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Grilled Campfire Quesadillas

Campfire quesadillas made with grilled tortillas and a molten Mexican cheese blend filling. Each grilled quesadilla gets golden grill marks and melty cheese that stretches when cut into wedges.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 820
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Flour tortillas with cheese and chicken filling
  • 8 large flour tortillas
  • 3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 2 cup cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 0.5 cup onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, sliced
  • 0.25 cup butter or oil for grilling
  • 0.75 cup salsa
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 0.5 cup guacamole

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Heat the grill surface
  1. Heat a cast iron skillet or place a grill grate over the campfire until hot enough to sizzle when food touches it, using a steady, direct heat. Visual cue: you should see faint bubbling if you sprinkle a tiny amount of water on the surface (evaporation quickly).
Build the quesadillas
  1. Place one tortilla on the hot cooking surface and quickly layer the shredded Mexican cheese, chicken, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeños. Visual cue: the cheese should cover the tortilla area so it melts into the filling.
Close and press
  1. Top with the second tortilla and press down gently to seal the edges lightly. Visual cue: the filling should look evenly sandwiched with no big gaps.
Grill until golden and melted
  1. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the first side until golden with clear grill marks and the cheese is starting to ooze. Visual cue: edges look set and the center looks glossy from melted cheese.
  2. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes until both sides are deeply golden and the cheese fully melts through. Visual cue: when you lift slightly, melted cheese stretches and the wedges will pull apart cleanly.
Serve
  1. Remove from heat, cut into wedges, and serve immediately with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. Visual cue: cheese stretches when the quesadilla is separated.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the heat steady and build quickly so the tortilla doesn’t dry out before the cheese melts. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days in a covered container; reheat on a skillet until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a lower-fat option, use reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend.