Taco Bell offers some quick and delicious quesadilla options: cheese, chicken, or steak. Besides these traditional quesadillas, the chain also offers Quesaritos, quesadillas wrapped with ingredients and rolled up like a burrito. My kids don’t like anything too exciting, but cheese and chicken quesadillas are a staple around here, so even when I can’t get to a Taco Bell location, I can still make a few at home with this simple Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla recipe.
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is how easy it is to tweak it. I can make a vegetarian option or a chicken option. In the interest of time, I like to use the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from my local supermarket and shred it with two forks. If I don’t have the “right” cheese, I can use any cheese I have. I even switch between using flour tortillas and corn tortillas. Taco Bell offers their quesadillas with a three-cheese blend and a creamy Jalapeño Sauce that you simply can’t pass up. We’ll show you how to make that in the recipe below.
Besides this, Taco Bell also offers upgrades like extra nacho cheese sauce, onions, sour cream, or spicy Ranch, but since this is a recipe you’re making from home, you can add any sauce or topping you wish. Luckily for me, my kids prefer sour cream and nothing else, so I get the Jalapeño sauce all to myself. Here’s how to prepare your own Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla.
Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla Recipe
Ingredients
For the Quesadillas
- 8 medium flour tortillas
- 4 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterray Jack cheese
- 8 slices American cheese
For the Sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp juice from jar of pickled jalapeños
- 3 tbsp minced pickled jalapeños
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ceyenne pepper
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
For the Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayo, jalapeño juice, minced jalapeños, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Season with kosher salt, and place in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
For the Quesadillas
- In another medium bowl, add the cooked, shredded chicken. Toss the chicken with half of the quesadilla sauce. Set the rest aside for dipping. (Omit this step if someone has a sensitivity to spicy foods.)
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add a flour tortilla. Top with 2 slices of American cheese and ½ cup chicken, then sprinkle with ½ cup Monterey Jack. Place the second tortilla on top. Cook until the bottom tortilla is golden, about 2 minutes. Then flip and cook until the second tortilla is golden and the cheese has melted, about 2 more minutes.
- Repeat this process with the remaining ingredients to make 3 more quesadillas. Slice into wedges and serve warm with remaining sauce for dipping.
Notes
- If you don't have pre-cooked chicken, simply boil boneless skinless chicken breasts for about 20 minutes, and shred with two forks. I like to use the pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from my local supermarket to save time.
- This can be a vegetarian meal by omitting the chicken altogether.
If you like this Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla, check out our Taco Bell Quesarito recipe.
