This is a thing that I have been making for years! I love a good quesadilla, and I also love to make things more complicated than they need to be. Case in point: this double decker baked quesadilla. It has two layers of cheese, crispy tortillas, and is baked for 20 minutes in the oven. “The whole appeal of a quesadilla is that its super quick and you’re eating within minutes.” I know, I know, but just stay with me here. (I’m doing a great job selling this recipe, huh?)

When you bake tortillas they get flaky, crunchy, and crispy. It isn’t so easy to attain this texture on the stove top. This quesadilla has a third tortilla smack dab in the middle, which is what makes this a double decker. That third tortilla also gets flaky and crunchy, but then it gets sandwiched between cheese, so it also gets kinda chewy, and then you’ve got just all kinds of textures going on to make this unlike any other quesadilla you’ve ever had before. I use the large burrito tortillas and this easily serves two for an appetizer or smallish dinner. Smother it in sour cream and hot sauce for extra flavor and awesomeness. If you need something green on your plate, finely dice some chives and throw those on as your final topper.

Corn tortillas get equally as crispy and flaky in the oven. Don’t believe me? Try some of these baked tortilla strips that use no added fat. For a smaller appetizer, use the smallest corn tortillas you can find, and layer them up. Once you cut the smaller ones into wedges after baking, you’ll have a cute little party appetizer to serve with a dollop of sour cream and hot sauce for dipping.

You can use any cooked chicken you love. Pick up a rotisserie chicken on the way home, shred that up, and use it in this double decker baked quesadilla. Or plan ahead and make the spiced chicken below either in the slow cooker or on the stove top. I like the flavor of all the added spices to the chicken, and it is so easy to make, there is really no reason not to. You can even make the chicken one day, shred it, and store it in the fridge for several days to use in quesadillas, salads, soups, or pasta!

This double decker baked quesadilla is worth the effort and time it takes to cook. 20 minutes isn’t actually that long to cook and have dinner on the table. If you’re using smaller tortillas, you’ll probably get away with about 12 minutes cooking time. The result is something crunchy, gooey, cheesy, and just all around yummy!

Double Decker Baked Quesadilla Easy Spiced Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 3 large burrito tortillas
• shredded pepper jack cheese
• shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• shredded, cooked chicken (see recipe below)
• sour cream, optional
• hot sauce, optional
• diced chives, optional
• 2 skinless chicken breasts (either bone-in or boneless works great)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• chicken stock

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.
2. Place one tortilla on a baking sheet, and cover with shredded pepper jack cheese. Top with another tortilla, place in the oven, and bake for 7 minutes.
3. Flip the quesadilla, cover with the shredded cheddar cheese and the chicken, and place back in the oven for another 7 minutes.
4. Flip the quesadilla one more time, and bake for 6 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, slice into wedges, top with sour cream, and serve with hot sauce. Sprinkle with chives if desired.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together all the spices.
7. Place the chicken in a slow cooker or medium pot, sprinkle with the spice mixture, and add enough chicken stock to cover the chicken.
8. Stove Top: Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
9. Slow Cooker: Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
10. When the chicken is finished cooking, remove it from the liquid, and use two forks to shred the chicken. Use immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.