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Southwest Chicken Quesadillas

Southwest Chicken Quesadillas

with Mandarin Salsa & Red Pepper Crema
4.5(1.7K)124 Reviews
Courtney Laga
Courtney LagaUpdated on July 16, 2026
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Calories
670 kcal
Protein
45g protein
Total
25 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Allergens:
  • Wheat
  • Soy
  • Milk

Spiced chicken and melty Mexican cheese are wrapped in golden tortillas, topped with zesty mandarin scallion salsa and smoky red pepper crema. This isn’t your average quesadilla—it’s a flavor fiesta that transforms humble ingredients into crispy, creamy, tangy handheld heaven.

Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
Serving amount

2 unit

Flour Tortillas

(Contains: Wheat, Soy)

10 ounce

Chopped Chicken Breast

1 unit

Onion

4 ounce

Mandarin Orange Slices

2 tablespoon

Smoky Red Pepper Crema

(Contains: Milk)

1 unit

Tomato

1 unit

Lime

2 unit

Scallions

1 tablespoon

Southwest Spice Blend

¼ ounce

Cilantro

½ cup

Mexican Cheese Blend

(Contains: Milk)

Not included in your delivery

teaspoon (tsp)

Salt

2 teaspoon (tsp)

Cooking Oil

teaspoon (tsp)

Black Pepper

per serving
Calories670 kcal
Fat28 g
Saturated Fat11 g
Carbohydrate55 g
Sugar15 g
Dietary Fiber3 g
Protein45 g
Cholesterol145 mg
Sodium760 mg
Potassium840 mg
Calcium300 mg
Iron2.9 mg
Due to the different suppliers we purchase our products from, nutritional facts per meal can vary from the website to what is received in the delivered box, depending on your region.
Large Pan
Large Bowl
Small Bowl
Fine-mesh Strainer

Cooking Steps

Prep
1
  • Wash and dry produce.

  • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Finely dice tomato. Trim and thinly slice scallions. Roughly chop cilantro. Drain and finely dice mandarin orange slices. Quarter lime.

Cook Chicken
2
  • Open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid.
  • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, Southwest Spice Blend, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.

  • Add ¼ cup water (½ cup for 4 servings); cook until evaporated, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a large bowl.

 

Cook Quesadillas
3
  • Place tortillas on a clean work surface; sprinkle one half of each tortilla with Mexican cheese blend and chicken mixture.

  • Fold tortillas in half to create quesadillas.

  • Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for chicken over medium heat. Add quesadillas and cook until tortillas are golden brown and cheese melts, 1-2 minutes per side. TIP: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to work in batches.

Finish & Serve
4
  • In a small bowl, combine tomatoscallions, cilantromandarin orange, and juice from half the lime; season with salt.

  • In a separate small bowl, combine red pepper crema and juice from remaining lime.

  • Cut quesadillas into wedges; divide between plates. Top with salsa and serve with crema on the side.

Customer reviews

Review summary

Updated on Apr 2026
  • Flavor: The mandarin salsa was a delightful surprise that many loved, though some found the chicken bland and needed extra seasoning.
  • Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, though some noted it involves more chopping than expected for an "easy prep" meal.
  • Suggestions: Add extra cheese (many say double the amount) and consider cooking onions first for better texture and flavor.
  • Portions: Perfect size for some couples with no leftovers, though others found it light and suggest adding rice or sides.
  • Cheese: Nearly everyone agrees more cheese is essential — the provided amount barely holds quesadillas together and causes messy eating.
AI-generated from customer reviews

Reviews from our home cooks

T
Taylor AmadoCooked for 4 people
|Dec 10, 2025

This recipe took double the time to make. Mandarins weren't great in the salsa, just made it extremely wet. Sous vide chicken option would've made it easier cuz the chicken breast pieces were huge and I had to spend time cutting them up. And definitely more cheese needed. Double the red crema.

G
Gary DeulenCooked for 2 people
|Dec 13, 2025

Great. I would have never put mandarin orange in a salsa put it worked. My wife said I needed to remember how it was made because she wants it again. The spice on the chicken and onion was also very good.

⚓️Cass⚓️ ThomasCooked for 2 people
|Dec 10, 2025

The flavors are ON POINT with this recipes I just wish there was more crema and cheese. I would say you need at least one package of crema and cheese per quesadilla. But delish!

C
Camilla GreenCooked for 2 people
|Dec 11, 2025

Not nearly enough cheese included. The quesadillas were falling apart and hard to eat because there wasn't enough cheese to hold them together. This meant chicken was falling out every time I picked up a piece and made using the salsa or sauce incredibly difficult. The eating experience was very messy. The onions would have benefited from being caramelized in the pan before cooking the chicken

P
Paul GribbinCooked for 2 people
|Dec 17, 2025

This was another hit. I think the best part was definitely the mandarin salsa. The citrus added a really nice and refreshing addition. I would definitely get this one again.

C
Chelsea LieberenzCooked for 2 people
|Dec 15, 2025

This was pretty tasty! I'm not a fan of tomatoes and typically don't eat salsa but since the ingredients were included I figured I'd give it a try. I ended up having probably one of the driest limes on the planet. I attempted to squeeze the whole lime in it and not save any for the crema. I got like two drops of juice 😂 that being said, the salsa was still surprisingly good, but def could have used more lime.

J
Jenna PollardCooked for 2 people
|Dec 16, 2025

Loved the mandarins. Normally the pico de gallo type salsas are too spicy for me - so this one was perfect for my tastebuds!

N
Natalia StrauchCooked for 6 people
|Dec 13, 2025

The taste was excellent, but I ordered enough for 6 adults and 1 quesadilla per adult was not enough food. Typically we have more than enough but this was more like a meal for 3.

S
Sandra KuballCooked for 2 people
|Dec 14, 2025

The oranges were a nice surprise. Really good. But, 1 packet of crema for 2 servings was not enough. You should send 2.

K
Katie PogueCooked for 2 people
|Dec 9, 2025

Great! The salsa was amazing and made it a 4-star meal!

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