Tender seasoned chicken, crispy bacon, a drizzle of Ranch Dressing and of course plenty of cheese, and you’ve got one mighty fine quesadilla. These Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas, Chilis style, are an inexpensive easy dinner and so satisfying with flavor. Let’s take a look.
One really doesn’t need a recipe to make a quesadilla, but if you’re looking for quesadilla filling ideas that are out of this world, you must try this version for Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas. A copycat recipe from Chili’s Restaurant.
Quesadillas are such versatile Mexican food that can be prepared for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even an appetizer. All you need are flour or corn tortillas, and some simple filling. Cheese being customary and somewhat required to make that perfect little pocket of goodness hold together so you can dip into your favorite pico de gallo or salsa.
For this quesadilla creation, I’m taking a cue from Chili’s restaurant and making a copycat version of their Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas. A super easy treat that’s incredibly high on the flavor scale. Who can resist bacon and ranch dressing?
You can serve flour tortilla quesadillas on their own, but if you’re looking to make it a heartier meal, I always like serving them with Toasted Mexican Green Rice.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
A few of our favorite Southwestern ingredients to make one dynamite quesadilla. Who can resist crispy fried bacon, ranch dressing and lots of cheese.
- Flour Tortillas – 8 or 10 “
- Seasoned and shredded Chicken breast. I like to use New Mexico Red Chile Powder to season the chicken breast before baking and shredding the meat. You can also use Taco Seasoning, chili seasoning, or my Southwest Spice Blend.
- Pico de Gallo
- Bacon bits. Cook your own bacon and cut it into small bites.
- Shredded Cheese: Make it your own. I like to use Sargento Fiesta Pepper Jack Cheese. You can use cheddar, Monterey Jack or even Muenster.
- Ranch Dressing. Make homemade, or purchase your favorite brand.
- Sour Cream: Optional for serving.
- Butter: Room temperature. For frying and browning the flour tortillas.
See recipe card for quantities.
Pro Tip: Purchase good quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese in bags includes additives to keep it from clumping, which will also compromise the melting factor. Grating cheese from a block of cheese will result in a creamier and more consistent melting experience. Plus, it’s less expensive.
Instructions
- Step 1: Use a spreader knife to smear softened butter on one side of each flour tortilla.
- Step 2: Turn the buttered side down and start adding the toppings, shredded cheese first, to half of each flour tortilla. Leave a bit of a naked edge.
- Step 3: Sprinkle on shredded chicken, bacon bits and a drizzle of ranch dressing.
- Step 4: Place one flour tortilla, buttered side down, in a heated skillet. Let it cook until browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.
- Step 5: Use a spatula to fold the bare side of the tortilla over the filling. Just like you would when making an omelette. Let it sit for about 30 seconds to make sure the cheese is nice and melty.
- Step 6: Place the quesadilla on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to gently saw back and forth and cut the quesadilla into wedges.
Hint: Once the quesadilla is folded, I like to turn off the heat place a lid over the pan for about 30 seconds. This will insure that the ingredients inside are nice and hot, and cheese is melted well.
Variations
- Gluten Free: You can make these quesadillas with corn tortillas, to make these gluten free quesadillas.
- Deluxe – These chicken bacon ranch quesadillas would be great topped with a spoonful of Chunky Guacamole.
- Kid friendly – Want to cut back on the spice? Substitute spicy chile powders with smoked paprika to season the chicken.
- Make It Even Easier: This quesadilla is super easy, but want to make it even easier? Use a purchased rotisserie chicken and shred the meat.
Love quesadillas? See this recipe for Queso Fresco Quesadillas on my website!
Equipment
Any fry pan will work to make this quesadilla. But keep in mind, different types of pans will generate different types of heat. I’ve used a non-stick pan for this recipe. Non-stick pans don’t generate intense heat like a cast iron skillet, so cooking times will vary. Keep heat at medium high and use a spatula to keep peeking at the progress of the browning of the tortilla.
Storage
Store any leftover quesadilla wedges in plastic wrap, or plastic baggie in the refrigerator for up to three days. I reheat them for a few seconds in the microwave.
Quick Pico de Gallo
I always have a couple of jars of Homemade Pickled Jalapeno Peppers in the refrigerator and use them to make a quick pico de gallo. Just chop them, add some chopped onion and fresh tomato. Pour in some of the pickling juice and stir.
You can also make Homemade Pico de Gallo using my recipe. And almost every grocery store will carry a container of pico de gallo in their refrigerator section.
FAQ
For this recipe, I’ve used Sargento’s Fiesta Jack Cheese. It’s a soft cheese with great flavor and it melts very nicely. Monterey Jack Cheese, Pepper Jack Cheese, a good quality cheddar and even Muenster is a great melting white cheese. If you have a good Mexican produce section at your local store, look for Queso Asadero,
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
And if you love Mexican Food as much as we do, don’t miss my category for Mexican and Southwest Recipes. You’ll find lots of great South of the Border recipes, including the most popular on my site for this easy Mexican Casserole with Tortillas and Ground Beef.
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas:
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas, Chilis Copycat
Ingredients
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast Baked, seasoned and shredded
- 1 cup Cheese shredded
- 4 slices bacon cooked and cut into bits
- 4 Tablespoons Ranch dressing divided among the quesadillas
- 2 Tablespoons Butter softened and divided to spread on the flour tortillas
- Pico de gallo, sour cream and more ranch dressing for serving
Instructions
- Use a spreader knife to butter one side of each flour tortilla.
- Turn the buttered side down and start adding the toppings, shredded cheese first, to half of the flour tortilla. Leave a bit of a naked edge.
- Sprinkle on shredded chicken, bacon bits and a drizzle of ranch dressing on ½ of each flour tortilla.
- Place one flour tortilla, buttered side down, in a heated skillet. Let it cook until browned, about 3 – 4 minutes.
- Use a spatula to fold the bare side of the tortilla over the filling. Just like you would when making an omelette. Let is sit for about 30 seconds to make sure the cheese is nice and melty.
- Place the quesadilla on a cutting board. Use a serrated knife to gently saw back and forth and cut the quesadilla into wedges.
Notes
- Once the quesadilla is folded, I like to turn off the heat place a lid over the pan for about 30 seconds. This will insure that the ingredients inside are nice and hot, and cheese is melted well.
- Allow about 30 minutes for butter to come to room temperature so it will be easy to spread.
- Along with Ranch Dressing for dipping and Pico de Gallo, Chilis also serves these quesadillas with Sour Cream.
Nutrition
Chilis Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas … They’re What’s For Dinner
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These sound outstanding. I’ve made chicken and cheese quesadillas and maybe even with bacon but never with ranch dressing – an idea I really like. These will definitely be made here.