Mini Air Fryer Chicken Quesadilla
These mini air fryer quesadilla are stuffed with salsa verde chicken, bacon, and cheese. Perfect for gameday watching and sharing, these crispy corn tortilla quesadilla are tasty nibbles, easy to make, and ready in minutes.
With football season comes yummy nibbles in our house! Queso dip, pig in blankets, All the Yum Yums. And now we have a kid in college too, so we are doubling down on football watching (Go Noles!). Now that football season has returned, I wanted to knock out a really yummy, toasty satisfying recipe using the air fryer because I am all about my air fryer.
Why this recipe works
Who doesn’t love little crispy finger foods filled with creamy, cheesy filling? No one. That’s who. Mini quesadilla are just that – crunchy, toasted corn tortilla quesadilla made with small “street taco” tortillas with a bacon, chicken, and cheese filling.
Flavors of earthy cumin and tangy salsa verde are delicious with the chicken and bacon, and just the right amount of bite from green onion. With my tips, these mini quesadilla are easy to make in your air fryer (or on the stovetop!) and will be a hit.
About the ingredients
- Chicken. I used a cup of my 2-Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken, but leftover or rotisserie chicken can be used as well.
- Salsa verde. I used mild and tangy, salsa verde (or green salsa) which goes so well with chicken. Alternatively, regular salsa can be used.
- Bacon. We don’t use a lot of bacon, just a bit. Purchased bacon crumbles (found in the salad section with croutons and such) may be used.
- Dairy: light sour cream and sharp cheddar cheese. I prefer finely shredded cheddar for this recipe so it cooperates and stays in the filling better.
- Seasonings: cumin, kosher salt, garlic powder.
- Green onion. If not available, use finely chopped white or yellow onion and reduce the amount by half.
- Street taco corn tortillas. I used white corn tortillas, but yellow corn will work just as well. Mission brand makes both.
- Condiments. I like sour cream, since we already used some in the filling, but others may prefer more salsa verde or guacamole.
How to make air fryer quesadilla
This recipe is so easy to make and comes together very quickly, but there are couple tips to follow for success.
For the filling
First, we heat up our air fryer to 400F, which is the highest setting on mine. For the filling, we just mix those ingredients up together.
Assemble the quesadilla
To assemble the quesadilla, we need to soften the tortillas so they don’t tear or split once folded. When I make taquitos, I do this by toasting them in a frying pan first. For this recipe, I wanted an easier solution (since I was making 14 of these things), so I put the tortillas in a stack, wrapped the stack loosely with 2 dampened paper towels, and microwaved them.
Once the tortillas are warm and soft, we want to form the quesadillas before the tortillas cool. So, just plop plop plop the tortillas out on a large bake sheet, spray with cooking spray, flip, stuff, and fold. To stuff, divide the filling between all the tortillas, placing the filling on one side (since they are going to be folded to make a half moon shape).
Then gently fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling to form the quesadilla. Press the top fold into the filling to distribute the filling out and hold the tortilla folded while cooking. However, do not press at the fold in the tortilla itself, or it may split.
Cook the quesadilla
To get both sides toasty, it is best to flip mid-way while cooking. So, it is best to cook in batches. Until cooked, the tortillas are delicate, so you want to leave room for flipping them. It also helps to use 2 forks or a fork and pair of tongs to coax them gently to flip.
Cook 4 minutes, flip, and cook another 4 minutes until both sides are golden toasty around the edges. Serve with condiment of choice for dipping such as sour cream, guacamole, or salsa.
FAQs
Yes. Use whatever salsa you like to create your own new flavors.
Yes. Cooking using cooking spray in a nonstick fry pan on the stovetop works very well – as well even – to make these quesadilla.
No, unless flour tortillas are used. Corn tortillas take more direct heat to get crispy than flour tortillas.
Yes. Warm gently in the oven at 350-400°F to heat back through and crisp back up the tortilla.
Yes. Street taco flour tortillas can be used.
Yes, but they may need more time to cook so adjust accordingly.
Mini Air Fryer Chicken Quesadilla
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2-Ingredient Salsa Verde Chicken
- 1-2 Tbsp salsa verde
- 2 Tbsp cooked and crumbled bacon
- ¼ cup light sour cream
- ½ cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup chopped green onion white and light green parts
- 12 street taco corn tortillas
- cooking spray
- condiments as desired such as sour cream, salsa verde, or guacamole
Instructions
- Heat air fryer to 400°F.
- In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients for the filling.
- Stack the tortillas, Wrap in 2 layers of damp paper towel, put on a microwave safe plate, and zap on High in the microwave 25-30 seconds to soften.
- Working quickly while the tortillas are warm and pliable: on a large bake sheet or washable cutting board, lay out the tortillas. Spray each with well cooking spray, then flip.
- Divide the chicken amongst the tortillas, putting the filling on half of each tortilla. Gently fold each tortilla over to form a half moon, pressing gently so they hold together while cooking.
- In batches, air fry 4 minutes, flip, then cook an additional 4 minutes until toasty. Serve with sour cream, salsa verde, or guacamole.
