These Easy Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas are piled high with rotisserie chicken, Buffalo sauce, creamy ranch dressing and lots of cheese! With a list of shortcuts, these crispy, cheesy appetizers can be ready in less than 15 minutes.
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I make these tasty quesadillas in a cast iron or nonstick skillet, but you can also make them on a griddle or even air fry them. (Scroll down for those instructions).
One thing I love about these hot and cheesy snacks is the melty "cheese pull". I can't help it! Food can also be fun!
Another reason to love this super simple recipe is it's a perfect way to use up my leftover chicken or turkey. I make them for a quick lunch, appetizers, game day and even an afternoon snack.
Shortcuts
- The method I use to layer ingredients after placing the bottom tortilla in the skillet.
- Rotisserie or leftover chicken
- Pre-shredded cheese
- Store bought bottled Buffalo wing sauce
Pro tip: Shredding chicken. Fastest way to shred a large amount of cooked chicken? Pull out your stand mixer and "mix" the chicken on medium speed. For a small amount of chicken, just pull it apart with two forks.
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for ingredient quantities.
Tip: Adding the Ranch dressing to the Buffalo sauce is optional. It makes the sauce creamy and tames the heat of the sauce. If you like it bold and hot, leave it out!
- Buffalo wing sauce
- Ranch or blue cheese dressing (optional)
- Shredded chicken
- Flour tortillas
- Softened butter
- Shredded Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- Green onions (optional)
When I have just a little leftover rotisserie chicken, this is one of my favorite ways to use it. Snack, lunch, appetizer or game day food.
How to make Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas in a skillet
My easy shortcut method means you layer the ingredients on the tortilla while the skillet is heating up instead of building them both first. It saves time and gives the pre-shredded chicken time to melt over a lower heat setting.
- For a creamier Buffalo wing sauce, stir together wing sauce and Ranch dressing in a medium size bowl. Or, leave out the Ranch dressing for a more bold flavor. Add the green onions (optional) and shredded chicken.
- Place a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Meanwhile, spread butter on one side of two tortillas and place one in the skillet, butter-side-down, as the skillet is heating up.
- Then, quickly sprinkle ½ cup of cheese over the tortilla. Dollop 1 cup of the chicken mixture over the cheese and spread to the edges of the tortilla. Sprinkle another ½ cup of cheese over the chicken mixture and top with the other buttered tortilla, butter-side-up.
- While the bottom tortilla is getting brown (about 1 to 2 minutes) and the cheese is starting to melt onto the bottom tortilla, spread butter on the remaining two tortillas.
- When the bottom tortilla is golden brown, flip the quesadilla with a wide flat spatula.
- Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
- Cut quesadillas into 4 triangles. If desired, you can drizzle with additional Buffalo and Ranch dressing. Sprinkle with green onions, if you like!
Pro tip: I like to place another spatula on top of the quesadilla as I'm flipping it with the bottom spatula to hold it altogether.
Substitutions & Variations
- Chicken - I always say, "Use what you have". You can boil, broil, bake, air fry and skillet fry one large or 2 small chicken breast (these days they're huge) and that will give you about 2 cups of chicken.
- Ranch dressing - Ranch dressing can come from the bottle or semi-homemade from the dry packet. Blue cheese dressing is a popular sauce served with anything "Buffalo".
- Cheese- You can't go wrong with most flavors of shredded cheese here. I was surprised how easily the pre-shredded cheese melted. Yes, shredding your own cheese is ultimately the best way, but I was happy with this shortcut. Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Mexican blend, Italian blend, Taco blend.
- Use Buffalo Chicken Dip- If you have leftover Buffalo chicken dip or buy it from the store, you have another shortcut! Just use it in place of the chicken, Buffalo sauce, and Ranch dressing.
- Healthy version- Looking to cut a few calories? Replace Buffalo sauce with hot sauce and fat-free Ranch dressing. Instead of softened butter on the tortillas, lightly spray olive oil into the skillet before adding the tortillas. Use low-fat cheese.
Helpful Information
For a bit of buffalo wing history, I looked it up from the National Chicken Council. Cooking chicken wings in peppery hot sauce apparently started at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964.
By sprinkling half the cheese on the bottom tortilla and the other half on top of the chicken mixture, the cheese melts directly against both tortillas. Also, shredded chicken holds together better than chopped chicken.
It takes hot sauce to make Buffalo sauce. Hot sauce is simply hot peppers, vinegar, and salt pureed and strained. Buffalo sauce has melted butter added if you make it from scratch. Oil is usually added to store-bought bottled sauce.
Yes, it's easy! For this recipe, whisk together ¼ cup hot sauce, 2 tablespoons melted butter. I like to add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, too.
Yes! Just layer first, a buttered tortilla with cheese, then chicken-buffalo sauce mixture, cheese and another buttered tortilla. Place it in a preheated air fryer. Cook at 380 degrees for 2 minutes, flip and cook 2 additional minutes. You might not even have to flip it to get it crispy and brown, depending on the air fryer.
Yes, quesadillas freeze and reheat well. Freeze whole or cut into triangles. Place in a freezer, zip top bag or airtight container. Reheat in the microwave, air fryer or oven.
What to serve with Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
Keeping with the Bufflalo wings theme, you can serve these cheesy quesadillas with carrot sticks and 2-inch ribs of celery. Here are some shortcut recipes to also serve with them.
Since Buffalo sauce packs the heat, serving them with something cool and soothing like a creamy dip or iced cold drinks is a good plan.
- Shortcut Peach Sweet Tea
- Air Fryer Honey BBQ Wings
- Shortcut Homemade Hot Honey
- Perfectly Crunchy Vidalia Onion Rings
Storage
Quesadillas need to be stored in the refrigerator. They can be stored in an air tight container of zip top bag in the refrigerator for about 4 days. They can be frozen up to one month.
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More shortcut chicken recipes you will love
Shortcut Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Shortcut Thai Chicken Grilled Pizza
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Easy Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ to ½ cup Buffalo wings sauce ( I used Sweet Baby Rays)
- 3 tablespoons Ranch or blue cheese dressing plus more for dipping optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion optional
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken breast
- 4 soft taco flour tortillas (8-inch)
- 2 cups 8 ounces pre-shredded Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
Instructions
- For a creamier Buffalo wing sauce, stir together wing sauce and Ranch dressing in a medium size bowl. Or, leave out theRanch dressing for a more bold flavor. Add the green onions (optional) and shredded chicken.
- Place a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Meanwhile, spread butter on one side of two tortillas and place one in the skillet, butter-side-down, as the skillet is heating up.
- Quickly sprinkle ½ cup of cheese over the tortilla. Dollop 1 cup of the chicken mixture over the cheese and spread to the edges of the tortilla. Sprinkle another ½ cup of cheese over the chicken mixture and top with the other buttered tortilla, butter-side-up.
- While the bottom tortilla is getting brown(about 1 to 2 minutes) and the cheese is starting to melt onto the bottom tortilla, spread butter on the remaining two tortillas.
- When the bottom tortilla is golden brown, flip the quesadilla with a wide flat spatula.
- Repeat the procedure with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
- Cut quesadillas into 4 triangles. If desired, you can drizzle with additional Buffalo and Ranch dressing. Sprinkle with green onions, if you like!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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