Y’all know how I love a good quesadilla, right? My unofficial motto is, “everything is better in a tortilla with cheese.” I have several awesome quesadilla recipes on the website already, but I wanted to make one that was seriously simple and easy enough for quick weeknight meals. These Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas hit the spot with a super short ingredient list and a seriously delicious and creamy flavor.
If you want a vegetarian version of this recipe, go to the post for my Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadillas!
![These Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas are seriously simple, but still deliciously dinner-worthy. Perfect for busy weeknights or picky eaters! Budgetbytes.com A hand pouring red salsa onto a plate of creamy chicken and spinach quesadillas](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Creamy-Chicken-and-Spinach-Quesadillas-V.jpg)
How to Serve Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas
Because the filling in these quesadillas is so rich and creamy, I highly suggest serving this with salsa, instead of sour cream and guacamole, like you’d normally see in a restaurant. The acid in salsa is absolutely perfect for balancing and brightening up the creamy quesadillas. In the photo above I served it with a Chipotle Pepper Salsa (the red one) and a Tomatillo Poblano Salsa (the green one). Both are from Kroger’s Private Selection label.
How Many Does This Serve?
Quesadillas are a little unique because you can either eat them as a side dish, or a meal on their own. I’m sure the preferred serving size will vary quite a bit from person to person (I ate one, my boyfriend at three), so I’m just pricing them out per quesadilla. You can decide your own serving size. ;)
![These Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas are seriously simple, but still deliciously dinner-worthy. Perfect for busy weeknights or picky eaters! Budgetbytes.com A hand dipping a piece of Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas into a dish of salsa](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Creamy-Chicken-and-Spinach-Quesadillas-dip-in-salsa.jpg)
Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas
![A plate of Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas with two dishes of salsa and a cilantro garnish](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Creamy-Chicken-and-Spinach-Quesadillas-with-salsa-500x500.jpg)
Ingredients
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) ($2.97)
- 3/4 tsp chili powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 cups fresh spinach ($0.87)
- 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded ($1.00)
- 1/2 cup sour cream ($0.35)
- 4 8-inch flour tortillas ($0.96)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast on a cutting board and cover with a piece of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or mallet to briefly pound the chicken breast to an even thickness (this should only take 15-20 seconds). This will help it cook quickly and evenly without drying out.
- Combine the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture over both sides of the chicken breast.
- Heat the cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast and cook on each side until cooked through (about 5 minutes each side, use a thermometer to make sure the internal temperature reaches 165ºF). Allow the chicken to cool for 5 minutes on a clean cutting board, then chop into tiny pieces.
- While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Add the chopped chicken, spinach, cheese, and sour cream in a bowl and stir until evenly combined.
- Divide the filling between four tortillas, then fold the tortillas closed. Place the quesadillas (one or two at a time) in a skillet* over medium heat. Cook on each side until the tortillas are brown and crispy, and the filling is melted (3-5 minutes each side). Slice each quesadilla in half and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Quesadillas are life. <— I need a t-shirt that says that.
![These Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas are seriously simple, but still deliciously dinner-worthy. Perfect for busy weeknights or picky eaters! Budgetbytes.com A plate of Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas with two dishes of salsa and a cilantro garnish](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Creamy-Chicken-and-Spinach-Quesadillas-with-salsa.jpg)
How to Make Creamy Chicken Quesadillas – Step by Step Photos
![Chicken Breast covered in plastic wrap being pounded with a rolling pin](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Pound-Chicken-Breast.jpg)
Cover a boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) with a piece of plastic wrap and pound it to an even thickness using a rolling pin or mallet. This helps the chicken cook quickly and evenly in the skillet, preventing it from drying out before the thick end cooks through.
![Chicken breast seasoned with chili spices](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Season-Chicken-Breast.jpg)
In a small bowl, combine 3/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken breast.
![Cooked Seasoned Chicken Breast in a skillet](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Cook-Seasoned-Chicken-Breast.jpg)
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the seasoned chicken and cook on both sides until cooked through (about 5 minutes each side). I highly suggest getting a simple instant read meat thermometer (affiliate link) to take the guess work out of this. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
![Chopped Cooked Chicken](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Chop-Cooked-Chicken-Breast.jpg)
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean cutting board, let it rest for five minutes, then chop it into small pieces. Small is critical here. Once you think that it’s in small pieces, chop it up a little more. ;)
![Chopped spinach](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Chopped-Spinach.jpg)
While the chicken is cooking, roughly chop about 2 cups of fresh spinach.
![Quesadilla filling ingredients in a bowl](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Combine-Quesadilla-Ingredients-in-Bowl.jpg)
Add the chopped chicken, spinach, 4oz. shredded Monterey Jack (1/2 of an 8 oz. block), and 1/2 cup sour cream to a bowl. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
![Quesadilla filling covering half of a tortilla](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Fill-Tortilla-with-Quesadilla-Filling.jpg)
Divide the filling mixture between four 8″ flour tortillas (I spread it over half) and then fold them closed.
![Cooked Quesadilla in a skillet](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Cook-Quesadilla-in-Skillet.jpg)
Cook the quesadillas one or two at a time in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the the tortillas are brown and crispy and the filling is hot and melted (3-5 minutes each side). I prefer to not use oil in the skillet (it doesn’t stick), but you can if you prefer a more fried texture to the tortillas.
![Quesadillas on a cutting board, cut in half](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Cut-Cooked-Quesadilla.jpg)
After cooking in the skillet, transfer them to a cutting board and slice in half, then serve.
![These Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas are seriously simple, but still deliciously dinner-worthy. Perfect for busy weeknights or picky eaters! Budgetbytes.com Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas on a plate with two types of salsa](https://www.budgetbytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Creamy-Chicken-and-Spinach-Quesadillas-plated.jpg)
I definitely like to serve these Creamy Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas with salsa to balance the creamy filling. It’s absolute perfection. 👌
This chicken is FABULOUS! I made extra to not ONLY make these quesadillas, but also for ANYTHING later. I added smoked paprika, because that’s what I always do, but it didn’t need it. Thank you, Beth!
I added caramelized onion and used mozzarella cheese that I already had, and it was really good