Hubs and I are huge fans of Taco Bell’s chicken quesadilla. We don’t have a Taco Bell very close to us so we rarely get to have it. I’ve been making our own homemade quesadillas for a few years now but we always thought they needed something extra. The sauce on Taco Bell’s quesadillas definitely is what makes them great.
I’ve always wondered how I could recreate the sauce at home. I tried a few different variations on my own with no success. I recently came across a recipe specifically for Taco Bell’s sauce. So of course I had to try it! I just had to keep that mayo was in it under my hat from the hubster. He won’t touch anything with mayo so I’ve gotta hide it from him!
I’ve gotta say this is pretty dead on. I think I put too many jalapenos in ours cause it had some extra kick. But the melted cheese mellowed it out nicely.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno slices
- 2 teaspoons juice from jalapeno slices
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- dash salt
Directions:
- Mince enough jalapeno slices to make up 2 teaspoons worth. (I used my mini food processor to do this then just added the other ingredients right in the mini food processor)
- Add remaining ingredients to the minced jalapenos and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
- Use in your favorite quesadilla recipe or top off your tacos.
Recipe from Cottage Sisters
Hi Amanda,
I agree. Taco Bells quesadilla is outstanding. Just like you, after I tasted the Taco Bells quesadilla for the first time I went home and made them for myself and friends. They are great for parties!!!!!
Thanks for the recipe. I will use it the next time I make quesadillas.
My thing is BBQ, so when I BBQ and grilling things up on a Brinkmann smoker, I grill up extra chicken for things like making quesadillas.
Have a great day!!!!!
Tim
Tastes like mayo, but looks like the sauce. Disgusting, and a bit disappointing
I’m sorry you didn’t like the sauce Amber. Did you let the sauce rest before using it? Once it sits, the flavors combine better. My hubby hates mayo and he loved it. He never even mentioned that it tasted like mayo. Between all the spices and jalapenos, I find it hard to even pick out the mayo but that’s just my own opinion.
This was very good, I often make Quesadillas and was looking for a sauce to go with them. I will say this if your going to have this great sauce then you should do the chicken from scratch to. I do a pack of boneless chicken breast a half jar of your favorite mild salsa and about a 1/4 cup of water. Put all this in the crock pot cook on low for 4 hours and high for 1hour. This shreds very well and is even great for leftovers. My wife and I often take these to work, and even use low carb wraps and they are very delicious. This sauce is perfect with these. One other thing about the cook time you can cook 8 hours on low as well with great results.
So glad you liked it Chris!
Instead of mayo I use ranch dressing. I think the mayo gives it to sweet of a taste. Bit both are really good.
This recipe is fabulous. I think in the previous comment the person did not let the flavors blend with the mayo. I could taste no mayo at all! I did add extra jalapenos for extra spice. My husband thinks this tastes better than Taco Bell’s and I have to agree. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Julie! I thought maybe it was just me who couldn’t taste the mayo flavor. I agree, you really need to let it rest to get the flavors to blend best. So glad you liked it! Thanks for commenting!
Hey! I was wondering when we get the sauce made, do I just microwave it on the quesidilla?
Hi Alex. I make my quesadillas on a flat skillet pan (on medium heat) most commonly used for pancakes. I put down one tortilla shell; top with cheese, cooked chicken, tomatoes and then the sauce. I add the other tortilla shell on top of that. Let the bottom crisp up and then flip it over. Once the other side gets crispy, your cheese will be melted and the chicken, tomatoes and sauce will be heated up. Hope this helps!
I like to use my panini maker! Because I hate flipping them!
Great idea Kathy!
I’m Taco Bell’s biggest fan- bad thing about it- I’m from germany! I spent a year in the USA in a High School programme and totally fell in love with the cheese quesadillas (veggie;)!). I hope I’ll find all the ingredients in Germany so that I can satisfy my addiction!
Thanks a lot for the recipe though!
Wonderful! Thanks! I feel like I wrote this myself, I too will have to keep the mayo a secret from the hubs!! Lol Thanks again!!
Hi Tiffany. If you let it set for a bit after making it, the flavors come together and he won’t even know there’s mayo in it. It’s our little secret! 😉
Didnt taste quite right. lacking tartness. so i added a dollop of sour cream, and holy cow did that instantly taste alot more familiar. next time i may add half sour cream and half mayo, or maybe just all sour cream. thank you for the recipe though 🙂
I substituted sour cream for mayo…it tasted exactly right! Taco Bell cheese quesadillas are one of my biggest pregnancy cravings so far…now I can make them at home! Thanks for the recipe :]
Thanks for the suggestion Sofia, I’ll have to give that a try!
I tried this receipe at home (i let it set in fridge ehile i cooled the chicken)and loved it! My only question tho is, how long will it keep in the fridge? Cause I’d really love to make bigger batches but would hate for it to go bad
Hi Jaime, so glad you liked the recipe. I’m not sure how long a batch would last in the fridge so I hate to recommend a time frame. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
thanx for the recipe its what my quesadilla was missing
I’m pretty sure it is just sour cream mixed with their mild sauce…. Sorry to burst this comicated sauce bubble it’s much easier lol
Interesting, I may have to give that a try.
Its a jalepeno sauce
Complicated ****
what kind of mayo did u use? aka miracle whip or the other kind?
Hi Jill. I used Hellmann’s real mayonnaise.
Hi! Do you think i could freeze this? How much does this recipe make?
Hi Maggie. It makes a little over 1/4 cup. I’m not so sure that you could freeze it and have it taste as good once it thaws. You may have issues with it separating. But you can always give it a try if you have some extra you want to save.
Amanda this is great! Love the recipe just made it today and made chicken quesadillas on George Foreman grill and worked out great! Cooked on both sides at the same time without having to flip! Awesome Thanks again
You’re welcome Chuck! So glad you liked it.
My mother got me a quesadilla maker for Christmas, so I immediately started looking up recipes and sauces to try out with my new toy! This recipe is fantastic!! I, like some others, added a dollop of sour cream and that seemed to lend the extra something that took this from an A to an A+! YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST LET THIS REST after mixing it all together, or the flavor of all those good spices won’t meld and it just doesn’t taste right. Thanks so much for this! It’s my new foodie obsession! Mmm!
So glad you liked it Ashley!
Oh my god! This recipe is sooooooo dam good! I now make ALL of my quesadillas with this sauce and I always make sure to have the ingredients because chicken quesadillas are so quick and easy for dinner! Thank u soooooo much Amanda!
I’m so glad you like it Lesly! Thanks for letting us know that you’re enjoying it.
So good! I don’t think it tastes like mayo at all. I added some extra jalepeno juice when making it. I have celiac and haven’t been able to have taco bells quesadillas in years so I used this recipe and made my own. Amazing!!!
That’s awesome Mallary! So glad you like it!