Weeknight Cooking

Overstuffed Chicken & Broccoli Quesadillas

March 22, 2020
4.7
10 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Brooke Deonarine.
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I have become an unabashed fan of the overstuffed tortilla. Those slight little triangles with only a smattering of cheese and a sprinkling of filling are not for me. Give me a quesadilla with height and weight over a delicate wedge any day. These are jammed with a medley of vegetables and a generous amount of shredded chicken (which you can get by cooking and shredding your own chicken breasts, or taking a supermarket rotisserie and tearing it up with your hands), and then it’s all bound together with a pile of cheese. And that’s before we get to the toppings: guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. —Katie Workman

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: How to Turn a Rotisserie Chicken Into Dinner (3 Ideas for Tonight). —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup roughly chopped spinach or kale
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (optional)
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (see Author Notes)
  • 4 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
  • 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded white cheddar, or another type of combo or shredded cheese
  • Guacamole, sour cream, and salsa, for serving
Directions
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable or olive oil. Add the onion and broccoli, season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 3 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Add the spinach, garlic, and chili powder and stir for another minute until you can smell the garlic, the spinach is wilted, and everything is well combined. Stir in the cilantro if using, turn the mixture into a bowl, and stir in the chicken until everything is blended.
  2. Wash and dry the skillet (or grab a new skillet). Place the skillet over medium heat and add a half teaspoon of butter. Place a tortilla in the pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over half of the quesadilla, and distribute 1/8 of the chicken and vegetable mixture over the cheese. Top that with another 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese. Flip the bare half of the tortilla over the filling, cover the pan, and sauté for about 2 minutes until the bottom is golden and the cheese has started to melt, then use a spatula to flip the half-moon quesadilla. Continue to cook, uncovered, until all of the cheese is melted and the underside is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. You can cook two at a time, if you nestle them in the pan with the flat sides of the half moons abutting each other.
  3. Remove the quesadilla to a cutting board and let it sit for a minute before you slice into 2 or 3 wedges. Repeat until all of the quesadillas are cooked. Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

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Author of The Mom 100 Cookbook and themom100.com blog. A New Yorker, cook, and mom, I don't sit still very much.

6 Reviews

FrugalCat November 15, 2024
I did this with the 1/4 folded tortilla hack from TikTok. At my house we call it "foldini" I did one quadrant chicken shreds, one quadrant cheese, one quadrant broccoli (chop it fine) and last quadrant spinach and onion.
beverly I. August 14, 2024
hi there! not a review but a suggestion for this and similar recipes involving tortillas. some years ago in Cook’s Illustrated i learned this genius treatment for tortillas. lightly brush one side of a tortilla w veg oil and lightly sprinkle w kosher salt. the tortilla crisps beautifully on its outer oiled side. the light salting adds immeasurably to the taste.
i have always considered it genius tip worthy!

beverly
gillenlaw@aol.com May 19, 2024
This was fantastic. Easy to make and very filling and healthy! 5 stars!
Angela April 18, 2024
Such a wonderful mid-week meal. Comes together easily. I didn’t have left-over chicken, so tossed some chicken thighs on the grill.
alka A. October 21, 2020
Great recipe. And very easy and quick
oliviar0384 August 12, 2020
Thanks!! My family loved it