Chicken Avocado Quesadilla (Printable)

Crispy tortilla filled with seasoned grilled chicken, creamy avocado, and melted cheese. A satisfying Mexican-American main dish.

# What You Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon cumin
05 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Avocado Mash

08 - 2 ripe avocados
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Assembly

12 - 4 large flour tortillas, 10-inch
13 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
14 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
15 - Cooking spray or olive oil for grilling

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
02 - In a bowl, toss chicken breasts with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
03 - Grill chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
04 - In a separate bowl, mash avocados with lime juice, cilantro, and salt until mostly smooth with some chunks remaining.
05 - Lay out tortillas. On half of each tortilla, spread a generous layer of avocado mash. Top with sliced chicken, red onion, and cheese. Fold tortillas in half to enclose the filling.
06 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray or olive oil. Cook quesadillas two at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cheese is melted.
07 - Remove from skillet, let cool slightly, then cut each quesadilla into wedges. Serve warm with desired accompaniments.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in under 20 minutes but tastes like you spent an hour planning.
  • The avocado mash stays creamy inside while the tortilla crisps up perfectly golden.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully in a skillet, which almost never happens with quesadillas.
02 -
  • Letting the chicken rest before slicing is non negotiable, cut it too soon and all the juices run out onto your cutting board.
  • Don't overfill the tortillas or they'll split when you flip them, less is more when it comes to structural integrity.
  • Medium heat is your friend when cooking the quesadillas, too hot and the outside burns before the cheese melts.
03 -
  • Press down gently on the quesadilla with your spatula while it cooks, this helps the cheese melt faster and the layers stick together.
  • Use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadillas into wedges, it's faster and cleaner than a knife.
  • If your avocados aren't quite ripe, microwave them for 10 seconds to soften just enough for mashing.
Return