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
I’m obsessed with this recipe. I started my weight loss journey but of course still craved those foods that felt “unhealthy.” These truly are the perfect alternative and I am so happy that I can eat quesadillas that are protein packed and delicious all while still meeting my goals. This recipe can be time consuming if you only have a stovetop skillet rather than a larger griddle but it is totally worth it and you get the hang of it!
Make these all the time now. Mostly have them for breakfast /lunch. Super easy to make and so delicious. Not bad on the macros either which is nice for those counting like I am. Easily my favorite recipe I’ve tried, although the s’mores cookie sandwiches are a very close second.
I make these every 10 days or so. I make just the filling, separate it into 8 servings, then make quesadillas for a few days. My daughter loves them too!
This has become a staple in our house. My 9 year old son regularly asks me to make it. It’s easy, quick, and full of protein. I’ve used ground turkey as well as turkey bacon in a pinch and it always turns out great.
Can these be frozen for later use?
I bet they’d be a great freezer friendly snack. Especially if you have an air fryer to reheat or the time to reheat in an oven. I typically reheat things like tacos in the air fryer for 5-ish minutes at 325ºF.
Can you use any kind of chicken or only ground chicken . Like precooked chicken or chopped up chicken breasts
Great question. I’m sure you could use some pre-cooked chicken breast/thighs or even rotisserie chicken. I’d use something like 12 ounces of cooked chicken in place of the ground chicken. Let me know if you try it out!
I never comment on recipes…. These quesadillas are insane and “healthy…ish”. I love all your stuff, thank you for doing what you do!
Thanks, Kyle! Glad you enjoyed these.
I tried your recipe and it worked out great!!! Thank you, I used bigger tortilla shells just because I didn’t read your recipe right lol but it was quick and tasted SOOOO good.
Sounds like a happy accident. Glad you enjoyed this one. Thanks for letting me know!
Do the macros include the wrap or just the filling?
Whole thing!
I made these quesadillas using a griddle which was super convenient for making multiple. This recipe was delicious and also had fairly low WW points!