Quesadillas are one of our go-to busy weeknight dinners because everyone loves them and they’re easy to make. So I dreamed up a sauce to bring adult flavors to a family favorite! Plus, cooking on the Blackstone is one of my favorite ways to spend a summer evening. If you agree, checkout our Blackstone Chicken Fajitas.
Looking for More Recipes Like This?
Then you’ve got to try our cheeseburger quesadilla. It’s packed with favorite burger flavors.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Jalapeño Ranch – This fresh and slightly spicy dip/sauce is the perfect companion for this meal. But if you look at the ingredients and just know that it’s not your thing, you could use our cilantro lime sauce instead.
- chicken thighs – Dark meat helps to make these quesadilla even more juicy, but you could easily swap these out with chicken breasts. Just adjust the cook time.
- bacon slices – Make a batch for breakfast and save the extras to be used for dinner.
- taco tortillas – These are about 6-inch tortillas and make the perfect size quesadillas. Avoid street taco and burrito tortillas as these will be too small and too large.
- toppings – To keep this meal quick, we usually just go out and grab some pico de gallo, guac, and sour cream from our local grocery store.
How To Make Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
Recipe Variations
One of the reasons we love quesadillas is because of how versatile they are. Want to add some onions or other veggies? Go for it! Want to add some more heat by adding some jalapeño slices? Sure! Wanna hold the meat all together? You do you. And if Jalapeño ranch isn’t your thing, try our cilantro yogurt sauce, chipotle lime sauce, or some chimichurri sauce.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- I don’t have a Blackstone – No problem. You could cook these up in a cast iron skillet or even in the oven.
- make it ahead – Make a double batch of blackstone chicken thighs earlier in the week and save half to use in these bacon chicken ranch quesadillas
- What is the secret to a crispy quesadilla? Make sure your cooktop is at medium-high heat and be sure to let them cook equal amounts on each side. Once cooked, let them rest for a minute before digging in.
- What to marinate chicken in for quesadillas – We did a simple soy sauce marinade, but you could always use our best chicken marinade, which calls for a few more ingredients.
- Should I cook quesadillas in oil or butter? Butter will provide a rich flavor and a golden brown quesadilla, but since it has a low smoke point, this could cause burning. Olive oil has a higher smoke point and therefore can yield a crispier quesadilla with a smaller chance for burning, but it won’t provide the rich flavor that comes with butter.
If you make and love these bacon ranch chicken quesadillas as much as we do, we would appreciate you taking a minute to leave a star rating and review!
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Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Blackstone
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our ultimate Chicken Quesadilla recipe that is made on a Blackstone griddle is perfect for a delicious weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
Jalapeño Ranch:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream (regular or dairy-free)
- 1 jalapeño, cut into large pieces with seeds + membrane removed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Chicken Quesadillas:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened (regular or plant-based)
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- extra virgin olive oil (sub avocado oil)
- kosher salt & ground black pepper
- 6 bacon slices, cut into 1 inch pieces or in half?
- 6 soft taco tortillas
- 4 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese (regular or dairy-free)
Serving Suggestions:
- pico de gallo
- jalapeño slices
- guacamole
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: Place chicken in a glass bowl or shallow baking dish and add 1/4 cup soy sauce; toss to coat. Set aside while you prep the remaining items.
- Make Jalapeño Ranch: Put all of the jalapeño ranch ingredients in a small food processor or blender. Blend on high until fully combined and creamy. Taste and adjust any flavors according to your personal preferences.
- Garlic Butter: Combine the butter and minced garlic in a small bowl; set aside.
- Cook Chicken: Bring flat-top griddle to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread over the cooktop. Remove chicken thighs from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place chicken on the hot cooktop and season with salt and pepper. Close lid and let cook 2-3 minutes. Open and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Then add about 1 tablespoon garlic butter. Close lid and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Open and flip chicken. Season other side of chicken with salt and pepper, add another tablespoon of garlic butter. Let chicken cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 162 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
- Cook Bacon: While the chicken cooks, place the bacon on the same cooktop to cook for a few minutes to your desired crispness. Remove and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel.
- Rest Chicken: Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- Make Quesadilla: Place 3 tortillas on the hot flat top, add cheese, chicken, and bacon to half of each tortilla. Use a large spatula to fold each tortilla over the fillings. Cook both sides until cheese is melted through. Remove and repeat this process with the remaining tortillas and filling ingredients.
- Serve: Cut quesadillas into triangles and enjoy by dipping in the Jalapeño Ranch. Option to enjoy with pico de gallo, extra jalapeño slices or guacamole!
Notes
- Dairy Free: use a plant-based butter, dairy-free shredded cheese, and dairy-free sour cream in the jalapeño ranch dressing.
- Gluten Free: grab your favorite gluten-free tortillas from your local grocery store.
- Blackstone vs. Skillet: feel free to make these in a cast iron skillet if you don’t have a flat-top or Blackstone griddle.
- Meal Prep: option to prep the chicken, bacon, and ranch ahead of time for a super quick and easy dinner!
- Storage: leftover quesadillas can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just be sure to keep the ranch dip in a separate container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 quesadilla
- Calories: 551
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 806.9 mg
- Fat: 41.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.1 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 27.4 g
- Cholesterol: 136.4 mg
Other Blackstone Recipes You Might Like
- Our Blackstone Fried Rice went viral on social media for a reason. So So good!
- Blackstone chicken tacos also use chicken thigh meat and are to die for.
- My latest and greatest Blackstone invention are these chicken caesar smash burger tacos.
- These Blackstone breakfast burritos are so much fun to cook up on a weekend morning.
Olivia says
It is blowing my mind that this recipe doesn’t already have like a million comments. This was restaurant quality. SO good. I never make my own sauces but the jalapeño ranch came together so quickly and easily and was delish. Subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream!
Erin says
Aw thank you, Olivia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe (and that yummy ranch!!) – thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it!