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Chicken tikka masala becomes handheld in this quesadilla! Sandwiched between melty cheese and flour tortillas, this recipe is an absolutely delicious way to use up Indian leftovers or serve up your favorite curry in a new way. Inspired by the recent surge of Indian-Mexican fusion, these chicken tikka masala quesadillas are absolutely perfect for dipping in your favorite chutneys or simply more of that rich and creamy tikka masala sauce!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Years and years ago, I noticed an overlap between ingredients in Mexican and Indian dishes, and a light bulb went off. I dabbled a little, borrowing aspects from each one and incorporating them into the other. Then about 15 years ago I saw a food truck in Paris, of all places, with a whole slate of Mexican-Indian fusion dishes. When I tell you I was hooked! This meant-to-be, made-for-each-other food marriage was catapulted to the top of my favorite things list. My Pakistani husband even had chicken tikka masala burritos shipped in from Curry Up Now for my birthday one year (though, I really think they were for him and my birthday was a convenient excuse LOL). Lately there’s been a public surge in Indian-Mexican fusion and I, for one, am here for it!
- Chicken tikka masala quesadillas are a great way to use leftover CTM in a way that’s a little different but still delicious. They’re also a really good way to introduce your picky eaters to a new dish. Maybe little ones (or less-adventurous adults) are a little hesitant when they see CTM as-is with a bed of rice. Wrap it up in a tortilla with melty shredded cheese, though? I guarantee your kids will at least give it a try.
Chef’s Tips
- Be careful not to let your skillet get too hot. If it’s too hot, you run the risk of charring the tortillas which affects the flavor of the dish. It can also prevent the cheese from melting completely before you need to take the quesadilla out of the pan.
- These are 2-tortilla quesadillas (stacked kind of like a Mexican pizza) rather than the 1-tortilla, half-moon quesadillas you might be used to. You can make them that way if you’d prefer, though! The principle is the same with both versions. We included notes on the recipe card below to guide you through the process.
- You can totally enjoy chicken tikka masala quesadillas on their own, but I implore you. Serve your favorite chutneys and more masala sauce on the side, and dip liberally.
More Incredible Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Boursin Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Salad
- Air Fryer Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce
- Bourbon Chicken
- The Best Crockpot Angel Chicken
- Crusted Chicken Romano
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
Chicken Tikka Masala Quesadillas
Prep 15 minutes minutes
Cook 15 minutes minutes
Total 30 minutes minutes
The perfect way to enjoy leftover chicken tikka masala in a delicious and convenient lunch or dinner.
2 quesadillas
Equipment
Large skillet
spatula or plate (to flip quesadilla)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chicken tikka masala in sauce 1 cup chicken, ½ cup sauce
- 4 large flour tortillas 10-inch or 12-inch
- 2 tablespoons butter, ghee, or oil divided, see Notes
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided, Mexican blend preferred
- chicken tikka masala sauce optional, for dipping
- chutney optional, for dipping
- chopped cilantro optional, for garnish
Instructions
Separate chunks of chicken from tikka masala sauce. Roughly chop chicken and set aside. Spread approximately half (¼ cup or so) of tikka masala sauce on one side of one tortilla.
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add ½ tablespoon butter to skillet and melt completely. Once butter is melted, place tortilla with sauce in skillet, sauce-side up.
Spread approximately ½ cup chopped chicken across top of tortilla, then cover with 1 cup shredded cheese. Place second tortilla on top, covering chicken and cheese completely.
Let quesadilla cook approximately 3 minutes, until cheese has melted to top tortilla. Carefully remove quesadilla from skillet with spatula or slide quesadilla out of skillet onto plate (see Notes).
Melt another ½ tablespoon butter in skillet. Once melted, flip quesadilla over and return to skillet to brown other side.
Cook 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer fully cooked quesadilla to plate. Repeat process with remaining 2 tortillas, to create second quesadilla.
Once both quesadillas are prepared, cut each quesadilla into quarters and serve with additional tikka masala sauce, chutney, and chopped cilantro if desired.
- Ghee or a neutral oil will both work just fine here. I prefer using butter, though, because the milk solids really help the quesadilla brown up nicely.
- The easiest way to flip this 2-tortilla quesadilla is similar to flipping a cake out of a pan. Cover the quesadilla in the skillet with a plate. Keep one hand on the bottom of the plate and in one smooth motion, flip the skillet and plate over so the plate is now beneath the quesadilla. Set it aside just long enough to butter the skillet again and then slide the quesadilla back in the pan to brown the other side.
- For a one-tortilla quesadilla, lay one large tortilla out flat. Cover one half of the tortilla with sauce, cheese, and chicken, then fold the “naked” half over to cover the filling. Butter the pan as instructed above and cook one side of the tortilla, then remove the half-moon tortilla from the skillet, butter it again, and repeat until both sides of the quesadilla have been cooked.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1quesadillaCalories: 989calProtein: 41gFat: 59gSaturated Fat: 34gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 173mgSodium: 1984mgPotassium: 213mgTotal Carbs: 76gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gNet Carbs: 73gVitamin A: 1597IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 869mgIron: 7mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Cheryl Malik
In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.
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Meet Cheryl
Passionate foodie, certified health coach, serial entrepreneur, and mom of 3.
I've been developing and sharing delicious, approachable recipes on 40 Aprons for more than a decade. My goal is simple: take the chore out of mealtime by creating recipes that anyone can cook and that never skimp on flavor.
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