. If you don’t like heat, feel free to adjust the amount of buffalo sauce you use.
- Flour tortillas – Use high-quality flour tortillas for the best flavor. I recently started buying the uncooked tortillas that you need to pan-fry for a few minutes to cook and they are SO good. It does add an extra step, but worth it! Otherwise, use your favorite large flour tortillas or your favorite gluten-free tortillas to make this recipe gluten-free. Corn tortillas don’t fold over quite as nicely for quesadillas, but if you prefer them you could always just stack a whole corn tortilla, add chicken and cheese, and top with another tortilla.
- Mexican cheese – Use a shredded Mexican cheese like queso asadero or queso Oaxaca for best flavor (these two can be found in your local Mexican market or section of grocery store). You can also use shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, or mozzarella cheese.
- Fresh toppings – These are optional, but add great flavor and freshness to the quesadilla. Try creamy jalapeno quesadilla sauce, salsa, hot sauce, shredded lettuce, sour cream, sliced avocado, or guacamole.
Emily’s Tip to Feed This to the Whole Family
I would recommend letting older kids decide what components go into their quesadilla and younger kids serving components separate with a cheese quesadilla if they don’t like food mixed or if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t like quesadillas or tortillas.
How to Make a Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla
This is an overview, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
- Cook veggies. Thinly slice onion and peppers and cook over medium heat until softened.
- Cook chicken. Thinly slice chicken and cook in a separate skillet with butter, seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in buffalo wing sauce and cook another minute or two to thicken sauce if necessary.
- Assemble quesadillas. Add the tortilla to a large skillet and sprinkle cheese over half of the tortilla. Top with peppers and onions, cooked chicken, and another sprinkle of shredded cheese. Fold over the other side of the tortilla.
- Cook quesadillas. Cook on both sides until the tortilla is golden brown and the cheese is melty.
Storage
Store leftover quesadillas or buffalo chicken mixture in the refrigerator in a glass storage container for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat the quesadillas in a hot skillet until warmed through for best results. Microwaving will work but the tortillas might be a bit soggy.
Can you freeze buffalo chicken quesadillas?
Yes, you can also freeze the quesadillas. Store them in an airtight container (stasher bags work well) and freeze for 2-3 months.
What to Serve with Quesadillas
These quesadillas are a pretty satisfying meal and contain a lot of the components I look for in a meal from a nutrition standpoint – carbs/energy, protein, produce, flavor! A classic side or two will round out the meal, otherwise add a variety of fresh toppings with some tortilla chips and a dip or two.
- Elote (Mexican street corn)
- Refried black beans
- Guacamole and salsa
- Tortilla chips
- Fresh toppings – sliced lettuce, minced onion, diced avocado, pickled or fresh jalapenos, sliced tomato, extra buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, sour cream
More Easy Quesadilla Recipes
It’s no secret that we love quesadillas at our house! And what’s not to love, they are quick, easy, satisfying, and family-approved. Here are a few to try next time.
Want More?
Read more about my nutrition philosophy here and follow Emily on Instagram or TikTok for family dinner recipe videos and tips for feeding kids.
Buffalo Chicken Quesadilla Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: American
Description
These buffalo chicken quesadillas are crispy, cheesy, and loaded with layers of buffalo chicken, sautéed veggies, and plenty of cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 white onion
- 2 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 4 flour tortillas (burrito size)
- 12 oz. shredded Mexican cheese (I recommend queso asadero or queso Oaxaca)
- optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, diced avocado, creamy jalapeno quesadilla sauce
Instructions
- Thinly slice onion and bell peppers. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sliced onion and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook for 9-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice chicken tenders as thin as you can.
- Heat butter in another large nonstick skillet and add chicken to skillet. Season with salt and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Flip chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. Pour in buffalo sauce and cook another minute or two, until buffalo sauce has thickened.
- Assemble quesadillas. In large skillet over medium heat, layer 1/3 cup shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup buffalo chicken mixture, ⅓ cup peppers and onions, and 1/3 cup shredded cheese.
- Fold over top and cook for about 2-3 minutes, and when cheese starts to melt, carefully flip over with large flipper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining 3 quesadillas.
- Cut into wedges and serve with toppings.
Notes
- You can also use this crock pot shredded buffalo chicken instead of cooking it in the skillet.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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