Crispy, creamy, oven baked quesadillas are a game-changer in producing a delicious classic for a crowd!
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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
- 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
So yummy!! That sauce was incredible and this was such a fun way to serve quesadillas to a crowd. My only struggle was getting the tortillas to lay down right, might switch brand next time. Thanks!
We are so happy you loved it, Noel! The tortillas can be a bit finicky… switching brands can definitely help; placing a similar sized baking sheet on top of your quesadillas during the first round of baking can, also, sometimes do the trick. Let us know if you make them again!! Thank you is much for taking thee time to share!
This was a hit at a potluck. People wanted the recipe.
Oh yay! That is amazing! We are so glad it was a hit! Thank you so much for sharing with us, Janee!
Such a great take on the regular old quesadilla! Love the ideas for personalizing it too! Glad I learned a new cooking method!
Oh yay! We are so happy you enjoyed it, Julie!
This was a tasty, easy weeknight meal! My young kids have been enjoying BRCs lately (bean, rice and cheese burritos) so on half of the tortillas I did just that – added only beans, rice, and cheese. They loved it! My husband and I ate the other half with chicken and really liked it too! My husband said it reminded him of his old fav – a crunch wrap supreme 😉 Will definitely make again!
YUM! Your kiddos know what’s up! That sounds delicious! We are so happy you and your family enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us, Stephanie!
The sauce was so delicious! The leftovers were good during the week for lunch. One problem I had was the top burned. I need to adjust the temp next time 🙂
Yay! We are so happy you loved it, Kristen! But ugh!… ovens are so finicky! We find that sometimes placing another baking pan directly on top of the quesadillas, during the first round of baking, can help distribute the heat a little more evenly. Please let us know if you try again and are able to have better success! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!
I first saw this video on Instagram and knew I had to try. Her recipes NEVER disappoint!!
That is so kind, Maggie! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us… it really means a lot!
This were a hit with the whole family and the kids loved folding over the tortillas!
We are so happy you and your family loved it, Ashley! That is awesome that that your kiddos were able to help! Thank you for taking a moment to share!
So delicious! I had never made quesadillas before but these were so easy and good. Baking in the oven also added to the ease of things! I loved the green sauce on them. It was super flavorful! These were a hit for our whole family, including our 1 year old who got excited about being able to hold and eat his own little piece of quesadilla!
What an honor for our recipe to be your first for making quesadillas!! We are so happy you and your whole family loved them! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us, Sarah!
This was a hit and it was so easy & quick to make!!! I love the versatility of the recipe, and am excited to make it again.
Oh yay, Mary! We are so happy you loved it! We’ve had so much fun being creative with fillings… really can’t go wrong! Thank you so much for taking the time to share!!
Ok this was sooo good!! I added bell peppers and onions and it was so easy to make and serve. Highly recommend for lunch meal prep to eat throughout the week!
Those are amazing adds, Holly! We are so glad you loved it — thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!
This turned out great! My kids loved it and it ended up being easier than making individual quesadillas on the stove. The avocado crema is delicious – next time I’m making extra!
Yay!! We’re so glad it was a hit with your kiddos, Emily! And right?!?!…that avocado crema is worthy of sipping up with a straw!
Wow! This sheet pan quesadilla proved to be the perfect weeknight meal. It was quick and easy to prep with chicken cooked in the instant pot. This is a fun and fast spin on our “Taco Tuesdays.”
Yay, Amy! We’re so happy you loved it! It really is such a fun way to change it up! Thank you for taking time to share!
This is one of my favorite go to recipes. It is super simple to make and tastes delicious!
We are so happy you love it, Stephanie!
Delicious! Served with salsa and the cream sauce was amazing.
Aw yay! We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Liberty!!
This was really tasty! I made it for some friends coming over for game night and it met with general approval – in fact, we all ate more than we intended because it was so good! Another plus was that it was a nice clean meal we could eat around the gaming table. Definitely a hit that I will make again.
Amazing!! We’re so glad it was a hit, Joy! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this with us!