Tandoori Chicken Quesadilla (Printable)

Fusion of Indian spices and melted cheese wrapped in a crispy tortilla with creamy yogurt sauce.

# What you'll need:

→ Tandoori Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
02 - 120 ml plain Greek yogurt
03 - 15 ml lemon juice
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 2.5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
06 - 1.5 tsp ground cumin
07 - 1.5 tsp ground coriander
08 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
09 - 1 tsp garam masala
10 - 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
11 - 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
12 - 0.5 tsp salt
13 - 15 ml vegetable oil

→ Yogurt Sauce

14 - 120 ml plain Greek yogurt
15 - 15 ml chopped fresh cilantro
16 - 15 ml lemon juice
17 - 0.5 tsp ground cumin
18 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ Quesadilla Assembly

19 - 4 large flour tortillas
20 - 150 g shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
21 - 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced
22 - 1 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced
23 - Butter or oil, for greasing pan

# Preparation steps:

01 - In a bowl, mix yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and salt. Add chicken strips and toss to coat evenly. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add marinated chicken and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked and slightly charred. Remove from heat.
03 - Whisk together yogurt, cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
04 - Lay a tortilla flat. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on half the tortilla, layer 1/4 of the cooked chicken, red onion, and bell pepper on top. Lightly drizzle with yogurt sauce, then fold the tortilla in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
05 - Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or oil. Cook each quesadilla for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown and cheese has melted.
06 - Slice each quesadilla into wedges and serve warm with extra yogurt sauce.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes and feels like you're doing something ambitious without actually breaking a sweat.
  • The yogurt sauce keeps everything juicy while the cheese gets crispy, so you get multiple textures in every bite.
  • Tandoori spices meet melted cheese in a way that makes people pause mid-chew and ask what they're eating.
02 -
  • Don't skip the marinating step thinking it's unnecessary—those 15 minutes make a massive difference in tenderness and flavor absorption, and two hours is even better if you plan ahead.
  • Cook the chicken hot and fast to get actual color on it, not a pale gray that tastes like steamed chicken wrapped in spice.
  • Keep the yogurt sauce separate until assembly because mixing it in too early makes everything watery and ruins the texture.
03 -
  • Toast your spices in a dry pan for 30 seconds before adding to the marinade—it wakes them up and makes the whole thing taste more intentional.
  • Don't overcrowd the skillet when cooking chicken; give each piece room to develop color instead of steaming in its own moisture.
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