Fajita Quesadilla
This Fajita Quesadilla is packed full of flavor and easy to make. All you need are some simple ingredients like chicken, bell peppers, cheese, and tortillas along with seasoning. Fajitas are always a favorite, so why not put them in a quesadilla? Give this recipe a try today as a main meal or a quick lunch!
Fridays are our favorite day of the week. Not just because it means the weekend is upon us, but it also means Tex-Mex. Fiesta Friday is what we call it, and that’s the day when we break out all the necessities for a cheesy, spicy dish.
Sometimes that means homemade tamales, chorizo enchiladas, or fajita pasta (that’s Tex-Mex, right?). We love swapping those out with our fajita quesadillas.
A fajita is a classic Tex-Mex dish made with skirt steak or chicken that is seared and cooked with bell peppers and onions. Fajitas are delicious as is but put them in a quesadilla and you’ve got something really special.
To make a fajita quesadilla, start by cooking the chicken and bell peppers. We like to use Fajita seasoning or chicken seasoning for this, but you could use any type of spice blend or even just salt and pepper.
Once everything is cooked through, add it to a tortilla with cheese and fold it up. Grill in a pan until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream, restaurant style salsa, or guacamole, and enjoy!
How To Make a Fajita Quesadilla
- Cook and season the fajita vegetable mix: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the bell peppers and onions until they are softened and start to brown. Add half of the dry seasoning and stir for another few minutes before removing the fajita vegetables from the pan.
- Cook the chicken: In the same pan, add the chicken strips along with the remaining olive oil and fajita seasoning. Saute until the chicken is cooked through. This should take about 8 minutes. Add the vegetables back to the pan and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Assemble the tortillas: In a separate skillet, heat over medium heat. Spread butter on one of the tortillas on one side and place it face down into the heated skillet. Add shredded mozzarella cheese to half of the top then layer with 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken fajita mix followed by more cheese.
- Cook the quesadilla: Fold the other half of the tortilla on top of itself forming a half-circle shape. Let it cook for 2 minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional 2 minutes. Set on a cooling rack and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Slice and serve: Slice and serve fajita quesadillas with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and freshly chopped cilantro if desired.
Recipe Tips
- If desired, season the chicken with salt and pepper before it’s cooked to enhance its flavor.
- Don’t over butter the grill or the tortilla. A little butter is fine, but too much will result in a soggy tortilla that won’t crisp.
- Make sure all of the vegetables are roughly chopped all the same size. This will ensure even cooking.
- Cut the chicken strips into half-inch pieces so they won’t be too big or too small in the quesadilla.
Variations
- When it comes to what seasoning to put in fajita quesadillas, we really like a taco seasoning or fajita seasoning. However, any combination of similar spices or your favorite Tex-Mex style seasoning can be used.
- Try swapping out the chicken for ground beef or pork, black beans, and corn.
- Add some spice by using pepper jack cheese in place of the mozzarella.
- Change up the vegetables to include zucchini, eggplant, spinach, or any other favorites.
- Instead of cooking them in a skillet on the stovetop, fajita quesadillas can also be cooked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and cook for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Storing and Reheating
Storing: The chicken fajita mix can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Assemble in tortillas when you’re ready to serve. Freezing is not recommended.
Reheating: Preheat the oven to 350°F and cook for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Alternatively, you can microwave them on high in 30-second increments until the fajita quesadillas are warm throughout.
More Tex-Mex Inspired Recipes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, or red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 purple onion, sliced
- 1.12 ounces fajita seasoning, about 3 tablespoons (1 packet)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boneless, skinless; cut into thin 2-inch-long strips
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 5 to 6 large tortillas
- 3 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded off the block
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add the green pepper, yellow pepper and onion, and cook until they begin to soften and turn slightly brown in color.1 green bell pepper1 yellow bell pepper1 purple onion
- Stir in ½ of the fajita seasoning packet, and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the peppers from the pan then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, chicken and remaining ½ packet of fajita seasoning. Stir to combine, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Add the green pepper mixture back to the pan, and stir to combine. Remove the pan from heat, and set aside.
- Heat a separate non-stick skillet over medium heat, and in the meantime spread 1 tablespoon of the butter on one of the tortillas.6 tablespoons unsalted butter5 to 6 large tortillas
- Place the tortilla, butter side down into the pan then sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese on half of the tortilla. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the chicken green pepper mixture on top of the cheese then sprinkle 2-3 more tablespoons of the cheese on the chicken mixture.
- Fold the tortilla over and let it crisp up on the bottom for about 2 minutes then flip it over and cook the opposite side.
- Transfer the quesadilla to a cooling rack so it doesn’t get soggy, and repeat the cooking process with the remaining ingredients.
- Slice and serve with guacamole, sour cream, salsa and freshly chopped cilantro if desired.
- See post for storage options.