Chicken and Spinach Quesadilla (Printer-friendly)

Golden, crispy quesadilla with juicy chicken, tender spinach, and gooey mozzarella—ready in 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Filling

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
02 - 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
03 - 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 1 clove garlic, minced
07 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
08 - 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
09 - 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika

→ Assembly

10 - 4 large flour tortillas, 10-inch diameter
11 - 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil for grilling

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, sautéing for 2 minutes until fragrant and softened.
02 - Add fresh spinach to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until completely wilted. Stir in shredded chicken, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Combine thoroughly and heat through for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
03 - Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels. Place a flour tortilla on a flat work surface. Distribute one-quarter of the cheese evenly across half of the tortilla, then top with one-quarter of the chicken-spinach mixture. Fold the tortilla in half to enclose the filling. Repeat this process with the remaining three tortillas and filling portions.
04 - Heat 0.5 tablespoon butter or olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, grill each folded quesadilla for 2-3 minutes per side until the exterior achieves a golden-brown color and the cheese is fully melted.
05 - Remove grilled quesadillas from the skillet and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Using a sharp knife, cut each quesadilla into triangular wedges. Serve warm with desired accompaniments.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under half an hour, which means you can go from hungry to happy without much fuss.
  • The combination of juicy chicken, wilted spinach, and gooey mozzarella feels indulgent but won't leave you overstuffed.
  • You probably already have most of these ingredients lying around, especially if you meal prep chicken on Sundays.
  • It's endlessly adaptable depending on what cheese or leftovers you have in the fridge.
02 -
  • Don't crank the heat too high or the tortilla will burn before the cheese melts, medium heat is your friend here and gives you time to get that perfect golden crust.
  • If your filling seems too wet after cooking the spinach, let it sit in the pan for an extra minute off the heat so the moisture evaporates, otherwise your quesadilla can get soggy.
  • Press down gently with your spatula while grilling to help the layers fuse together, but don't smash it flat or the filling will squeeze out the sides.
03 -
  • Use a cast iron skillet if you have one, it distributes heat evenly and gives you the crispiest, most evenly browned tortillas.
  • If you're making multiple quesadillas, keep the finished ones warm in a 200°F oven on a baking sheet while you cook the rest.
  • For extra flavor, brush the outside of the tortilla lightly with garlic butter before grilling instead of plain butter.
  • Don't overload the filling or it will be impossible to flip without making a mess, less is more when it comes to quesadilla architecture.
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