Don’t you hate it when the filling of your Chicken Burrito falls out and you end up with a chaotic mess on your hands? This one won’t! Juicy, cheesy, flavour loaded chicken burrito filling keeps everything together as you munch your way through.
Eat some now, freeze some for later – you can even reheat from frozen!
Chicken Burritos
One of my biggest gripes about Burritos (other than how ridiculously gigantic they can be, far wider than any normal human mouth) is that by the time you get halfway through, you’ve got burrito explosion on your hands.
Rolling technique comes into play – the firmer it’s rolled, the better it holds together. The filling you choose also has an effect – Shredded Beef and Shredded Chicken holds together pretty well.
But chopped chicken more often than not comes tumbling out a few bites in. As for the last few bites – forget about it. It’s just one big diabolical mess (albeit a delicious one).
Which is why I make my chicken burrito filling using refried beans which not only holds everything together, it makes the filling juicy and adds extra flavour!
What you need for Chicken Burritos
Here’s what you need. PLUS TORTILLAS! How did I forget the single most important ingredient for this recipe?? 🤦🏻♀️
Refried beans are the secret ingredient that fills it out and holds everything together
I’ve used seasoned Mexican Red Rice here which is my favourite to stuff into burritos. But feel free to use plain white rice – the Chicken Burrito Filling has so much flavour you won’t feel deprived!
How to make Chicken Burritos
And here’s how I make it:
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Sear chicken seasoned with a homemade Burrito spice mix, then chop it up;
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Make burrito filling – sautéed onion, capsicum/bell peppers, refried beans, and add the chicken. The filling should be juicy and wet, but not watery – otherwise it will make the burrito soggy;
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Pile filling, corn, rice, coriander/cilantro and cheese on a tortilla, then roll up tightly;
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Bake or panfry to melt the cheese and warm it all up!
Few things in life rival the sense of smug satisfaction when you’ve got a stash of burritos in the freezer…. and you can reheat from frozen!
How to freeze burritos
Burritos are PERFECT for freezing, making them the ideal standby homemade convenience meal! To freeze, just wrap in paper then foil, place in an airtight container or ziplock bags then freeze.
To reheat:
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thaw then oven for 15 minutes; OR
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reheat from frozen for 40 minutes.
Dunking Sauce for Burrito
You’ll find the filling for these Chicken Burritos is juicier than most, thanks to the refried beans. So you don’t even need a sauce.
However, I am never one to say no to a sauce for dunking or drizzling or dolloping or smearing, so here are some suggestions:
Sauce for burritos
The Avocado Sauce is pictured in the photo above. But the Queso is secretly my favourite. Seriously, imagine a burrito dunked in a warm Cheesy Mexican Dip?? – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chicken Burrito
Ingredients
- 5 tortillas , flour (approx 20cm/8" wide)
Burrito Seasoning:
- 1 tsp each onion powder, dried oregano, salt
- 2 tsp each dried cumin powder, paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, adjust to taste)
Chicken Filling:
- 600g / 1.2 lb chicken breast , sliced in half horizontally (Note 1)
- 2 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 1/2 onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , diced
- 400g/14oz refried beans , canned (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup water
Rice - CHOOSE one:
- 2.5 cups white rice , plain (cooked, Note 3)
- 2.5 cups Mexican Red Rice (the best for Burritos!)
Other Stuffings:
- 400g/14oz canned corn , drained (or 280g/9oz frozen thawed)
- 1.5 cups (150g) cheese , shredded (Mexican blend, cheddar, tasty, Montery Jack)
- 1/4 cup coriander/cilantro , finely chopped
Sauce for dunking - choose:
- Avocado sauce
- Sour cream
- Salsa (restaurant style, smooth)
Instructions
- Burrito Seasoning - Mix Seasoning ingredients. Drizzle 1 tbsp oil over chicken, mix to coat. Sprinkle with Seasoning, toss to coat.
- Cook chicken - Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chicken, cook 2 minutes. Turn and cook 1.5 minutes. Remove, rest 2 minutes then chop.
- Saute onion - In the same skillet, add onion and garlic, cook 1 minute. Add capsicum, cook 2 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Finish Filling - Add refried beans, diced chicken and water. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until reduces slightly. Should be thick and juicy, not watery and not dry/stodgy! Let cool 5 minutes - will thicken.
Assemble burritos:
- Gently warm tortillas in microwave (makes them pliable), lay on work surface.
- Place rice on lower third, top with Chicken Filling, corn, cheese then sprinkle with coriander. Fold up, burrito style.
- Toasting: Either pan fry over medium high heat (no oil) for 2 minutes each side to make tortilla crispy and melt cheese a bit OR wrap tightly in foil and bake in oven 10 minutes at 180°C/350°F.
- Dunk in sauce(s) of choice or douse with hot sauce of choice, and devour! Suggestions: Avocado Sauce, Guacamole, sour cream, Restaurant Style Salsa, Queso, Nacho Cheese Dip.
- Freezer friendly! Note 4 for directions.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Burrito Fever
I love a good burrito….so handy to have a stash in the freezer!
Life of Dozer
Food Porn for Dogs.
Hi, Nagi ! This is best recipe, and easier to wrap because beans and chicken stick together, I love your recipes, your big fan from Japan ❤️
Perfect Keiko!! N x
The link in your email for chicken burritos doesn’t work
Hi Nagi. Is there a particular brand of tortilla you recommend? My whole family love your recipes, thank you for making cooking a pleasure again, Jade x
Hi Jade – any brand will work fine here! N x
These are so amazing but as per Jade’s comment – really curious as to what you use – I end up buying the El Paso Jumbo (pack of 6) and still feel like they’re not big enough for the filling ….
Came out delicious. My teenagers loved it. Thank you!
This was a great family feed, I had to cheat and use microwave rice and a packet burrito seasoning but still turned out great but will definitely try with your spices next time. Made in smaller tortillas and enough for second meal for family in freezer, winner! thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sarah!! N x
Hi Nagi, would be be ok to omit the rice?
My husband is northern Mexican and is horrified any time that rice appears in a burrito! We always omit rice and make more meat filling instead.
Hi Rebecca, Yes, I did omit the rice too.
Thank you
I just tried it yesterday and it was delicious.
Just made a double batch (as written) to freeze. So tasty!
ABSOLUTELY SOUNDS DELICIOUS CAN’T WSIT TO TRY IT
Beautiful recipe. Loved the flavours. Thanks Nagi
Amazing!!! Will be making these often!
The seasoning for the chicken was fantastic!! This recipe will Definitely be going in my “quick&easy” dinner book. As it was very easy to put together &I had all the ingredients at home already. I did substitute the refried beans for black beans (I have my own refried bean recipe) but other than that I followed the recipe and it turned out GREAT! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Can you reheat these is the microwave from thawed or frozen? If so, how long should I do?
Hi Jennifer, you sure can, either use a defrost setting or thaw and then heat – I’d put it in for a minute or so and check it. N x
Personally, I reheated mine in the oven to get that nice crunchyness that it had when initially cooked, and it was delicious! I just checked it by eye until it was a nice golden brown colour 🙂
Another amazing recipe! It was so easy to make, but crazy delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with us! xoxo
How long will the chicken filling last in the fridge without putting it in the tortillas?
No more than 4 days
I say about three days max.
During lockdown I found this recipe. My husband and I loved it, we mix salsa with it. I gave the recipe to my son also.
Wow! Just loved this! I’m on low carb so had to modify a bit but, what a great idea blending it all together and the dipping sauce is perfect with this. I also added a bit of salsa to my blend.
Forgot to hit the stars!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jeff! N x
Another hit for my family, it was delicious!
Cooking this for the second time today, as I had a midnight snack craving for them last night, and none in the freezer! I too will soon be smug with my freezer stash!
Oh I love this Anne!! N x
This is the third recipe of yours we’ve made this week and each one has gotten better every time! The burritos were a HUGE hit and we can not fault a single thing about any of your recipes. Thank you!