I wasn’t going to put this Gluten-free, Dairy-free BBQ Chicken Quesadilla on the blog. It felt too simple to be posted as a “recipe.” But, I found myself making it for my family again and again. And then my 10-year-old was making it for his own lunches?! It was just too good not to be shared!

Why We Love This Gluten-free, Dairy-free BBQ Chicken Quesadilla 

First, we love how FAST these are to make! Sometimes, you just need a fast dinner option your kids will eat. This one uses BBQ Chicken you can prep in advance turned into deluxe quesadillas our family loves on repeat!

Second, depending what ingredients you use, it can be a budget-friendly dinner option as well! We make our own BBQ Sauce for the BBQ Chicken, which costs less than $1 per cup to make. Then, we use homemade Cassava Flour tortillas (page 244 of my Cookbook) to keep those budget friendly as well. This dinner costs less than half of what you would pay to eat out for a quick dinner instead!

Third, it’s EASY! This is a great recipe for a new cook or youth chef. My 10 year old literally prepped the chicken in advance and then made these every morning to pack in his lunch for the day for a week. It only took him, even as a beginner cook, 15 minutes to make these (once the chicken was pre-made).

Finally, these a great travel or lunch box option. All of us love these cold or hot and they transport well in a lunchbox or cooler. 

Ingredients

• BBQ Chicken – This BBQ Chicken is great meal prep and can be easily made ahead to make these quesadillas come together in 15-20 minutes. In a hurry and don’t have BBQ Chicken already prepped? You can also just toss your favorite BBQ sauce with shredded chicken or canned shredded chicken to use in this dish. 
• Tortillas – Again, I make my Cassava Flour Tortillas (page 244 of my Cookbook) to keep these budget-friendly. Plus, my family prefers the taste and texture of my homemade tortillas to any store-bought ones. But, you can also grab a package of Paleo Siete Almond Flour or Cassava Flour tortillas, or use any gluten-free tortilla of your choice such as these from Walmart. 
• Cheese – There are a lot of dairy-free cheese options out there now, some we like more than others. Read up on our favorite dairy-free cheeses here! (Note in that blog post the one cheese that is also Paleo compatible is the Whole365 brand, if you want a Paleo quesadilla!)
• Cilantro – Fresh, chopped cilantro makes a big flavor pop in this dish. Don’t skip it!
• Garlic salt – I like garlic salt to add just another touch of flavor for this recipe. 
• Optional: Ranch or Bacon – This recipe is a Copycat to a quesadilla I used to get a Chili’s which had bacon and ranch in it. If you love bacon and/or ranch – crumble some bacon on it before cooking, or drizzle it inside or dunk your quesadilla in ranch after cooking. 

How to Make These Gluten-free Dairy-free BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

• First, heat a large flat pan or electric griddle to medium heat. 
• Next, add a tortilla to the pan. On one side of the tortilla, layer cheese, bbq chicken, chopped cilantro, a sprinkle of garlic salt, and bacon if using. Sprinkle with another layer of cheese then fold the other side of the tortilla over on top of all the layers.
• Repeat with as many tortillas will fit in your pan or on your griddle. Cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned. Repeat with all the tortillas and fillings.
• Serve with ranch, if desired. Ranch can be drizzled inside the quesadilla, or served on the side for dipping. 
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week. 

Gluten-free Dairy-free BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

Autumn @wholefoodfor7

An EASY + quick kid-friendly and budget-friendly dinner! Includes Paleo options.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 199 kcal

1/2x1x2x3x

Ingredients

 

BBQ Chicken

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast trimmed
• 12 ounces bbq sauce or 1.5 cups; see notes for homemade option

Quesadilla Ingredients

• 8 ounces dairy-free cheddar cheese
• 8 gluten-free tortillas
• 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

 

BBQ Chicken

• If using oven, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If chicken is more than 1" thick, consider cutting in half horizontally or into pieces for faster cooking.
• INSTANT POT: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the Instant Pot and cover them completely with the sauce. Seal and cook on manual for 20 minutes. Chicken is done when it is no longer pink in the center and is easy to shred.

  OVEN: Place the chicken breasts in a 9x13 pan and cover them completely with sauce. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until no longer pink in the center and easy to shred. The length of cooking time will vary on the thickness of the chicken breast used.

  SLOW COOKER: Place chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker and cover completely with sauce. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until chicken is no longer pink and easy to shred. 
• Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the sauce and shred. I prefer to use a hand or standing mixer to shred. You can transfer to a standing mixer bowl and shred there or put the blades of a hand mixer right into the slow cooker or Instant Pot. 

  BUT, EITHER WAY - be prepared for splatter! I do this by covering the mixer (hand mixer or standing mixer) with a kitchen towel before turning on. This is important to avoid chicken bits and BBQ sauce splatters all over your kitchen. Or, you can shred by pulling two forks in the opposite direction on each chicken breast.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

• Heat a large flat pan or electric griddle to medium heat. 
• Add a tortilla to the pan. Layer with about 3 tablespoons of dairy-free cheddar, 1/2 cup shredded BBQ chicken, 1 tablespoon cilantro, pinch of salt, 1 slice of crumbled bacon (if using), and another 3 tablespoons of dairy-free cheddar, topped with 1 more tortilla.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned. Repeat with all the tortillas and fillings.
• Serve with ranch, if desired. Ranch can be drizzled inside the quesadilla or served on the side for dipping. 
• Store leftovers in the fridge for up to one week. 

Notes

You will only use 2 cups BBQ chicken in this recipe, but it makes amazing meal prep! Use it to make BBQ Chicken Salad bowls or serve it in a meal on top of my Hash Brown Waffles. Store any leftover bbq chicken in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Linked in cart is an easy store-bought compatible Whole30 bbq sauce. I save money and make my own BBQ Sauce. Or, if not on a Whole30, use your favorite BBQ sauce of choice!

Nutrition

Calories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 5gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 1044mgPotassium: 61mgFiber: 10gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 72IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.1mg

Keyword budget-friendly, dairy-free, easy, egg-free, gluten-free, kid-friendly, main dish, nut-free, paleo

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!