Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas
Serving hot Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas with melted cheese and secret ingredient that packs a punch of flavor!
Life is too short to eat mediocre quesadillas.
At least that’s my philosophy. When dining out, there are usually so many intriguing options, I steer clear of plain-jane chicken quesadillas on the menu.
However, cooking quesadillas at home provides the opportunity to bump the flavor to new levels of goodness.
I like to sneak in unexpected ingredients, like a veggie you wouldn’t normally find in quesadillas, or something to add a little zip.
Recently I made a batch of quesadillas that my family absolutely adored.
I call them Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas, because of the zippy sauce the chicken is cooked in.
Want to try them?
Sauté the chicken in a blend of Musselman’s Apple Butter, cayenne pepper sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
The apple butter provides a deep rich sweetness that creates a perfect base for this spicy, tangy sauce.
Once the chicken is coated in the secret sauce, layer it on top of tortillas with cheese, seared red onions, bell peppers, and fresh cilantro.
Cover with more cheese and a second tortilla. Then flip when golden.
The tangy chicken offers a huge punch of flavor, along with the sweet onions and peppers.
Melted cheese oozes down over the fresh ingredients. Perfectly crispy tortillas hold these Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas together creating a quesadilla recipe that is impossible to resist.
Who knew apple butter had the power to revive boring quesadillas?!
Good News – Musselman’s Apple Butter is now made without high fructose corn syrup, so you can feel even better about enjoying all your favorite apple buttery recipes.
These 10-Ingredient Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas will be hit on your dinner table, or as an appetizer at your next party.
Think about adding them to your Super Bowl Menu this year. Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas can be made in a hurry, and are always followed by smiles!
Sweet and Tangy Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pound chicken breast or tenders
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup Musselman's Apple Butter
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper sauce
- 4 teaspoons Musselman's Apple Cider Vinegar
- 8 large wheat tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat a large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat. Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. When the skillet is hot, add the sliced onions and sear for 2 minutes to soften and char the edges, flipping once. Move the onions to a plate and sear the sliced peppers for 2 minutes until slightly charred. Move the peppers to the plate as well.
- Add the butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the chicken pieces. Salt and pepper liberally, then brown for 2 minutes per side. Add the apple butter, cayenne pepper sauce, and vinegar. Stir to combine and let the mixture simmer another 2 minutes. Then turn off the heat and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce. Move the chicken to the holding plate as well.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the first tortilla to a clean nonstick skillet. Sprinkle it with a heaping 1/4 cup cheese. Spread one-quarter of the onions, peppers, and chicken over the top. Then sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup cheese over the top and cover with a second tortilla.
- Wait to flip the quesadilla until the bottom tortilla is golden brown, and the cheese has started to melt to hold everything together. Place a flat spatula under the bottom tortilla, and another on the top tortilla. Then quickly flip the quesadilla. Brown the bottom tortilla, then move to a warming drawer or warm oven to keep crisp. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Once all 4 quesadillas of cooked, cut them into wedges and serve warm!
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Musselman’s Apple Butter. All apple-loving opinions are my own.
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These sound yummy!
One question: Would the cayenne pepper sauce be Tabasco or Sriachia or something else? Thank you!
Hi Diana, I use Frank’s RedHot… It’s like buffalo sauce.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=as_li_qf_sp_sr_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=franks%20redhot&linkCode=as2&tag=aspiper-20&linkId=EHB4S4QCONVNELJE
That makes sense. Thank you so much!
This is a good idea. For years my favorite pizza has been an apple butter pizza served at a Swiss-Italian pizzeria. It’s not on the menu, but old timers remember from when it was. The combination of a superior crust, apple butter and good quality mozzarella cheese (not as easy to find as you might think) is out of this world. Add some tangy ingredients, and I can well imagine how good these quesadillas would be. This is a recipe I am definitely trying!
yum!! these are going to be perfect for super bowl parties!
A perfect quesadilla recipe for all my boys!
That’s brilliant! These quesadillas look irresistible…even my girls would love them.
A little sweet and savory never hurt anybody. Admittedly, I’ve mostly reserved apple butter for baked goods, but I’m open to all the ways in which it can be used!
Making these for dinner tomorrow night!!
Apple butter to quesadilla is such a good idea.
I love easy quesadillas. It was my go to dinner while in my 20’s. Couldn’t even tell ya how often I made them – it was A LOT!
Love these cheesy gems!
This looks so good and I love how easy it is to put together!
I almost had forgotten how much I love quesadillas until I saw these. Dang! They look amazing.
Happy New Year Sommer!
I could eat these right now for breakfast!!
These look great Sommer!!
These look awesome.
Chicken Quesadillas have always be my favorite late night snack. These look just like the ones I’d get at R. Thomas Grill in Atlanta after working the midnight shift.
Funny, mine never looked this good at home. I guess I should take this as inspiration to practice.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
GK
Brilliant!!! Quesadillas at home are a favorite of mine!