Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Pie
Consider this cheesy chicken quesadilla pie a must-make if you want a quick, simple meal with a unique twist on a quesadilla in pie form.
Consider this meal a must-make if you are looking for
a) a quick, simple meal,
b) a delicious family-pleasing entree, and
c) a unique twist on a quesadilla in pie form (cause I know you’ve all been searching for just that and now your life can be complete).
I had low expectations for this meal. It was simply a means to an end – a busy weeknight calling for an easy, filling meal that made use of ingredients I already had on hand.
Earlier in the week, I had whipped up a large batch of cooked, shredded chicken and the leftovers were calling to me from the refrigerator.
When I spied this recipe, I went for it, if only to get dinner on the table fast (in case there are misconceptions, I don’t photograph every meal that is made and eaten in this house – trust me, you would be mighty disappointed if that were the case!).
I was skeptical about pouring a mixture of flour and eggs over the top of shredded chicken, cheese and cilantro and not ending up with a gummy, yucky mess.
Bisquick-gone-wrong has scarred me in the past and I wasn’t too excited about the possibilities of a homemade version turning out badly. However, I had no reason to fear.
The batter surrounds the chicken mixture and bakes up to create a tender, biscuit-like feel throughout the casserole but it’s light enough that it doesn’t overpower the chicken and cheese. Because it was devoured so quickly, I “had” to make it again (darn it!) so that I could actually take a picture of it to share with you.
The simple flavors combine to make a truly fabulous dinner. This was a hands-down hit all around! (And would be a perfect take-in meal for someone…lucky them!)
What to Serve With This
- Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad or steamed vegetable like broccoli or peas
- Shrapnel Dip with Baked Tortilla Chips
- Fresh, seasonal fruit
One Year Ago: Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Two Years Ago: Creamy Spinach Gratin
Three Years Ago: Thanksgiving 101: The Rest of the Recipes
Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla Pie
Ingredients
- 3 10-inch flour tortillas, white or wheat
- Vegetable or canola oil cooking spray
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken, (I used about 1 1/2 pounds chicken – see note)
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, making sure an oven rack is in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray. Overlap and layer the three tortillas (kind of in a cloverleaf pattern), pressing them into the dish, so that the bottom and sides of the pie plate are evenly covered with tortilla. In a medium bowl, toss the shredded chicken with 1 cup of the cheese, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread the mixture into the pie plate.
- In the same bowl that the chicken mixture was in (no need to wash it), whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. Slowly pour this liquid mixture into the pie plate covering the chicken evenly. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, until the surface is golden brown. Let the casserole rest 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook
This was really good! Makes great leftovers too! I added 4 oz chopped green chilies.
I’ve made this twice. The second time I used a frozen pie crust and added some zip with sautéed onions and bell peppers, and a can of green chiles. We definitely preferred the second version. Pepper jack cheese would also be good.
Thanks Mel for the fabulous recipe. Yes, I did make it and it was wonderful! My family loved it, and I loved the simplicity of the meal. Thanks for all that you do! A friend told me about you years ago, and you have inspired me many times since. Thank you!
Suzanne
Does anyone else have trouble with the tortillas becoming incredibly tough? Any thoughts on how to fix this. They are tasty and toasted but impossible to cut.
I used mission flour tortillas and they cut quite well with a serrated steak knife.
No one in my family likes it! We usually love all of mels’ recipes. But not this one. I threw away most of it. 🙁
Bummer! Sorry to hear that, Jessica.
What is the white cheese looking stuff they add to Mexican food ?
Queso fresco or Cotija cheese?
Tasty! I actually had a bunch of chicken cooked up for other recipes, so I was a little worried because half of them were breaded, but I just chopped them fine (I even threw in a pork chop!) and I left out the salt and it’s pretty good! It’s definitely not a fancy dish, but it was excellent for using up my leftovers.
We loved this. I added some chopped red bell peppers and onions. I also baked the chicken covered in bottled salsa. Delicious, Mel!!
Great idea! My family enjoyed it. Thank you
Hello so I’m making this recipe tonight but I only have self riding flour ,will that work ?
I think it probably will (self-rising flour already has leavening added to it).
Hi! Do you think rotisserie chicken would work in this recipe? And my family detest cilantro so what could be substituted for it? Thanks!
Sure, I think rotisserie chicken would work great. I’d just leave out the cilantro or use parsley.
Through this together last night, didn’t have any cilantro so I just left it out. Added a few tablespoons of green chile (505 is the best). Definitely making again with the cilantro and maybe some onions. Found you sight by looking for a green enchilada sauce recipe and have loved it ever since. (best enchilada sauce ever)
I made this tonight-another winner from your blog! I only had 2 cups of chicken, but I also added a can of chilis, so there was enough filling. Very good! My only complaint was that it wasn’t piping hot after 25 minutes, but it was set and the crust was browned, so it would have been overdone if I left it in any longer. My husband added jalapeños to his for more heat. Looking forward to leftovers. Will make again.
I made this for breakfast: bacon, salsa and pickled jalapeno instead of chicken and I used masa harina instead of flour. I halved the cheese and egg/milk/flour, used 1 whole wheat tortilla in a 5 1/2 inch deep pie dish I use for a lot of “single” serving things. I lowered the temp to 400 and the masa needed a bit over 30 minutes to get to a tamale kind of texture – yum!!
As another commenter said – use good cheese! I used Tillamook Sharp Cheddar. I would not use pre-shredded.
Next time, I will reduce the amount of the flour-egg-milk to make the filling slightly less dense, but an easy and quick Mexi-quiche kind of dish. And if you used corn tortillas and masa, it is gluten free.
I love your creativity, Liz!
I’ve made this recipe a few times as written, but tonight instead of chicken, I subbed cooked ground beef I seasoned with cumin, crushed red pepper, chili powder and salt as well as a can of black beans. It was yummy!
It did finally bake through and was quite tasty. It was in for a total of about 70 minutes, though! The last 20 I turned the oven down to 375 because the edges were getting dark. The “crust” was a little tough, but otherwise it was fine. I will definitely try it again, but next time I may put it in my round 2-quart casserole and give it a little more space. Thanks – your recipes never disappoint!
I’m wondering if I did something wrong. I have this in the oven right this minute. It has been in for almost an hour (yikes!) and the center is still soupy. I double checked my measuring cups to make sure I didn’t use too much or too little milk or flour and I even put my oven thermometer in to make sure that wasn’t off. It is in my 9 inch deep dish pie plate. Any thoughts? Kids and I were looking forward to it! I’m afraid at this point the outside is going to be charred and dry! 🙁
That’s strange, Amanda – I’m not quite sure what would have happened. Did it end up baking through?
Made this tonight-really yummy!! I also added a can of green chiles to the chicken mixture. The cooking time was longer than listed, but that was not a problem. I would make again!
This was a big hit last night with the whole fam – including the picky teenager! Thanks for another great go to recipe.
Has anyone tried this in the crock pot? I want to make it for a party…I’m thinking 4 hours on high might do the job?
I haven’t tried it in the crockpot, sorry! Could be a fun experiment, though.
I made this last night and it was a hit! I omitted the cilantro/salt/pepper and used 2 tbsp of my favorite taco seasoning plus a can of diced chilies We topped it with the typical toppings of tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, avocados, etc. My three year old ate this so it was a big win! Thanks for the great recipes!.
Found your recipe via Pinterest, and man does this look tasty! I will have to add this to my dinner rotation one night on our Mexican night.
http://everydaymadefresh.com
It has been a long time since a new recipe went over as well as this did with the whole family. All of my kids asked for seconds! Gluten issues meant we used corn tortillas (6 of them) and a gluten free flour mix. I also subbed green onions for half of the cilantro and added a sprinkle of cumin and chili powder.
I made this the other night for my family’s supper. I have three teenage boys and they all liked it. One said it was a little “bland” so next time I will add the green chilies and some chili powder or some other spices. I had trouble getting it to bake through and my tortillas were burnt around the edges before the middle of the pie was baked. Not sure what happened there. I plan to try this with a masa crust recipe that I have next time. I think the corn flavor would add a special something to this and hopefully I won’t have trouble getting it baked through. I will be making it again since my family liked it.