Make this Copycat Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla recipe right in the comfort of your own home. It is so easy to throw together and makes a perfect and easy weeknight dinner.
A guilty pleasure in our house is Taco Bell, and we always get at least one chicken quesadilla. The Taco Bell quesadilla sauce is absolutely amazing, and what makes them totally irresistible!
I have some great news for you, though. The Taco Bell Quesadilla is so easy to make at home. Let’s start by making the sauce!
Reader Review
Very good and fast. Thanks for the sauce it was a great.
Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
This simple sauce comes together with a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Quesadilla Sauce Ingredients
- Mayonnaise
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Sugar
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper
- Garlic Powder
How to Make Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce
- Mince some pickled jalapeños: I have a homemade pickled jalapeño recipe, but you certainly can buy some. You are going to use both the minced jalapeños and some of the pickling juice for this recipe.
- Whisk everything together: In a small bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients for the sauce.
How to Make a Taco Bell Quesadilla
- Heat the skillet: Put a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the sauce: Spread the Taco Bell Quesadilla Sauce over the tortilla shell.
- Cook the quesadilla: Spray the skillet with some cooking spray. Add the prepared tortilla shell to the skillet, then top it with cheese, chicken, and a little more cheese. Top it with another tortilla shell.
- Flip: Cook the quesadilla for 2 minutes on each side. I love to cook my quesadillas on low heat and covered.
Tips for the Perfect Chicken Quesadilla
- Buy good cheese. You will be a million times happier with this quesadilla if you shred your own cheese. It is tempting to save time by buying pre-shredded cheese, but cheese that you shred yourself from the block melts infinitely better.
- Cook your quesadilla in a skillet you can cover with a lid. You want to cook it over low heat and cover it between flipping it.
Pair With
We have some great recipes that will be perfect with this chicken quesadilla recipe.
- Blender Salsa: This only takes 10 minutes to make, and it is my littlest’s favorite.
- Guacamole: I’m obsessed with my mom’s simple and easy guac.
- Pico de Gallo: This is my go to for tacos and it’s perfect on the side here too.
- Spanish Rice: Our rice recipe makes a great easy side dish and the flavor is delightful.
If you make this amazing quesadilla recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla
Serves: 4 people
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Make this Copycat Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla recipe right in the comfort of your own home. It is so easy to throw together and makes a perfect and easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 6 10 inch flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
Quesadilla Sauce
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise see note
- 2 teaspoons minced pickled jalapeños
- 2 teaspoons pickled jalapeño juice
- 3/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place a large skillet that you can fit with a lid over very low heat.
- In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the sauce.
- Divide the sauce between three tortillas.
- Working with one tortilla at a time, spray the skillet with a very small amount of cooking spray. Place the tortilla (that has been prepared with the sauce) in the skillet. Add about 2/3 cup of a cheese, 1/3 a cup of chicken and a little more cheese. Top with a second tortilla shell.
- Let it cook for about two minutes or until the shell begins to turn golden brown. Cover while it is cooking. Flip it over, recover, and cook for another two minutes. Repeat with the other prepared tortillas.
- Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy.
Notes
I used light mayonnaise. It saves on the calories and doesn’t change the taste.
Calories: 417kcal (21%) Protein: 24.9g (50%) Fat: 25.5g (39%) Saturated Fat: 11.7g (73%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g Cholesterol: 82.5mg (28%) Sodium: 910.9mg (40%) Potassium: 15.6mg Fiber: 1.4g (6%) Sugar: 1.8g (2%) Vitamin A: 440IU (9%) Vitamin C: 0.9mg (1%) Calcium: 366mg (37%) Iron: 1.4mg (8%)
did you make this
Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla
I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!
you might also like . . .
San says
Dude my husband will freak. He makes late night runs there. ???? not kidding.
cakespy says
This looks and sounds amazing!!! I am a quesadilla fiend. I love the idea of a fast food style one but with better ingredients.
Krissy says
I just made these…literally!!! I’m in love…and so is my family!! Every last one of them had doubts, until they bit into one…..Wooow!! Since it wasn’t a date but family night, I had to triple up on the ingredients!! Now they all want seconds!!!????????????????????
I’m so happy to hear this Krissy!
Diana says
This sounds wonderful and works well with my 1000 cal/day diet,just do protein drinks for other meals.
I am 100% on board with diets that include quesadillas!
Renee says
How do you cook the chicken?
I just use cooked chicken – roasted, boiled, or store bought rotisserie works great.
Jessica says
Hi, Just wondering if this would work if I used a tomatillo jalapeno salsa in the mayo mixture?? I don’t have any canned jalapeno ???? thanks!!
So the only thing I would be considered about is the amount of liquid that would add. It would certainly be a different flavor, but you just wouldn’t want it to make the sauce too soupy.
Robin McCloskey says
I didn’t have pickled jalapenos, so I just used diced hot green chiles instead, and added a little extra cayenne. Deliciousness!!
I’m so glad you liked it Robin!
Kelsey says
Oh my godddd these are incredible! I loveeeee Taco Bell quesadillas and wanted to be able to make from home, so I went on a search and found this gem. The sauce is amazing and tastes even better than taco bells. Made a quadruple batch (single batch doesn’t make much at all) and put it in a jar in the fridge, will be good for multiple things. I didn’t have any cayenne so I put a few dashes of green cholula hot sauce in and gave it a really nice zing.
SO GOOD
So glad you liked it!
Justin says
I’ve tried numerous recipes to nail the creamy jalapeno sauce but could never nail it. This NAILED it. Awesome job. Great recipe!
So happy you liked it!
GEORGI KOOIKER says
My grand-daughter is the Taco Bell quesadilla expert. She is very picky. She didn’t want what I was making for dinner with chicken breasts so I said, “lets look up a cheater recipe for TB quesadillas”. WOW……I am now the greatest grandmother on the planet. She said these were not only great but better than Taco Bells!! This was a simple quick recipe to make. The sauce can be whipped up in a second. I pounded a chicken breast and cooked it in a little olive oil and butter, shredded it, and built the best quesadilla ever. At least that is what my grand-daughter said. Thank you for the recipe. I love to cook and I will be checking out more of your recipes.
Thank you so much for coming back to tell me!