Cheesy Hot Honey Chicken Quesadillas (Printable Version)

Crisp tortillas filled with spicy honey-glazed chicken and melted cheese, topped with cooling jalapeño cream.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1 teaspoon onion powder
06 - 1 teaspoon salt
07 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
08 - 0.33 cup honey
09 - 2 to 3 tablespoons hot sauce, adjust to taste

→ Jalapeño Cream Sauce

10 - 1 cup sour cream
11 - 1 to 2 fresh jalapeños, deseeded and finely chopped
12 - 1 teaspoon lime juice
13 - 0.5 teaspoon salt

→ Quesadillas

14 - 8 large flour tortillas
15 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
16 - 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
17 - 2 tablespoons butter for grilling
18 - Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish, optional

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, toss chicken with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and fully cooked. In a small bowl, whisk together honey and hot sauce, pour over cooked chicken, toss well to coat, and keep warm.
02 - In a bowl, mix together sour cream, chopped jalapeños, lime juice, and salt. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
03 - Lay a flour tortilla flat. Sprinkle about 1 eighth of the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese over one half. Top with a portion of the hot honey chicken. Add a little more cheese, then fold the tortilla in half or top with a second tortilla if making full quesadillas.
04 - Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt a little butter. Cook each quesadilla for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove from skillet and let rest for 1 minute before cutting into wedges.
05 - Drizzle or serve with jalapeño cream sauce. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The sweet and spicy hot honey sauce hits different on melted cheese and tender chicken, creating this addictive flavor you can't quite stop eating.
  • Thirty minutes from start to finish means you can pull this together while someone's still texting you about their day.
  • The jalapeño cream sauce cools everything down in the best way, so even people nervous about spice will actually enjoy it.
02 -
  • Don't skip whisking the honey and hot sauce together in a separate bowl first, because dumping them cold onto hot chicken means the honey won't coat evenly and you'll end up with some bites that are underwhelming.
  • Fresh jalapeños matter for the cream sauce way more than you'd think, because jarred ones change the texture and make it taste more like a condiment than something intentional.
03 -
  • Make the jalapeño cream sauce an hour ahead if you can, because the flavors actually deepen and meld when given time to sit in the fridge.
  • If you're cooking for a crowd, assemble all the quesadillas first, then cook them in batches so you're not standing there making them one at a time while people get restless.
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