Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

Cheesy Goodness Made at Home (even if that home has wheels)

I love quesadillas, and these grilled chicken quesadillas with marinated chicken are absolutely amazing. They’re packed with flavor, loaded with fresh ingredients, and incredibly versatile. You can serve them as an easy lunch, quick dinner, or crowd-pleasing appetizer.

This is also one of my favorite van life recipes because it’s simple to prep, cooks quickly, and doesn’t require a ton of dishes — which is always a win when your stovetop doubles as your counter space. The chicken can be grilled outside, and the quesadillas finish perfectly in a cast iron pan inside the van, making this a great meal whether you’re parked at a campsite or cooking off-grid.

Best of all, they come together pretty quickly while still tasting like something you’d order at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

This recipe makes three well-stuffed medium chicken quesadillas.

Make the Marinade

1/3 cup olive oil (plus extra for the veggies)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of cayenne (adjust for desired heat)
2 teaspoons chili powder (I split it between regular and chipotle, but feel free to mix it up!)
1 teaspoon cumin (add more if you’re adventurous, or just really like cumin)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1–1.5 pounds chicken breasts or tenderloins

Put the chicken in a dish, or ziplock bag. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, and pour it over the chicken. Let it marinade in the fridge for an hour or so.

While it is marinading, prepare the pico, guacamole, veggies, and cheese.

Pico de Gallo

1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 jalapeño with seeds removed, finely chopped
2/3 cup finely chopped tomato
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Mix all of the pico ingredients in a small bowl, and put in the fridge.

Guacamole

1 avocado
1 clove of garlic, minced
Juice of half a lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Dash of salt

Put all of the guacamole ingredients in a bowl and use a small masher or fork to mix it into your desired consistency.

You Will Also Need

1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups of shredded cheese. I used half pepper jack and half sharp cheddar, but you do you!
6 medium-sized flour tortillas
4 (ish) tbsps of butter

Optional Additional Toppings

Sour cream
Salsa (I like verde, here is my recipe)

Heat your grill to medium-high heat. Once heated, grill the chicken until cooked through and remove from the heat to rest.

Once the chicken has rested, chop it into fairly small pieces.

Now, build your quesadillas. Add one third of the chicken, red pepper, and cheese to each of three of the quesadillas and top with the other three.

Heat a cast iron pan over medium-low heat, and melt about 1.5 tbsp of the butter. Put the quesadilla in (carefully, note you can also build each one in the pan, but in the van I have to deal with the stove top also being my counter).

Cook slowly until the bottom is well browned. Carefully flip it over. If you need more butter in the pan, simply move it to a plate and add more. Cook until the second side is browned and the cheese is nice and melted. Do the same with the other quesadillas.

To serve, I like to cut each in four pieces and create a stack. Then top it with guac, pico, sour cream, and salsa. But if you prefer to skip the stack, that is ok as well.

Carving fajitas instead? Try my grilled chicken fajitas.

Enjoy!