BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

If you’ve got leftover chicken laying around and you’re not sure what to do with it, try whipping up a batch of these BBQ Chicken Quesadillas! They make a great option when you need dinner in a hurry.

 

I am a firm believer that nearly anything leftover can be made into a quesadilla or nachos. Just find a complementing cheese and sauce and voila!

Leftover chicken (either grilled, baked chicken breasts or shredded chicken) is one of those versatile leftovers. You can incorporate it into so many dishes!

Why You’ll Love These BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

What’s not to love about an easy dinner made in one pan that has simple ingredients?

• Loved by kids and adults – Even picky eaters love these because of the simple ingredients.
• Secret ingredient – Even though I typically shy away from adding liquidy ingredients to the inside of a quesadilla, I do like adding pineapple to this one. It adds to the “sweet” factor of the BBQ, and gives some more texture.
• One pan meal – One of the reasons I love quesadillas so much is that they’re made in pan pan, so easy clean up after.

Ingredients

You only need five simple ingredients to make these easy bbq chicken quesadillas.

• Vegetable oil – This is what we use on the pan to make sure the tortillas don’t stick. Any neutral oil will work.
• BBQ Chicken – You can make a fresh batch using my recipe. In this case, I had BBQ Chicken leftover from my Instant BBQ Chicken recipe. You can use your own, or even get a store bought rotisserie chicken and shred it instead of having to make a whole batch. You can even get the pre-sauced kind at the store.
• Tortillas – I like to use the large tortillas. You can use any type you’d like. And if you have any leftover, check the section below for how to easily freeze them!
• Gouda cheese – A smoked gouda adds so much flavor to these quesadillas, but you use whichever cheese you prefer.
• Pineapple chunks – I love how well the sweetness of the bbq sauce ad pineapple pair together! But you could certainly leave it out if you’d like.

Variations

There are plenty of ways to make these bbq chicken quesadillas your own. Here are a few ideas.

• Meat – Chicken breast can be swapped for cooked ground beef, barbacoa, brisket , pulled pork, cooked bacon or sautéed mushrooms for a vegetarian option.
• Vegetables – If you want to add veggies, try adding red onions, garlic, jalapenos, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions or black olives. If you do use fresh veggies, make sure to sauté them.
• Cheese – I used gouda cheese, but cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack or cotija work as well.
• Spicy – If you like it spicy- add chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, super hot salsa, green chiles, black pepper or fresh jalapenos slices.

How to Make BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

You are going to love how easy it is to make your new favorite quesadillas.

1. Prepare skillet. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add tortilla, chicken, cheese and pineapple. Add one tortilla, top with half of the BBQ chicken, shredded gouda and chunked pineapple.
3. Top with another tortilla. Cook until golden brown and cheese starts to melt. Flip.
4. Flip and brown other side. Brown on the other side. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
5. Cut and enjoy. Cut into triangles and enjoy! check the section below for dipping sauce options.

Dipping Sauces

Now let’s talk about what to dip these babies in, because the dip is almost as important as the quesadilla! Being that these are BBQ Chicken Quesadillas, barbecue sauce is an obvious option.

• Cola BBQ Sauce
• Chipotle Honey BBQ Sauce
• Homemade BBQ Sauce
• Cran-Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Another option for dipping or topping is chipotle aioli. You can amp it up by adding extra chipotle chiles to make it even spicier. It’s perfect for dipping or even drizzling right on top of the quesadillas!

What to Serve with BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

It really depends how your chicken is seasoned. If your quesadilla has more of a traditional Mexican flavor, a good Restaurant Style Mexican Rice or even Mexican Refried Beans would be perfect.

However since I went with BBQ for these particular quesadillas, I like to serve it with coleslaw  or even a Grilled Corn Salad or something similar.

BBQ Chicken pairs well with coleslaw, but since slaw can be a little liquidy, it is better served on the side instead of in the actual quesadilla. Otherwise you risk having a soggy tortilla. Here are my favorite coleslaw recipes:

• Vinegar Coleslaw
• Red Cabbage Slaw
• Yogurt Pineapple Coleslaw

Storage and Freezing

How to Store Leftover BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Store any leftovers chicken quesadillas in the fridge and covered in an airtight container for up to three days.

Can I Freeze BBQ Chicken Quesadillas?

Yes you can. Simply wrap each quesadillas tightly in plastic wrap and then add to a freezer bag. You can freeze for up to two months.

And just a side note, tortillas freeze really well. So buy a package next time they are on sale and freeze them for all of your quesadilla needs. You can add them right to the skillet frozen, as they defrost super quick.

More Ways to Use Leftover Chicken

We always seem to have leftover chicken in our house. If you need a way to use up yours, here are a few ideas.