Crispy, creamy, oven baked quesadillas are a game-changer in producing a delicious classic for a crowd!
Table of Contents
This recipe is…
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, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, and oven baked chicken and cheese quesadillas!
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
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Make the sauce. To a blender, add the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Coat the chicken. In a medium size bowl, toss the chicken in half of the avocado crema mixture.
- Prep the baking sheet. Brush the bottom of a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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
Any standard cookie sheet (16” x 14”) or sheet pan (18” x 13”) will work for this recipe, you’ll just need two of them!
These quesadillas are cooked at 425℉.
This recipe bakes for 25-30 minutes until the outer exterior of the tortillas is nice and crisped.
The secret to crispy quesadillas is brushing the sheet pan and the top of the tortillas with oil, then using a second sheet pan to sandwich the quesadilla in the middle. This ensures the quesadilla stays together and gets crispy on all sides.
We love a simple Mexican blend of cheeses for our quesadillas, but really any shredded cheese of your preference will work!
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
Baked Chicken Quesadilla in Oven
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken shredded
- 10 flour tortillas (gluten free or regular)
- 4 cups Mexican-blend cheese shredded
- 1 large avocado (or 2 medium)
- 3 limes juiced
- ½ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or melted butter)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉.
- To a blender, add the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- In a medium size bowl, toss the chicken in half of the avocado crema mixture.
- Brush the bottom of a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 top of the mixture until everything is enclosed inside.
- 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).
- 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.
- Let cool slightly, slice, serve alongside remaining avocado crema, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- 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 spicy. Add a jalapeño to the avocado crema mixture to make a spicy filling/dipping 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.
Nutrition
I made these incredible quesadillas for lunch today and don’t tell anybody, but I think I’m going to make them again for dinner because I’m still full and already dreaming about having them again! The avocado and cilantro are EVERYTHING in this dish and are 95% of the reason this is my new go-to quesadilla.
Wahoooo! We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Leslie!
These were amazing- and so easy to bake! The avocado crema is key- it adds so much flavor. We used Siete Brand Tortilla’s and they worked well! I will definitely make again!
Agreed! That sauce is a game changer!! We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Calli!
This is great, and you can change the filling to pretty much what ever.
We’re so glad you like this recipe, Jessie! Yes, experimenting with the filling is a great idea!
Interesting that none of the substitutions offer an alternative to cilantro. Cilantro tastes nasty to me, so I’d be curious to know how you would adjust for that.
That is a great question, Lynn! Cilantro definitely has a place on the “love it or hate it list”. I recommend just completely omitting it and upping the ante on the lime juice! Cilantro is a bit citrusy, so besides missing the general flavor of the herb, increasing the lime should replace it just fine! Hope you enjoy!
So super easy and delicious. The whole family loved it.
Amazing, Kayla! We’re so glad everyone loved this recipe!!
Just made these tonight and my man LOVED them! I did too and also loved how easy they were to make. Will be adding these to a regular rotation!! That avocado crema was *chef’s kiss*.
Wahooo! We’re so glad you both loved them, Amanda!
Awesome recipe that will be added to the regular rotation. I can’t wait to try the different variations. I made it with both flour and almond tortillas and both worked great, but the flour ones hold their shape better. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Nicole! We’re so glad you loved this recipe!
One in our family is allergic to avocado so I skip that, but I love making this. It tastes great every time and I never have leftovers to put away lol. I throw chicken in the instant pot so it’s super quick to put together.
We are so glad this recipe is such a hit every time for your family! We love the ease of the Instant Pot, such a smart time-saving hack! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We really appreciate it. -Team FF
Omg these were insane. I didn’t have quite enough shredded chicken so I added black beans and they were incredible. Definitely don’t skip the sauce, it’s delicious! I also love that the possibilities/variations on the filling options are endless. I’ll be making this recipe again and again!
We are so glad this quesadilla was a hit, Jessie! Black beans are such a smart addition! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. It means so much! -Team FF
Can’t wait to make this! Are the tortillas 6 or 8 inch size?
Hi Marisa! We used 8″ tortillas. Although, any size will really work, you just have to layer more if they are smaller and less if they are larger. Hope you enjoy! -Team FF
My husband agrees w your husband – best thing I have cooked all summer! Mission GF worked like a champ – my crew is ready to have it again
We love to hear that, Jill! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. It means so much! -Team FF
This was one of the easiest most delicious things I have ever made. Instead of the avocado crema I used chicken cooked in salsa so it was super quick. Will definitely be making this again.
My husband agrees w your husband – best thing I have cooked all summer! Mission GF worked like a champ – my crew is ready to have it again
I can’t wait to make this! Question about the top baking sheet. Do you place it bottow-side down so that its sitting right on the quesadilla? Thanks!
Yes! Bottom-side down so it is in direct contact with the quesadilla. This helps the top crisp and keep everything together. Enjoy! -Team FF
This was so good! Big hit with the family. I made it just as the recipe said but I look forward to trying the quesadilla different ways. This is going to be a great football season recipe.
What are y’all’s recommendations for pliable GF tortillas? My fave Siete Cassava tortillas are not gonna do the job. Thanks!!
We used Mission GF tortillas. Enjoy! -Team FF
Hi, I’m so excited to try this. You write: preheat oven to 425 but you also say in the FAQ that they bake at 400. Can you clarify please. Thanks!
Thank you for bringing that to our attention! The correct temp is 425, we’ve updated the article. Enjoy! -Team FF