Air fryer chicken quesadilla in a sour cream sauce
Get the recipe for this air fryer chicken quesadilla that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, a perfect dish for lunch or dinner.
This Recipe includes
Main ingredients:
Chicken – skinless boneless chicken that is not frozen or has been defrosted | |
Vegetable oil with a high smoking point like avocado, sunflower, or peanut oil. | |
Tortilla wraps – large flour or whole wheat tortilla wraps | |
Shredded cheese – any type of shredded hard cheese like cheddar, gruyère, emmental, etc. | |
Pinch of salt and pepper |
Accents for the sauce:
Sour cream – any type of plain sour cream, including full or low fat. You can also use greek yogurt, if you wish | |
Basil – dried or fresh basil | |
Garlic powder or flakes | |
Parsley – fresh parsley leaves for flavor and scent | |
Paprika – for a hint of spice | |
Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice for flavor |
Why we love it
Chicken and cheese, if there ever was a winning combination this is it! These delicious Mexican-style chicken quesadillas are a quick and easy meal to whip up for any occasion. Cooked in a sour cream sauce and stuffed with cheese, there is a creaminess and lightness to the dish that is bound to please even the pickiest eaters.
Now I should emphasize that the chicken must be cooked before being added to the quesadilla because it won’t cook sufficiently otherwise. (You can also use leftovers from a rotisserie whole chicken if you prefer.)
Simply cook the chicken in the air fryer first, allow the air fryer basket to cool, and then cook the quesadilla in it once more. Now, you may be tempted to stuff the quesadilla full of filling. A quesadilla, on the other hand, is typically eaten with your hands because it is regarded as a finger food.
Even though it sounds like a great idea, if the quesadilla fills up too much, you might have to use a knife and fork to eat it. (Which isn’t a dreadful idea, so go ahead and fill it if you want!)
In addition, in order to prevent the quesadilla flying open in the air fryer, you can use toothpicks pierced through to hold it together.
Any oven/instant pot/air fryer metal accessory will do to hold the air fryer down. I’m using my metal steamer rack that is heat-resistant.
If you are making several quesadillas, you can batch prepare them and also alternate with this air fryer hamburger quesadilla.
What to serve with it?
This delicious chicken quesadilla wrap can be served by itself, or with a side like air fryer sweet potato wedges or apple and feta salad with red onion. You can also serve it with this delicious creamy guacamole, garlic greek yogurt sauce, and tomato salsa.
How to store it?
You can prepare this air fryer chicken quesadilla in sour cream sauce a few hours in advance.
Just leave it in the fridge in a glass container and when ready to eat, you can eat it as is or warm it back up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it though, it will get quite soggy.
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Air fryer chicken quesadilla
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large tortillas
- 4-6 pieces of boneless chicken
- 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 cup of shredded cheese cheddar, gruyère, emmental, etc.
For the sauce
- 1.5 cups of sour cream
- 2 tablespoons of paprika
- 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon of dried basil
- 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon of juice from freshly squeezed lemon
- pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
Cooking the bone-less chicken
- Lay the chicken out on a paper towel and pat them dry.
- Then preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
- Spray the air fryer basket with some vegetable oil.
- Spread the chicken into the air fryer basket and set the time to 20 minutes, turning them every 5-10 minutes. (Don't overcrowd the basket, make in batches as necessary).
- Open the air fryer to see if the chicken is cooked enough for you, and heat them for a couple more minutes if you wish.
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer and cut it into small pieces.
- Let the chicken and the air fryer basket cool so that it is safe to touch.
Cooking the chicken quesadilla
- Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and mix together.
- Spread some of the sour cream mixture across each tortilla.
- Place the chicken pieces in one half of the tortilla.
- Sprinkle some of the shredded cheese across the chicken in the tortilla.
- Fold the tortilla in half and cut into 4 pieces.
- Place in the air fryer basket, with toothpicks to hold the tortilla in place, or an adapted oven-friendly insert.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (180°C).
- Place the air fryer basket with the quesadilla in the air fryer for 6 minutes.
- Repeat for the remaining quesadillas.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed that, check out our other delicious air fryer recipes that you can make easily. Bon appétit!