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A close-up of crispy, golden quesadillas drizzled with a creamy sauce, garnished with chopped cilantro, and served with a wedge of lime on a baking tray.
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4.50 from 2 votes

Sheet Pan Chicken Quesadillas

The only thing easier than Sheet Pan Chicken Quesadillas...is making a regular quesadilla. But with this easy oven recipe, you can feed the whole family and not have to stand at the stove making a bunch in a row. These quesadillas are stuffed with chicken, pinto beans, tomatoes, green onions, and of course plenty of cheese. Stacking a pan on top of the quesadilla in the oven ensures SUUUUPER crispy tortilla edges. Dip in Chipotle Mayo and serve with Stovetop Rice, Mexican Rice, or Brown Rice and Tejano Beans to make it a whole meal!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Servings: 6
Calories: 426kcal
Author: The Food Charlatan

Equipment

  • 2 sheet pans (cookie sheets)

Ingredients

  • 9 (8-inch) flour tortillas* often called medium or soft taco size
  • 16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese** about 4 cups, divided
  • 1 cup tomatoes chopped, about 1 large tomato (or 2 small)
  • 1/2 cup green onions chopped
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped, optional
  • 2 cups shredded chicken I used rotisserie chicken
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans drained
  • 1 cup frozen corn

Optional Toppings or Garnishes

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
  • Prep your ingredients: Shred the cheese if you didn't buy it pre-shredded. Chop your tomato into a small dice. Chop the green onions. Chop the cilantro if you're using it. Chop your chicken if necessary.
  • Make the quesadilla: Layer 9 (8 inch, or soft taco size*) tortillas on a sheet pan***, with two in the center and the other 7 overlapping around all sides. The tortillas should be hanging off the edges of the pan. See photos. Make sure they overlap well and cover the entire bottom of the pan!
  • Add cheese: Start by sprinkling 2 cups of cheese (about half the cheese, if you bought a 16 ounce package) all over the tortillas. Make sure to leave a big border around the edges; the tortillas should be able to fold in and almost (but not quite) reach the center.
  • Add chopped toppings: Next, sprinkle over the top of the cheese 1 cup diced tomato, 1/2 cup of chopped green onions, 1/2 cup cilantro (optional!), and 2 cups of cooked chicken.
  • Add beans. Open a 15-ounce can of pinto beans and drain it. Rinse the beans if you want, but I'm usually too lazy!! Just make sure they are not dripping with liquid when you add it to your quesadilla, or you will get soggy tortillas.
  • Add corn. Finally, sprinkle with 1 cup of frozen corn (no need to thaw, hallelujah).
  • Add more cheese: Top the whole thing with the remaining 2 cups of cheese, or whatever looks like a good amount to you. Let your heart guide you.
  • Assemble and fold: Place 2 more tortillas (or more, depending on how much of the center you need to cover) on top of the ingredients in the center of the pan. Carefully fold over the edges of the tortillas that have been hanging off the pan toward that center tortilla. Use a bowl or another sheet pan to hold the folded edges in place while you keep folding the remaining sides. See photos!
  • Top the entire giant quesadilla with a second sheet pan as if to nest it in the first (so bottom side down) and press it down. No need to add weights of any kind; I tried it once and the ingredients spilled out while cooking. The weight of the pan is perfect.
  • Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to set, then slice the whole thing into 6 squares. If you want smaller pieces you can then cut those squares into triangles for a total of 12.
  • Prepare sauce: Take time while the quesadilla bakes to make the best ever Chipotle Mayo for dipping! This really is the BEST dip for these quesadillas, they are so perfect for each other. You could also try either of the two dressing options on my Taco Salad recipe, quesadillas would be amazing dipped in either of those. Or just bust out the sour cream and salsa.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, flash freeze the pieces for 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer ziplock bag. Leftovers (chilled or completely frozen) can be reheated in the oven using the 2 sheet pan method just like in the initial bake, or heat individual pieces on a frying pan. The frozen pieces will take longer to reheat.

Notes

*TORTILLA SIZE: If you buy the large burrito size tortillas (which are usually about 10 inches across), I think you can get away with using only 6 tortillas on the bottom, instead of overlapping 9. I wrote the recipe this way because I ALWAYS have 8-inch tortillas on hand, and rarely buy the big ones. 
**CHEESE: You can use any type of melting cheese that you want in this recipe! Monterey Jack, Pepper jack to make it spicy, a Mexican blend from the store, Mozzarella, Oaxaca would be amazing (that's the kind of cheese they make quesadillas with in Mexico, it's so good.) 
***SHEET PAN SIZE: I use a 10x15 inch pan when I make this recipe. It's smaller than a regular half sheet pan. It doesn't matter at all what size you use. As you are layering ingredients, make sure you leave enough room around the edges so that the tortillas can fold about in half. 

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Potassium: 337mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1158IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 553mg | Iron: 1mg