Baked Chicken Quesadilla in Oven

4.70 — Votes 55 votes

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

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: servings

Author: Melissa Guevara

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!

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 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.