Pesto Chicken Quesadillas

There’s something so comforting about a good quesadilla and this one is no exception. Filled with delicious basil pesto, crunchy red onion and all the cheesy goodness, this Pesto Chicken Quesadilla is the perfect mid-week comfort meal.

I love using pesto in just about anything, it’s so delicious on it’s own and adds so much flavour to a dish. I particularly love a good pesto chicken sandwich but I find bread can be quite bloating, so I wanted to make something similar without using the bread. These quesadillas were the result! They’re so good, packed with enough to keep you full without causing bloating or leaving you with that heavy feeling. 

This recipe uses shredded chicken which is super easy to prep, but if you’re aiming for convenience you could always just buy shredded chicken from the deli section of your grocery store. I prefer to cook the chicken and shred it myself so it’s nice and juicy and cooked fresh right before it goes in the quesadillas. It doesn’t take long at all, I cook the chicken at a high temperature for a short time, this is the best method I’ve found for getting perfectly juicy chicken every time.

Shredding the chicken is super simple. Once it’s cooked just grab 2 forks, use one to anchor the chicken while you use the other to pull away and pull it apart. 

Once you have all the ingredients prepared it’s time to build the quesadillas. Start by spreading the pesto over one half of each tortilla, I use about 1 tablespoon of pesto on each.

Next, layer up the rest of your ingredients and top with the mozzarella and parmesan. Keep all the filling on just one half because you will fold the empty half over the filling when putting it in the pan.

Once the quesadilla is prepped, place it in a pan over medium-low heat, pressing down with a spatula to help it hold it’s shape. You could also use a sandwich press for this step to get a nicely pressed quesadilla.

This recipe makes 4 fairly packed quesadillas though you could make 6 if you wanted thinner ones with slightly less filling, they would still taste delicious.

I’ll be making these on repeat for the next few days because they’re so simple to make, a healthy dinner option and totally delicious! Let me know if you make them and how they turn out, I’d love to know your thoughts!

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

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Pesto Chicken Quesadillas

Course Main Course

Keyword quesadilla

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 500 g chicken breast
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1 small red onion finely sliced
• 1 large tomato diced
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup parmesan grated
• 4 medium tortillas

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (450F)

2. Place chicken breasts on a baking tray and season with salt and pepper, place in oven and cook for 20 minutes

3. Let chicken rest for a few minutes then use 2 forks to pull apart and shred the chicken. Use one fork to anchor the chicken breast while the other drags through to pull it apart.

4. Assemble the quesadillas: spread 1 tbsp of pesto on one half of each wrap then top with a handful of shredded chicken, onion, tomato, mozzarella and parmesan.

5. Fold the empty half over the filling and place in a frypan over medium-low heat. Press down with a spatula so that it holds it's shape.

6. Cook for 2-3 minutes then flip and press down with a spatula again, cook for another 2 minutes until cheese is fully melted

7. Slice each quesadilla into thirds, serve and enjoy!