This loaded chicken quesadilla recipe is a staple from my childhood. My mom made all the time for my brother and I when we were younger. Apparently, is an easy way for kids to eat delicious food that’s packed with some nutritious veggies.
It’s perfect for dinner or for lunch. You can even make and assemble the quesadillas the night before and pack it for lunch for school or work. (This was a go to for me when I was in school!)
Store the made filling in the fridge until you are ready to make the quesadillas. The stuffing can sit in the fridge for about a week before it starts to go bad. (it starts seeping water and gets weird).
Once you cook the chicken, please make sure it has cooled down thoroughly before you cut it. It will shred instead of cut into chunks if it is still warm.
Seasonings for Chicken Marinade 
Chicken 
Size of Diced Chicken
When you are dicing the vegetables (the onion, tomatoes, and bell pepper), make sure to chop them to be the same size. This ensures that every bite of quesadilla has an even bite of vegetables. Finely chop the Serrano pepper so nobody is blasted with a wave of spice as they eat. Also, make sure to squeeze every last bit of water out of the thawed spinach before you mix it into the filling otherwise you’ll get soggy quesadillas. You can even add some black beans to the filling if you desire!
Veggies 
Final Stuffing Mix
To make the quesadilla more manageable to cook and eat, I have always preferred to use “Fajita Size” tortillas, or 6 inch tortillas.
As you cook to quesadillas, make sure to get a nice toast on your tortillas so the quesadilla can hold its structure.
Enjoy the quesadillas with your favorite salsa or guacamole! (For those of you that know of the Maggi sauces that Indians eat, I love eating these quesadillas with the “Hot & Sweet” sauce!)
Loaded Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 14 Fajita Size Tortillas (6 inches)
Chicken & Marinade
- 10-12 Chicken Tenders 2 small trays or 1 large tray
- 4 Cloves Grated Garlic
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Cayenne
- ½ tsp Cumin
- 4 Sprigs Finely Chopped Cilantro
- 1½ Tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- Juice of Half a Lemon
Filling
- 1 Bell Pepper, finely chopped any color
- 1 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 Medium Serrano Pepper, seeded and very finely chopped use only half if the peppers are too spicy
- 10 ounces Frozen Thawed Spinach squeeze extra liquid out
- 6 Sprigs of Cilantro, finely chopped
- 2-3 Cups Shredded Mexican Cheese
Instructions
Chicken
- Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour but up to 24 hours. Cover and place in the fridge.
- Baked the chicken tenders in a 400° oven for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken after 10 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, dice the chicken into half inch pieces.
Filling
- Chop the bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, serrano pepper, and cilantro. Make sure to deseed the tomatoes and serrano pepper.
- Mix the above veggies, diced chicken, and spinach into a large bowl. (Make sure the liquid in the spinach has been thoroughly sqeeuzed out).
- Mix in the shredded Mexican cheese (2 cups is enough but it you like it cheesier then you can add up to 3)
Assembly
- Warm a tortilla on a flat pan on medium high until the tortilla is flexible.
- Spoon the stuffing onto one half of the tortilla and fold the tortilla over. (Refer to photos above).
- Flip the tortilla on both sides until the tortilla is toasted and the cheese is melted.
- Serve with your favorite salsa or guacamole!
Check Out Some of My Other Recipes!
Will the veggies be well cooked? Just by filling it and heating for short time?.
The veggies certainly won’t be raw, but they won’t be as cooked as grilled veggies would be. You can saute the onion and bell peppers before you mix the filling if you’d like, but the veggies add a nice crunch if you add them without cooking!