Skip to content
FuelMyAthlete
All recipes

Lunch

Chicken quesadilla + peppers

Fast hot lunch on a rest day, or cut into strips for a lunchbox the next morning.

Servings
2
Total
10 min
Skill
Easy

What you need

Ingredients

Making for

2 servings

  • Whole-grain tortillas1 each
  • Chicken breast0.25 lb
  • Cheddar slices1 each
  • Bell pepper0.5 each

Quantities scale linearly with servings. Round to the nearest practical amount when shopping.

Steps

  1. 1

    Dry pan first, no oil

    Heat a skillet over medium with nothing in it. A whole-grain tortilla toasts better dry than oiled, and oil makes the outside greasy before the cheese has melted.

  2. 2

    Cheese, then filling, then cheese

    Tortilla in the pan, half a slice of cheddar over the whole surface, then about 4 oz of cooked sliced chicken and half a diced bell pepper on one half, then the rest of the cheese on top. Cheese on both sides is the glue. Filling straight onto the tortilla slides out the moment you fold it.

  3. 3

    Fold, press, and wait

    Fold the empty half over and press it flat with a spatula. Two to three minutes a side until the outside is spotted brown and the cheese has actually run. Pressing is what makes it hold together when cut.

    2:30

  4. 4

    Rest a minute before cutting

    Straight out of the pan the cheese is liquid and the whole thing collapses. One minute on the board and it cuts into clean wedges.

Coach's notes

  • Uses leftover hibachi or roast chicken, which is the point. This is the recipe for what is already in the fridge on Wednesday.
  • Bell pepper adds vitamin C and crunch and is the vegetable most kids will accept inside melted cheese.
  • Whole-grain tortillas brown better than white and hold a fold without cracking once warm.
  • Cut cold into strips it packs well, and it is one of the few hot lunches that is genuinely fine at room temperature by noon.