The BEST poblano chicken quesadilla recipe! Stuffed with shredded poblano chicken & lots of melty cheese – these quesadillas deserve a spot in your dinner rotation! They’re crispy, cheesy, smoky & served with a zesty chipotle lime crema!
I just love the versatility of quesadillas! Keep them simple with lots of melty cheese or add some leftover meat/veggies to the mix – either way, there’s no going wrong! Plus they’re incredibly easy and so so delicious!
These poblano chicken quesadillas are quickly becoming a family favorite. They use the same filling as my Crispy Poblano Chicken Tacos just sandwiched between flour tortillas and served with a smoky chipotle crema. And ohhh the crema! If there’s one thing you should get excited about – it’s the crema! It’s a zesty sour cream-based sauce made with lime and chipotle peppers giving it a hint of heat with A TON of flavor! Together this pairing makes the pefect weeknight dinner contender!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken thighs: We love using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. They’re more forgiving than chicken breasts and tend to shred much easier.
Flour tortillas: A must for quesadillas! We use soft taco-size tortillas for ours.
Poblano peppers: You’ll need 2 large poblano peppers for this recipe. Poblanos are mild and smoky in flavor so don’t worry about them adding too much heat to the dish. (Most of the heat will come from the chipotle crema.)
Garlic: 2 minced garlic cloves are needed for the shredded chicken filling.
Onion: White or yellow onion works the best for this recipe!
Shredded cheese: We love using Monterrey jack cheese for our quesadillas! (A blend of Monterrey jack + cheddar cheese would be delicious too.)
Spices: You’ll be making a blend of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper to season the chicken.
Sour cream: Used as the creamy base for your chipotle crema.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: We’re only using the sauce from a can of chipotle peppers – not the actual peppers. (The sauce will add a some heat but we mainly want it’s smoky chipotle flavor. If you prefer a spicer crema, feel free to add one pepper instead.)
Limes: Fresh lime juice is used to liven up the crema! If possible, I always suggest using fresh lime juice instead of bottled lime juice. (Bottled juice tends to have additives in it that can alter the flavor of the crema.)
How to Make Poblano Chicken Quesadillas
1. Make the crema. Mix the sour cream, lime juice, chipotle sauce and salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.
2. Cook the chicken. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add the chicken thighs, olive oil, spices, minced garlic, diced poblano peppers and sliced onion to a large bowl and toss until fully coated. Arrange the chicken and veggies in your prepared dish (making sure everything is spread out to ensure even baking) and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. (The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees.) Use 2 large forks to shred the chicken once done then mix the shredded chicken and veggies together in the dish.
3. Assemble & cook. For each quesadilla, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and place one tortilla in the pan while it’s warming up. Layer the tortilla with shredded cheese, a handful of the poblano chicken mixture and cilantro. Add another layer of cheese and place another tortilla on top. Let the quesadilla cook for a few minutes or until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla is golden brown. Then flip and cook until the second side is golden brown.
4. Serve. Serve the quesadillas immediately with the chipotle crema and extra chopped cilantro.
Alternatively you can use larger burrito size tortillas and make the quesadillas by layering half the tortilla with the filling.
Serving Suggestions
Don’t let the chipotle crema have all the fun – these chicken quesadillas would be delicious with other toppings too!
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream
- You favorite salsa (We’ve been using this recipe for homemade salsa lately and LOVE it!)
Why you’ll love this chicken quesadilla recipe!
- A nourishing all-in-one meal! Flavorful shredded chicken + veggies & a handful of cheese make these quesadillas a healthier meal option!
- An easy dinner idea! Prep the chicken filling in advance then assemble & cook your quesadillas once you’re ready to eat!
- Great for serving a crowd! This recipe makes a lot of shredded chicken – allowing you to make several quesadillas or use the rest for leftovers!
More Mexican-inspired dishes you might enjoy:
- Crispy Shrimp & Poblano Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
- Ground Pork Al Pastor Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
- Easy Ground Beef Tostadas
- Crockpot Chipotle Shredded Beef
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Poblano Chicken Quesadillas with Chipotle Crema
Ingredients
Ingredients for the quesadillas:
- 1½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 2 poblano peppers, deseeded & diced
- Flour tortillas
- Shredded Monterrey jack cheese
Ingredients for the chipotle crema:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1½ Tbsp lime juice
- ½ Tbsp sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Make the crema. Mix the sour cream, lime juice, chipotle sauce and salt together in a small bowl and set it aside.
- Cook the chicken. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Add the chicken thighs, olive oil, spices, minced garlic, diced poblano peppers and sliced onion to a large bowl and toss until fully coated. Arrange the chicken and veggies in your prepared dish (making sure everything is spread out to ensure even baking) and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. (The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165 degrees.) Use 2 large forks to shred the chicken once done then mix the shredded chicken and veggies together in the dish.
- Assemble & cook. For each quesadilla, heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and place one tortilla in the pan while it’s warming up. Layer the tortilla with shredded cheese, a handful of the poblano chicken mixture and cilantro. Add another layer of cheese and place another tortilla on top. Let the quesadilla cook for a few minutes or until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla is golden brown. Then flip and cook until the second side is golden brown.
- Serve. Serve the quesadillas immediately with the chipotle crema and extra chopped cilantro.
