Quesadillas seem to be the underdogs when it comes to homemade Mexican, and I have a sneaking suspicion it’s due to the fact that they can be a total pain to make – what with the last-minute assembly and batch-cooking in a skillet. 

BUT. Did you know your standard size sheet pan can fit four six-inch tortillas on it? Toss in the oven for a quick 10 minutes, and you get perfectly melty cheese held in by perfectly crispy tortillas.

This solves all my quesadilla problems. It means no standing over the stove while cooking each one individually; no coordinating the assembling and pan-frying at the same time; and no worrying about the first quesadillas getting cold while the last quesadillas are still cooking. Just assemble your ‘dillas on your sheet pan, add some oil, pop in the oven, and serve up perfectly crisp and melty quesadillas to a crowd!

These particular quesadillas have spicy Mexican chicken, jalapeños, and onion in them, but the oven method will work for any quesadilla fillings you desire.

Sheet Pan Quesadillas

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
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The easiest way to make quesadillas! These have spicy Mexican chicken, jalapeños, and onion, but the sheet pan method will work for any fillings you want in your quesadillas.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Mexican spice blend (recipe follows)
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (3 cup) bag shredded Mexican cheese
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and sliced
• Zest of 1 lime
• 16 (6-inch) tortillas
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For serving: guacamole, sour cream, salsa

Mexican spice blend:

• 1 teaspoon Chile powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Combine all spices in ziplock bag. Add chicken breast to bag and shake to coat. Place chicken in skillet and cook, covered, 8-10 minutes per side, until cooked through and browned. Remove to plate and rest for 10 minutes. 
2. Slice cooked chicken into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheese, onion, jalapeño, and lime zest. Brush one side of 8 of the tortillas with vegetable oil and place – oiled-side down – on baking sheets. (I need two baking sheets for this.) Divide cheese mixture evenly between the arranged tortillas. Top each with another tortilla and lightly oil the top side with remaining vegetable oil. Bake 10 minutes, flipping quesadillas halfway through. Remove from oven and cut into quarters. Serve with your favorite Mexican dips!