Can I use pre-cooked chicken for my burrito filling?

Yes, pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken can be used in place of raw chicken in this burrito recipe. Simply skip step 1 where you saute the chicken and add the cooked chicken during step 2 of our recipe below.

How can I reheat leftover chicken burritos without drying them out?

The key to preventing chicken burritos from drying out while reheating is to warm them gently and avoid overheating. We suggest wrapping individual burritos in a moist paper towel and microwaving in 30-second increments until warmed through. If you’d like the outside to be a little crispy after microwaving, either place the burrito in a skillet over medium heat and cook on both sides until golden, or air fry it at 350°F for 2-4 minutes. If you want to reheat a bigger batch of burritos at one time, wrap each one in foil and heat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes. Let them rest for a few minutes before unwrapping.

Can you freeze burritos?

100% yes! Frozen chicken burritos are a nearly perfect freezer meal. They freeze and thaw well and can go straight from freezer to microwave or oven. To meal prep burritos, cook the filling and wrap each individual burrito in foil. Then, place them in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal and freeze. When you're ready to eat your frozen chicken burritos, grab as many as you need from the freezer. Either thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and warm according to the recipe. Or heat them up from frozen in a moist paper towel in the microwave in 30-second increments OR in foil for 20-30 minutes in a 350°F oven until heated through.

Chicken Burrito Recipe - Thriving Home

Name: On-the-Go Chicken Burritos
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil; 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces; 1 (1-ounce) packet taco seasoning (or use 2 T of homemade taco seasoning); 2/3 cups water (or chicken broth, if using homemade taco seasoning); 3/4 cup cooked black beans (or half of a 15-ounce can of black beans, drained); 3/4 cup frozen corn; 3/4 cup cooked brown rice or Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice; 1/2 cup mild salsa (use medium if you like more heat); 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese; 8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas (I like Stacy’s Organic Tortillas, if you can find them.); Optional toppings: Guacamole or Cilantro Lime Aioli, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, pico de gallo, salsa

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On-the-Go Chicken Burritos

This simple chicken burrito recipe makes for a filling, healthy, and satisfying lunch or dinner anywhere and anytime. Be sure to double the batch and freeze some for later using our instructions.

Yield: 8 burritos 1x

Total: 25 minutes

Units:

Scale:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite-sized pieces
1 (1-ounce) packet taco seasoning (or use 2 T of homemade taco seasoning)
2/3 cups water (or chicken broth, if using homemade taco seasoning)
3/4 cup cooked black beans (or half of a 15-ounce can of black beans, drained)
3/4 cup frozen corn
3/4 cup cooked brown rice or Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
1/2 cup mild salsa (use medium if you like more heat)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas (I like Stacy’s Organic Tortillas, if you can find them.)
Optional toppings: Guacamole or Cilantro Lime Aioli, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, pico de gallo, salsa

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Instructions

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Saute Chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmery, add the chicken and sauté until cooked through (no longer pink), about 4 minutes.
Cook Filling: Add water/broth, taco seasoning, black beans, corn, brown rice, and salsa. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer. Let mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened.
Assemble Burritos: To each tortilla, add a generous 1/3 cup chicken and bean mixture and 3 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese. Pull in each end of tortilla and roll up tightly into a burrito. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
Heat Up Burritos: You have 3 options for warming the burritos.
1. Stovetop: Pan fry (no oil needed) in a skillet over medium-high heat on both sides until toasted and warmed through, about 2 minutes per side.
2. Oven: Wrap tortilla in foil and heat through in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes (or from frozen, 20-30 minutes).
3. Microwave: Wrap tortilla in a moist paper towel and warm in the microwave in 30 second increments until heated through. Open up the burrito halfway through reheating, to allow the inside ingredients to get warmed.
4. Air Fryer: Arrange the burritos, seam-side down, in air fryer basket, making sure they have space around them. Place basket into air fryer. Set temperature to 400°F and cook until crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.
Serve with optional toppings listed above.

Freeze for Later: Complete recipe through Step 3. Wrap each individual burrito in foil and place in gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal and freeze.

Prepare from Frozen:

Option 1: Thawed: Thaw completely and follow Steps 4-5.
Option #1: Frozen: Preheat oven to 350°F. Keep burrito(s) wrapped in the foil. Heat in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated through. Another thaw option is to remove foil, wrap burrito in moist paper towel, and microwave in 30 second increments until heated through (about 4 minutes depending on microwave). Open up the burrito halfway through reheating, to allow the inside ingredients to get warmed.

Notes/Tips

What Tortilla Is Best: I have found flour tortillas to hold up the very best. I’ve made these with white flour tortillas, whole wheat flour tortillas, and gluten-free tortillas with success.
Corn tortillas are too small and will fall apart, from my experience. However, a reader told me recently that when she warms each corn tortilla in a pan before wrapping the burritos, they do tend to stay together.

Vegetarian Version: Skip the chicken and use more beans, like pinto or kidney beans, and/or more rice instead.

Gluten-Free Version: Use gluten-free tortillas but not corn tortillas. The corn ones fall apart too easily.

Dairy-Free Version: Omit the cheese or use dairy-free shredded cheese like Daiya brand.

Ground Beef Version: Try our Beef Burritos recipe instead. They are very similar and freeze well.

Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our chicken from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, grass-fed beef, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.

Cuisine: Mexican Method: Stove Top

Find it online: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/on-the-go-chicken-burritos/