Crispy Sheet Pan Quesadillas with Avocado Cilantro Sauce

Crispy, creamy, oven baked quesadillas are a game-changer in producing a delicious classic for a crowd! 

Quesadillas are one of my personal favorite comfort meals. Melted, gooey cheese and delicious stuffings all between two perfectly crisped tortillas, it honestly doesn’t get much better. But when it comes to making quesadillas for the masses, it can be a tedious process. Enter the sheet pan quesadilla! With this recipe, you can easily feed a crowd without having to stand over the hot stove flipping tortillas all evening – you get the same super crisp exterior and cheesy inside, but with a fraction of the effort. The chicken is mixed with a creamy, tangy avocado crema-like sauce, surrounded by cheese, and baked to perfection in the oven! 

Looking for more easy dinners? Try our Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Potatoes, Sheet Pan Sweet and Sour Chicken, and our Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas!

Oven Chicken Quesadilla Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds of shredded chicken
• 10 flour tortillas
• 4 cups of shredded cheese
• 1 avocado
• Juice of 3 limes
• ½ cup of cilantro
• ¼ cup of sour cream
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter

Ingredient Modifications

• Make it gluten free. This recipe works best with a flour-like tortilla. We recommend using this gluten free version to sub for regular tortillas. The tortilla needs to be pliable to be able to wrap around the filling, so if you use an almond or cassava-based tortilla, make sure to steam or heat them before wrapping. We don’t recommend corn tortillas for this reason because the tortillas tend to crack and the cheese melts out the sides. 
• Use a different filling. You can sub in any protein or sauce of choice to make this filling, the filling of your dreams! It would be super tasty with carnitas and green chili or ground beef and red sauce. 
• Make it vegetarian. Use a trio of cheeses, vegetables (like corn, bell peppers, onions), and black beans for the filling for a deliciously, crispy, veggie quesadilla.
• Make it BBQ. Toss your chicken in your favorite BBQ sauce to make a BBQ quesadilla.
• Make a cheesesteak. Add some steak strips, sauteed bell peppers and onions, and provolone for a Philly cheesesteak quesadilla. 
• Make a breakfast quesadilla. Add scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon for a breakfast version. 

How to Make a Quesadilla in the Oven

1. Preheat. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 
2. Make the sauce. To a blender, add the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
3. Coat the chicken. In a medium size bowl, toss the chicken in half of the avocado crema mixture. 
4. Prep the baking sheet. Brush the bottom of a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 
5. Line the tortillas. Place two tortillas in the center of the sheet, then drape two tortillas on each side, one on the bottom, and one on the top, overlapping them with the tortillas in the center of the baking sheet. 
6. Add fillings. Add a layer of cheese on top of the tortillas. Spread the chicken mixture on top, then add the remaining cheese on top of the chicken.
7. Build the quesadilla. Place two tortillas on top of the fillings (similar to the bottom of the pan) and start to fold the tortillas from the bottom over the top of the mixture until everything is enclosed inside.
8. Brush with oil. Brush the top of the tortillas with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until lightly coated, then place another baking sheet on top of the folded tortillas (the quesadilla will be sandwiched in between the baking sheets).
9. Bake. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until the top of the tortillas is browned.
10. Serve and enjoy! Let cool slightly, slice, serve alongside remaining avocado crema, and enjoy!

Add-Ins

The options for add-ins are truly endless. Here are some ideas:

• Add vegetables. Add your favorite sauteed vegetables to the mix. Bell pepper, onion, and corn would be really tasty.
• Add beans. Black, pinto, or refried beans would be perfect accompaniments.
• Add spice. If you like a little spice with your meal, add some sliced or pickled jalapenos. Or even better, blend a jalapeno in with your avocado crema sauce!

Topping Suggestions

We recommend saving half of the avocado crema to top your quesadilla. You also can’t go wrong with a traditional pico. Mango salsa gives a tropical twist that plays well with the flavors of the crema. 

How to Serve

This quesadilla is a hearty meal all on its own, but a black bean and corn salsa or chips and 7 layer dip would be super tasty alongside the chicken quesadilla if you want to add a little more to the meal. 

How to Store and Reheat

To store, allow your quesadilla to cool completely, then store in a container in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat, microwave or heat in a saute pan on the stove over medium heat until heated through. For the crispiest quesadilla, reheat in the oven at 350°F until the outside is crisp and the inside is heated through. 

Frequently Asked Questions