Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

Looking for an easy and delicious weeknight meal? Look no further than these barbecue chicken quesadillas!

bbq chicken quesadillas

With just a few ingredients, you can have a fantastic meal that everyone will love. Plus, they’re perfect for any occasion – from game day to dinner with family or friends. And doesn’t everyone love anything made with bbq sauce, or is that just me? 

bbq chicken quesadillas

I love this recipe so much as these barbecue chicken quesadillas are a family favorite that we make at the lake cottage. We have made them a lot over the years, and they are a crowd pleaser with adults as well as children.

We always have leftover grilled or shredded chicken on hand or I will plan to have this meal after having bbq chicken breasts on the menu. These quesadillas are always a hit – even with the pickiest eaters.

bbq chicken quesadillas

So if you’re looking for an easy meal that’s sure to please, give these bbq chicken quesadillas a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed! Of course, you can always leave off the onions or cilantro if the kids are picky, but everyone always loves extra bbq sauce!

bbq chicken quesadillas

Chicken is always on the grocery list

These items are usually basics on any grocery list. And don’t you always end up with extra shredded chicken when you’re cooking some? You can even use a rotisserie chicken or pre cooked chicken from the grocery store, which can make choosing these quesadillas as a meal to make when you’re on the run a great option to fast food.

My daughter is even lactose intolerant, but eating all this yummy cheese is worth it, so she always has a lactose pill nearby. Some things are worth the hassle!

ingredients for quesadillas

What do you need to make these yummy Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas?

Ingredients:

– Flour tortillas, medium to large size tortillas work best as you need room for filling 

– Bbq sauce, we prefer Sweet Baby Ray’s Original as it is our favorite bbq sauce

– Chopped or shredded chicken, I like mine chopped

– Shredded cheddar cheese, or ColbyJack works nicely

– Cilantro, chopped

– Red onion, finely chopped (I know sometimes onions are strong for some, so I always chop these super fine if I am making them for a crowd because you never know)

bbq chicken

Shredded chicken, extra bbq sauce, tortillas, and more cheese, yes please!

I don’t know about you, but most of these ingredients are already in my fridge or on my weekly go-to list. You know how you buy veggies some weeks, and then end up throwing them away later when they’ve gone bad quickly cause you’ve been too busy to cook every night? Yeah, that never happens to cilantro for me. I am always making these or the yummiest pico de Gallo (I’ll share that recipe soon, I promise).

And cheese and tortillas are a staple at our house. You never know when the grandkids will show up, and someone always wants a quesadilla. They are easy to cook and a hot crispy one right off the griddle is sometimes just what the kids want.

tortillas and cheese

How I make the most mouth-watering barbecue chicken quesadillas

As I said, these are a favorite for us at the cottage where we mostly cook out on our Weber gas grill, but I’ll give you a few tips how to make them just as easy at home. But let’s talk outdoor grill first.

Preheat a gas grill to medium to high heat. Meanwhile, assemble the quesadillas by liberally spreading each tortilla with your favorite bbq sauce. Top with pre cooked chicken, cheese (don’t be shy), cilantro, and red onion. It’s easy to prepare these quesadillas assembly line style, especially when feeding a good sized group.

Trust me, you will want to make extra quesadillas, as they are super yummy. I always say, “oh, just one half more” and then, you know the rest. And if you do end up with leftovers, they heat up nicely in the microwave. Not gonna lie, they are good cold too. I may or may not have eaten them on occasion while standing in front of the fridge, not admitting but maybe.

bbq chicken quesadillas

Grilling these on the barbecue is my preferred choice of cooking as the tortilla becomes nice and crispy. As one of our summer go-to recipes at the cottage, they are super quick and easy to make for a crowd, especially after a day outside of play when I want to get dinner on the table fast. 

Grill for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until the tortilla is crispy and the cheese is melted. The barbecue adds those great grill marks and makes the flour tortilla super crunchy, but you need to watch them so they don’t burn because some barbecues have hot spots and you’ll want to rotate them around to get them all toasty. They finish cooking fast, just watch for that melty cheese. YUM! 

bbq chicken quesadillas

Serve immediately with sour cream on the side for dipping, and always some extra bbq sauce! Add a fruit or corn salad as a side dish and your easy meal is complete.

Even when life is busy during the fall and winter, and you are sick of eating fast food while running kids all over the place, this is a great recipe you can make at home and have on the table fast! You can even assemble them early in the day, keep them refrigerated, so all you have to do is cook them right before eating. In the winter, cooked black beans and onions make a nice side dish.

bbq chicken quesadillas
bbq chicken quesadillas

Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

Yield: For a crowd!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Looking for an easy and delicious weeknight meal? Look no further than these bbq chicken quesadillas! They are ooey and gooey with lots of cheese, bbq sauce, and chicken. Great on the outdoor grill or indoors on a pan or griddle.

Ingredients

  • medium flour tortillas
  • barbecue sauce, we love Sweet Baby Ray's
  • cooked chicken, chopped
  • shredded cheese, we use ColbyJack
  • cilantro, chopped
  • red onion, chopped

Instructions

  1. Chop cilantro, red onion and cooked chicken. Chicken can be pre-barbecued, leftovers, or use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for a quick and easy choice.
  2. Shred the cheese. You can also use pre-shredded cheese.
  3. Assemble quesadillas by spreading a generous amount of barbecue sauce directly onto the open, flat tortilla.
  4. Working on only half the tortilla (as they will be folded over) add the chopped chicken, and sprinkle with cilantro and red onion.
  5. Top with generous amounts of cheese and fold tortilla over.
  6. Continue preparing all the quesadillas until you have exhausted all the ingredients. I always make extra, as these are so yummy, people always want more.
  7. Prepare to cook quesadillas on a hot barbecue (preferred method) or use a hot griddle or flat pan.
  8. Cook quesadillas until they are crispy on the outside and all the cheese is melted inside. Slice in half using a pizza cutter or large knife.

Notes

Serve with chilled sour cream as a topping. I love the way these turn out when cooking them on the grill, as the flour tortillas get nice and crispy. If an outdoor grill is not available, use a flat top griddle or pan with lots of butter to make them golden brown.

Any time is quesadilla time

These bbq chicken quesadillas come together in just a few minutes and make the perfect weeknight meal fast and easy. When cooking them at home, simply heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat, and add butter to your pan to make them golden brown. 

When reheating, just make sure that chicken breast and cheese get warm enough. If you don’t mind that the tortilla is not as crispy, then the microwave is a good option. Cold or hot, any way of eating a bbq chicken quesadilla is a good way! I have even opened them up and added more shredded cheddar to the filling to make it more hearty for lunch if there was only one half left.

bbq chicken quesadillas

How do you upgrade a quesadilla?

We just love tortillas. Sometimes my hubby will just grill tortillas and melted butter right on the grill, as apparently he ate that as a child (cooking on a gas range he claims. That sounds super safe and kid-friendly!)

But we often tweak recipes to make more yummy things. We just love to cook. And who wouldn’t love a quesadilla turned into a dessert? We’ve tried s’mores, cinnamon and sugar, and chocolate in a quesadilla with fresh strawberries too! Any yummy filling will do really.

When adding chocolate to a tortilla for a dessert option, you have to watch it so you don’t burn the chocolate. Nutella is also a good option inside a tortilla.

bbq chicken quesadillas

Favorite Recipes

There are favorite recipes that are the easy go-to recipe, and this is definitely one of them. It is so delicious! Even if you are home alone and tired of the basic grilled cheese, plain quesadilla or boring chicken breast for lunch, all you need is one tortilla, some cooked chicken breast, your favorite brand bbq sauce and you are already headed to a more delicious lunch or dinner!

If you’re entertaining, feeding a large family, a bunch of people with big appetites or simply looking for an easy meal with quick prep time, these bbq chicken quesadillas are sure to please. Packed with flavor, they’re perfect for lunch, dinner or a midnight snack. What? Aren’t we eating at midnight anymore? 

bbq chicken quesadillas

They would even make a great appetizer! Just cook extra golden brown with plenty of cheese to hold them together, then slice them in wedges with a pizza cutter. Once again, serve with sour cream and bbq sauce for dipping, it’s a must!

Give them a try and let me know what you think! I promise you’ll love them as much as I do. Maybe someone will even make a bbq chicken quesadilla song LOL (please make it less annoying than that ‘corn’ song). Thanks for reading and enjoy! 

Save this to your Pinterest board so you don’t forget to experience the yumminess!

2 Comments

  1. Thanks Coleen! It’s a good one to remember for a lunch or dinner when you don’t have a lot of time but still want something yummy!

  2. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It looks so yummy and easy to make.

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