Quesadillas are one of our family’s favorite easy dinner recipes, thanks to their quick prep time and little mess. We recently tried a chicken bacon ranch quesadilla (inspired by the famous ones at Chili’s), and it quickly became our favorite version of the dish. To speed up the prep time, we use a rotisserie chicken and pre-shredded cheese, plus add a hint of Cajun seasoning for bold flavor.
The quesadillas griddle up quickly on the stove top and hold well in a warm oven until you’re ready to serve. Serve them with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole and watch them disappear quickly! Try our chicken quesadillas or pulled pork quesadillas for two other delicious options.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Crowd-pleasing lunch, dinner, appetizer, or snack. We love the versatility of these quesadillas, they’re easy to prep and serve for almost any meal of the day.
- 7-ingredient simple recipe. These chicken bacon ranch quesadillas are affordable and hassle-free thanks to the short ingredient list for shopping at the store and preparing.
- Perfect for using up leftover chicken. This is one of our family’s go-to leftovers recipe to clean out the fridge. It’s hassle-free with minimal mess, making for a dinner that seamless but so delicious.
Tips for Busy Cooks
We love to build these bacon chicken ranch quesadillas in advance and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then all you need to do is griddle them up and serve. Our kids love them in their lunch boxes or on the way to sport’s practice in the car.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Chopped rotisserie chicken – The store-bought solution for the protein in the quesadilla. Leftover chicken is also a great alternative for using up things in the fridge.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – The classic cheese pairing for bacon and ranch.
- Bacon strips – Meaty and smoky flavor for the quesadilla
- Cajun spice adds a punch of bold flavor and spice to every bite.
- Flour tortillas – The key to every great quesadilla, flour work best.
- Ranch dressing adds a creaminess to every bite as well as that classic onion, dill, and garlic flavor.
- Butter – For griddling the quesadilla until it’s golden brown.
- Ranch dressing, salsa/pico, guacamole – We love to serve the quesadillas with any of these for dipping.
How to make chicken bacon ranch quesadillas
Step 1: Combine chicken, cheese, bacon, and Cajun spice in a medium bowl.
Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly sweep butter all over the bottom of the skillet. (TIP: Use a cold stick of butter.)
Step 2: Place 2 tortillas side by side, creating half-circles with each tortilla, holding the other halves in the middle.
On one half of each tortilla, add ¼ of the chicken mixture and spread it evenly over half of the tortilla, leaving about a ½-inch border at the edge. And drizzle some ranch dressing.
Step 3: Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the tortilla is golden brown and crispy.
Slide a spatula under the quesadilla from the folded side and flip. If needed, you can butter the skillet again when you lift the quesadilla before flipping. Cook for another minute or two, or until nice and golden.
Step 4: Transfer the quesadillas onto a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
Cut into wedges and serve with your favorite sides, such as ranch dressing, pico, and/or guacamole.
Expert Tips:
- Use a cold stick of butter for easy greasing of the skillet. This is one of our favorite tips. You can hold the stick of butter and easily grease it by sweeping it back and forth on the pan to grease it perfectly before cooking.
- Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl before adding into the tortilla for the quesadilla. This is the fastest method for filling several at a time before cooking.
- Grease the spatula with butter for easy flipping. If you find it’s tough to flip the quesadillas, then lightly grease the spatula with butter too.
- If you don’t like cajun seasoning, you can use taco seasoning, or a mixture of chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin.
- Use leftover chicken for this bacon chicken ranch quesadilla. We love cleaning out the fridge with this recipe, it’s great for lunch, dinner or as a snack.
Storing Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or skillet until just warmed through.
We don’t recommend freezing cooked quesadillas as it can change the texture of the flour tortilla and cheese after thawing.
Making these chicken and bacon quesadillas with ranch in advance works very well. You can build a bunch of the quesadillas and keep them in the fridge, then griddle them right before serving.
FAQs
Yes, the chicken is best cooked and then chopped or shredded so it’s easy to fold inside the tortilla and also eat.
We love ranch paired with quesadillas. It’s delicious with the cheddar cheese as well as the bacon. We drizzle it inside but you can also use it as a dipping sauce.
It’s a great combination of flour tortillas stuffed with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon, and chicken. We add a drizzle of ranch dressing as well as cajun seasoning for a flavorful bite.
More easy dinner recipes
Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 bacon strips cooked and crumbled
- 1 teaspoon Cajun spice
- 4 10-inch flour tortillas
- 4 tablespoons ranch dressing
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Ranch dressing, salsa/pico, guacamole for serving Optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cheese, bacon, and Cajun spice.
- Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly sweep butter all over the bottom of the skillet. (TIP: Use a cold stick of butter.)
- Place 2 tortillas side by side, creating half circles with each tortilla, holding the other halves in the middle.
- On one half of each tortilla, add ¼ of the chicken mixture and spread over half of a tortilla, leaving about a ½-inch border at the edge.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of ranch dressing all over the chicken mixture, then fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling. Do the same thing on the other tortilla.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the bottom of the tortilla is golden brown and crispy. Slide a spatula under the quesadilla from the folded side and flip. If needed, you can butter the skillet again when you lift the quesadilla before flipping. Cook for another minute or two, or until nice and golden.
- Transfer the quesadillas onto a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
- Cut into wedges and serve with your favorite sides, such as ranch dressing, pico, and/or guacamole.
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Notes
– Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or skillet until just warmed through.
– We don’t recommend freezing cooked quesadillas, as it can change the texture of the flour tortilla and cheese after thawing.
– Making these chicken and bacon quesadillas with ranch in advance works very well. You can build a bunch of the quesadillas and keep them in the fridge, then griddle them right before serving. Additional Tips:
· Use leftover chicken for this chicken bacon ranch quesadilla. We love cleaning out the fridge with this recipe, it’s great for lunch, dinner, or as a snack.
· If you don’t like Cajun seasoning, you can use taco seasoning, or a mixture of chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin.
· Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl before adding them to the tortilla for the quesadilla. This is the fastest method for filling several at a time before cooking.
· Use a cold stick of butter for easy greasing of the skillet. You can hold the stick of butter and easily grease the pan by sweeping it back and forth to grease it perfectly before cooking.
· If you find it’s tough to flip the quesadillas, then lightly grease the spatula with butter too.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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