Chicken Avocado Quesadilla (Printable Version)

Grilled chicken and creamy avocado wrapped in a golden, crispy tortilla with melted cheese.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
05 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Avocado Mash

08 - 2 ripe avocados
09 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Assembly

12 - 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch diameter)
13 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
14 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
15 - Cooking spray or additional olive oil for grilling

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, coat chicken breasts with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly seasoned.
02 - Place chicken on the grill pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until fully cooked and juices run clear. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
03 - In a separate bowl, mash avocados with lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Maintain some texture with small chunks remaining.
04 - Lay tortillas flat and spread a generous layer of avocado mash over half of each. Top with sliced chicken, thinly sliced red onion, and shredded cheese. Fold tortillas in half to enclose the filling.
05 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray or olive oil. Cook two quesadillas at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side until tortillas are golden brown and cheese is melted.
06 - Remove quesadillas from skillet, let cool slightly, then cut each into wedges. Serve warm.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Ready in 35 minutes from start to finish, with most of that being hands-off cooking time.
  • The avocado mash stays creamy and doesn't turn brown if you use fresh lime juice, a trick that actually works.
  • You can make four of these at once, so feeding a crowd becomes less stressful than you'd think.
02 -
  • Don't spread the avocado too thick or it overwhelms the other flavors, and don't spread it too thin or you lose that creamy element entirely.
  • Cook your quesadillas at medium heat, not high, because rushing them means the outside browns before the inside melts, and that's when regret happens.
03 -
  • Use a meat thermometer to check that chicken is exactly 165°F inside, which removes all the guesswork and means you never end up with dry chicken.
  • Keep your avocados in the fridge until the last moment and only mash what you need, because exposed avocado starts browning within minutes no matter what you do.
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