With only 5 ingredients, these extra cheesy ground chicken quesadillas are one of the easiest recipes you’ll find on my blog. They have 25 grams of protein and 15 grams of carbs each, and they’re great reheated as leftovers. Need a high protein snack, look no further!
In ques you’re a visual learner, I’ve included a recipe walkthrough with photos below. You’ll find a complete printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. If you have a recipe question I don’t cover, leave a comment at the bottom of the post and I’ll help you out.
Step 1: Cook six slices of bacon.
No more. No less. Six slices.
You can cook whole slices and crumble after cooking if you’d like. Like I mentioned in air fryer breakfast pizza recipe, cutting the bacon before cooking leads to faster, more evenly cooked bacon.
Step 2: Drain the bacon grease and cook ground chicken. Add the bacon and ranch seasoning to the cooked ground chicken.
Unlike my loaded ground beef and potatoes skillet, this recipe calls for draining the bacon grease. I hate for it to go to waste, but you don’t want your quesadillas turning into a greasy mess.
If you’re unfamiliar with ranch seasoning, you can buy it in individual packets or in large shaker bottles. I like investing in the bigger bottle to make everything from the Greek yogurt dip you see in photos here to chipotle ranch chicken burgers.
Step 3: Add tortillas to a griddle or skillet and top one half with cheese, the ground chicken mixture, and more cheese. Fold and cook until golden brown.
I’ve put the exact measurements of how much of the ground chicken mixture and cheese you need for each tortilla in the recipe card. If you don’t have a food scale, get one. But in the meantime, you can just eyeball it. The photo above should give you a decent idea of what they quesadillas look like during assembly.
I used the same Mission Carb Balance tortillas I used for my Korean chicken and kimchi quesadillas and chorizo quesadillas, but you can use any tortilla you want! If you’ve seen my air fryer quesadillas recipe, corn and flour blended tortillas make amazing quesadillas.
Pro tip: Be sure to use freshly shredded cheddar. It’ll melt 157x better than pre-shredded, and that melty goodness comes in handy when making something like quesadillas.
Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
The dip you see is a simple mix of fat free Greek yogurt and a pinch or two of ranch seasoning mixed with a splash of hot sauce. You can get creative with it. My buffalo chicken bites and air fryer buffalo tuna patties work some light mayo in for an extra creamy dip.
That’s all folks. Enjoy your ground chicken quesadillas! And in case you’re interested in another 5-ingredient recipe with ground chicken, check out my cheesy Italian chicken pasta next.
Bacon Ranch Ground Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Chicken, 97/3
- 6 slices Bacon, cut into strips
- 2 Tbsp Ranch Seasoning
- 8 oz Cheddar, shredded
- 8 Tortillas, I used 6″ Mission Carb Balance tortillas
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel and drain the remaining grease.
- Add the ground chicken and cook until no pink remains.
- Add the ranch seasoning and bacon pieces back to the cooked ground chicken. Stir well until no visible ranch seasoning remains. Transfer the ground chicken mixture to a bowl or plate and set aside.
- Place the same skillet or a large griddle over medium-low to medium heat. Spray with a tiny bit of cooking spray and add tortilla(s).
- Place 2 tablespoons (14g) of cheese on one half of each tortilla, followed by the ground chicken mixture (about 40-45g) and another 2 tablespoons of cheese.
- Use a spatula to gently fold the tortilla in half, holding the top half closed for a few seconds to melt the top layer of cheese. Cook for another 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown. (Decrease the heat if your tortillas are browning too quickly.)
Notes
More Quesadilla Filling Options
- Crispy Pork Tenderloin Carnitas
- The filling from my Cheesy Beef Baked Tacos
- Shredded Buffalo Chicken
This recipe is amazing- and macro friendly! With 2 active kiddos, full time work and sports in full swing….I make this at least once a week for a nutritious meal that fits into my macros and we are all totally satisfied with full guilt free bellies! I usually double up the recipe to have left overs that I can toss into a salad the next day as a quick work lunch!
My kids love these! I had to triple the recipe because they couldn’t get enough. Thank you for making such yummy recipes that my entire family can enjoy together. 🙂
My family and I were on a bit of a time crunch, so I made these. My 6 year old daughter (pickiest eater I know) ate these and asked for more. Highly recommend. There weren’t any leftovers but we paired these with some bean dip and were quite full.
This recipe is fantastic! I’ve used ground turkey and beef with this recipe with success. One tip is to have everything measured out and in individual bowls ready to go before you start cooking. These cook fast also which is helpful when you have starving teenage boys. Lol! I made 3-4 at a time on my griddle and they always get gobbled up in no time!
I used this recipe as inspiration for a last minute dinner. I didn’t have ground chicken so I used ground beef. Didn’t use ranch but did keep the bacon. added onion flakes and some Trader Joe’s Ajika seasoning. Added some pickle slices when served. It was delish. I can’t wait to try the recipe as written. I usually do that first, then adjust or adapt.
Huge win with this recipe. My husband is a plain cheese quesadilla kind of guy, but he loved these. We found the flavor amazing and very filling. In fact I meal planned and made up the bacon ranch chicken and these are my lunch this week with the non fat greek yogurt ranch dip. So delicious and easy! I require gluten free and this was delicious with the Mission Almond Flour tortillas!
Oh this is going into our regular rotation!!! Paired with the Greek yogurt dip it is phenomenal and so easy. I threw in some sautéed onions/garlic tonight. *chefs kiss*
Recommend 10/10 my sons and grandkids absolutely loved it! This meal will definitely make it in my recipe box under favorites. If you’re on a budget definitely isn’t to make something fast to cook up when you’re not sure what you wanna make for dinner or even for snack he gets definitely two thumbs up from my family
Absolute winner right out of the gate!