This Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas recipe takes 15 minutes to prep and lets the slow cooker do the rest until it’s time to assemble and sear the tortillas into crispy, juicy, gooey, golden brown hand-held bites. These quesadillas are so easy to make using perfectly seasoned shredded chicken mixed with queso and sprinkled with cheese, all sandwiched between your favorite shell.
Shredded Queso Chicken Quesadillas in the Crockpot
Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas are so easy to make and my favorite way to prepare a delicious set-it-and-forget-it meal. It’s as simple as placing 4 basic ingredients into your crockpot and letting it slow-cook your mixture until the chicken is fall-apart tender and shreds with two forks.
Then it’s time to assemble the tortillas by piling them with the flavor-packed meat and mounds of Mexican cheese, and quickly searing them in a hot skillet so the insides are melted and gooey and the outsides are crispy and golden.
What I love about this easy Mexican meal is that the chicken mixture is so versatile and can be served in so many ways. My cheesy taco-seasoned shredded chicken tastes delicious as a topping for salads or nachos, sitting on a bed of rice, piled high inside hard taco shells, or as a dip for chips.
Lighter than my Baked Burritos and similar to my Chicken Enchiladas, this Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas recipe is the best south-of-the-border cheesy, rich, and creamy creation that is perfectly packed into one family-favorite food!
Why We Love This Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas Recipe
- Quick to prepare and easy to set-it-and-forget-it in the Crock Pot.
- Made with 5 simple ingredients that are piled into a tortilla.
- Deliciously seasoned shredded chicken is mixed with creamy cheese and topped with more cheese.
- Flavorful Mexican meal that is versatile and customizable.
- The chicken freezes very well for an easy make-ahead meal.
- Perfect for a party appetizer or part of the main menu for game days, fiestas, or anytime dinner.
Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Taco seasoning: While you can definitely use a store-bought packet of taco seasoning, I recommend using our Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Salsa
- Queso
- Large flour tortillas
- Mexican shredded cheese blend
- Sour cream and guacamole (optional)
Substitutions and Additions
- Favorite Fillings: Feel free to add your favorite fillings like beans or Spanish Rice.
- More Meat Options: You can use chicken breasts, pork, or beef instead of chicken thighs for this recipe.
- Change The Cheeses: I love to top my meat mixture with a Mexican blend cheese, but you can also use Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese if you prefer.
- Tasty Toppings: Top your quesadillas with diced onions, black olives, sour cream, guacamole, or my Easy Homemade Salsa.
Recommended Tools
- Slow cooker or Crock Pot
- 2 forks
- Large Skillet or griddle
- Spatula
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How to Make the Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas
This simple Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas recipe is an easy set-it-and-forget-it way to cook a delicious Mexican-inspired meal. Filled with flavorful shredded chicken and cheese that’s piled into tortillas and seared until golden brown, this is the perfect family-friendly meal or party-pleasing appetizer.
- Add chicken, taco seasoning, and salsa to your slow cooker and set on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Pro-Tip: For the best results, I recommend using the crockpot on low. The chicken may become dry if you cook it on high. If you are in a rush, you can cook the chicken on high for 2 to 3 hours.
- Once the chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks.
Pro Tip: You can shred the chicken right in the crockpot with two forks. There’s no need to transfer the chicken to a separate dish for shredding. You can also use a mixer on low to shred the chicken. - Stir to fully coat the chicken with the seasoning and salsa.
- Add the queso to the slow cooker and combine with the chicken mixture.
- Spread the chicken mixture on half of each tortilla.
- Sprinkle with the cheese.
- Fold the tortilla over the top.
- Place a quesadilla in a skillet and cook for about three minutes on medium-high heat.
Pro-Tip: If you tend to make a mess with these types of situations, you can build the quesadillas directly in your pan. - When the quesadilla starts to become golden brown, carefully flip it over with a spatula and cook for an additional two minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
- Cut the quesadilla into individual pieces and enjoy!
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- To Freeze: Once the meat is done cooking, allow the mixture to cool, place the meat into freezer-safe ziplock bags, and store in the freezer for up to 5 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat the mixture in the microwave when you would like to eat it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can put frozen chicken in the crockpot. It is just important that the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees during the cooking process.
Personally, I don’t love putting the frozen chicken into the slow cooker. But in a pinch, it is okay. If you need to thaw out your chicken, I recommend placing it in the sink with cold water just until it has thawed.
You can use some butter or oil in the pan if you want. I like to use a dry pan because it leaves you with a quesadilla that’s not greasy.
To prevent the chicken from drying out, I like to use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts in my crockpot chicken recipes. The chicken thighs have more fat than chicken breasts, keeping them moist.
Feel free to use either type of seasoning for this recipe–you will have very similar results. While I use chicken taco seasoning for this recipe, my Homemade Taco Seasoning will taste delicious.
Yes, you can use chicken breast for this recipe, but I prefer the texture of the chicken thighs in the crockpot. Simply use two pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast to replace the chicken thighs.
Other Easy Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Taco Spaghetti
- Sheet Pan Quesadillas
- Mexican Casserole
- Taco Lasagna
- Oven Baked Beef Tacos
- Chicken Fajita Quesadilla
- Cheeseburger Quesadillas
- Quesadilla in the Waffle Maker
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 oz packet taco seasoning
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 cup queso
- 6 large flour tortillas
- 12 oz Mexican shredded cheese blend
- Sour cream and guacamole, optional
Instructions
- Place your chicken, taco seasoning, and salsa into your slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker to low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Add the queso and take two forks to the chicken to shred them.
- Spread the chicken mixture on half of each tortilla. Sprinkle the chicken mixture with the cheese and fold the tortilla over the top.
- Place a quesadilla in a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Allow the quesadillas to cook for about three minutes or until it starts to become golden brown, and carefully flip over the quesadilla using a spatula. Cook for an additional two minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
- Cut the quesadilla into individual pieces and enjoy.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- To Freeze: Once the meat is done cooking, allow the mixture to cool, place the meat into freezer-safe ziplock bags, and store in the freezer for up to 5 months.
- To Reheat: Reheat the mixture in the microwave when you would like to eat it.
- You can shred the chicken right in the crockpot with two forks. There’s no need to transfer the chicken to a separate dish for shredding.
- For the best results, I recommend using the crockpot on low. The chicken may become dry if you cook it on high.
- If you are in a rush, you can cook the chicken on high for 2 to 3 hours.
- If you tend to make a mess with these types of situations, you can build the quesadillas directly in your pan.
for the queso, do you put that in the crockpot or in the quesadillas when you put on skillet with the other cheese?
Made this last night. Our sons said this was 10 out of 10. So easy and I found shredded queso cheese at our Kroger store so I used that. Loved the homemade taco seasoning and Spanish Rice recipe as well. Delicious!! Just a great dinner.
what kind of queso did you use? my husband bought the white one does that work? 😂
Any type of queso is just fine.
Hi Jen. What did you use for queso on this recipe? The link goes to a recipe for queso dip but I don’t think that’s what you used. Thanks!! Noell
You can use any brand of jarred queso
Can you use chicken tenders? If that is all I have?
I made this and was not impressed. It’s edible but nothing to write home about.
What kind of queso do you prefer?
do you think instead of the queso i could use this imitation taco bell quesadilla sauce recipe i like? thanks
What is queso?
Queso is a Mexican-inspired cheese sauce.