Chicken Fajita Sheet Pan Quesadilla

Fresh bell pepper, onion and jalapeño peppers bring delicious flavor to this Chicken Fajita Sheet Pan Quesadilla. It’s the perfect easy weeknight dinner for a hungry crew!

Dinner’s Ready!

The simplicity of a sheet pan dinner meets all the flavor of your favorite fajitas in my new quesadilla recipe. This Chicken Fajita Sheet Pan Quesadilla is everything you need a midweek meal to be. Low on frills but so full of flavor the whole family will love it bite after bite. Fresh bell peppers and jalapeño, fajita seasoning and a rotisserie chicken make this dinner simply delicious.

What is a Sheet Pan Dinner?

A sheet pan meal, or a sheet pan dinner, is an easy, one-pan dinner you make on a sheet pan! It’s one of my favorite ways to prepare dinner for my family without a ton of fuss. My favorite sheet pan recipes are:

• Sheet Pan Beef and Bean Quesadilla
• Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
• Sheet Pan Pizza
• Sheet Pan Chicken and Black Bean Nachos

What’s a sheet pan? A sheet pan (you’ll also hear it called a baking pan, baking sheet or sometimes a rimmed cookie sheet, which is why it can be confusing), is usually a rectangular, flat aluminum pan with a rim around it.

A full sheet pan (that’s what I use) measures about 17″x12″. They’re super versatile and no kitchen is complete without one! Note: a cookie sheet can be another pan entirely, because some, unlike a baking sheet, do not have a raised rim.

Can I use parchment on my sheet pan dinner? Short answer: usually. For this recipe, the tortillas need butter in order to get crispy. So you can use heavy duty foil to keep your pan clean–no parchment–but follow the instructions and butter the foil instead.

In most cases, parchment paper or aluminum foil are great for making clean-up quick! You can use parchment to line your sheet pan unless you’re going to use the broiler. Parchment paper will catch fire under a broiler, so opt for foil in that case.

Ingredients and Supplies

(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details)

Ingredients:

• Bell pepper (any combination of red, green or yellow)
• Onion
• Jalapeño pepper
• Fajita seasoning (taco seasoning works, too!)
• Rotisserie chicken. You can definitely switch it up and use chopped steak or pulled pork in place of the chicken, if desired. You could also leave the meat out completely and just add another layer of cheese under the sautéed vegetables and then the layer of shredded cheese on top of the vegetables
• Shredded Mexican blend cheese. Be sure you use good-melting shredded cheese so the cheese is creamy and melty like a good quesadilla should be.
• Medium size soft flour tortillas. Just make sure they’re at least 8 inches in diameter. Also, make sure they’re soft enough to fold over the fillings. Use medium soft flour tortillas – medium tortillas measure about 8-inches in diameter. The small flour tortillas measure about 6-inches, which is too small to get a good overlap unless you use several more of them. You can use the large burrito size tortillas which measure about 10-inches, but it will take fewer of them to cover the pan. You can use corn tortillas or gluten free tortillas, too! You can also use corn tortillas or gluten-free tortillas, but just make sure they’re at least 8-inches in diameter and that they’re soft enough to easily fold over the filling.
• Butter. The butter on the sheet pans is key to getting that crisp quesadilla texture of the tortillas as it heats and bakes. It also adds great flavor! You could use canola or vegetable oil instead, if desired.

Supplies:

• Large skillet
• 2 – 17″×12″ rimmed sheet pans
• Toothpicks. Using toothpicks to secure everything once you fold the tortillas over each other helps them stay in place while you prep and place the second sheet pan on top.

How to Make a Sheet Pan Quesadilla

• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes or until peppers and onion are tender. Add the chicken and fajita seasoning to the skillet and stir to combine well. Remove from heat.
• Preheat the oven to 425°F. Coat the inside of a 17″×12″ rimmed sheet pan with butter, making sure to cover completely.
• Lay 10 flour tortillas on the sheet pan, starting with the corners and overlapping a bit to cover the entire pan, leaving about two inches hanging over the edge of the pan.
• Spread chicken mixture over the tortillas in the sheet pan.

• Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese.

• Lay three more tortillas, over the cheese, down the middle of the pan. Fold the edges of the tortillas left hanging over the pan to cover the filling completely. Use toothpicks to hold the edges in place, if needed.
• Butter the bottom side of a second rimmed sheet pan. Remove the toothpicks and place the second sheet pan on top of the tortillas, buttered side down, pressing it down just a bit. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove top sheet pan and let bake for another 5-10 minutes or until golden brown all over the top.

How to Serve

To serve, cut into squares and serve with your favorite fajita or quesadilla toppings:

• Sliced avocado
• Guacamole
• Cilantro (see how to clean your cilantro here!)
• Jalapeno slices
• Sour cream
• Pico de gallo
• Homemade Salsa
• Lime wedges

Storage

To store leftovers: Place the squares in an airtight container and store for up to five days in the refrigerator. To reheat, place on a sheet pan in the oven at 300°F to heat through and re-crisp the tortillas. Or reheat in a buttered skillet over medium heat until both sides are crisp and the cheese is melted again.

To freeze: Slice into squares and let cool completely. Place each square in a freezer-safe baggie individually or all together with parchment paper between each slice and then into the freezer. To reheat from frozen, I recommend reheating in the oven, as instructed above, so they don’t get mushy.

If you make this Chicken Fajita Sheet Pan Quesadilla, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! I just love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the ideas I share. Enjoy!

xoxo,

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