Description
These Hot Honey BBQ Chicken Quesadillas combine tender, flavorful chicken cooked in a spicy-sweet BBQ sauce with melted cheese inside crispy flour tortillas. Perfect for a quick, satisfying meal with a delicious balance of smoky, spicy, and sweet flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
- 450 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons BBQ seasoning blend
- 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tablespoons hot honey, plus extra for drizzling
Quesadillas
- 4 large (30 cm) flour tortillas
- 340 grams shredded cheese of choice
- 15 grams fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
To Serve (Optional)
- Sour cream
- Pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Preheat and cook chicken: Preheat a griddle or flat top grill to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Place the chicken in a single layer on the griddle. Season evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, and BBQ seasoning. Cook the chicken for 6 minutes, turning and mixing with spatulas to ensure it browns evenly on all sides.
- Add BBQ sauce and hot honey: Pour in the BBQ sauce and hot honey over the chicken. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes while stirring to coat all the chicken pieces thoroughly. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the griddle and scrape the surface clean. Reduce the heat to medium-low for the quesadilla assembly.
- Prepare quesadillas on the griddle: Drizzle the remaining cooking oil on the griddle. Lay the flour tortillas flat on the griddle. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on one side of each tortilla, then top with the cooked chicken. Add more BBQ sauce and hot honey as desired, along with chopped cilantro if using. Finally, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the chicken.
- Cook quesadillas until golden: Fold each tortilla over to cover the filling. Cook each quesadilla for 1 to 2 minutes per side until the cheese melts and the tortillas become golden and crisp. Use a spatula to carefully flip them.
- Serve: Remove the quesadillas from the griddle and slice into portions. Serve immediately while hot, accompanied by optional sour cream and pickled jalapeños for extra flavor.
Notes
- You can use chicken breasts or thighs depending on your preference; thighs will be juicier.
- Adjust the hot honey quantity to control the heat level in the quesadillas.
- Any melting cheese works well, such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend.
- Grilling the quesadillas on a griddle keeps them crispy and evenly cooked.
- Optional garnishes like sour cream and pickled jalapeños add creamy and tangy contrasts.
