As much as I love food, most of the things I cook day-to-day during the week, by necessity, have to be able to be made and enjoyed in one hour or less. Cooking makes me extremely happy 99% of the time, but I will be the first to admit that the 1% of the time that it doesn’t almost always involves trying to cook something overly ambitious after getting home from work and yoga at 9pm. This inevitably always results in me rushing around, spilling things, cursing, and generally wondering why I even bothered in the first place. Needless to say, I try to avoid these sorts of unpleasant situations as much as possible.
But, when it comes down to it, it’s important to me to eat healthfully and frugally, not to mention to make time for doing the things that I love, so I almost always cook something no matter how late I get home. I consider this a victory considering I live with a guy whose favorite food is Chipotle and will take any opportunity to run out and get a “double-meat” burrito. Sigh.
Bottom line is, most of the time I need something delicious and fast, so I don’t, you know, become Extremely Hungry and thus become a danger to myself and others. I try to mix it up, but I absolutely have to have my stand-by’s – reliable recipes I pretty much know by heart that I can whip up anytime without too much thought. These chicken burritos fit the bill perfectly and are a well-deserved regular in the dinner rotation. They take advantage of convenience products (pre-made salsa, canned black beans, pre-shredded cheese, and rotisserie chicken) but combine it in a way that is delicious, healthy, and exactly what I want when I get home at 9pm.
The process is simple: hearty black beans are combined with chunky salsa. Shredded rotisserie chicken and green onions get mixed into some simple Mexican-style flavorings. It’s all layered into whole wheat tortillas, topped with cheese, and rolled up into a perfect little package, before being pan-fried simply on the stovetop. It’s weeknight awesomeness, and proof that delicious food doesn’t have to be expensive, difficult, or time-consuming. Don’t you love when that happens?
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- ¼ cup green onions, thinly sliced
- ¾ cup canned black beans, rinsed off and drained
- ½ cup fresh salsa
- 4 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas
- ½ cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, Mexican Blend, cheddar, etc.)
- Cooking spray, for pan
- Bring water, lime juice, and spices (through red pepper) to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in your shredded rotisserie chicken and the green onions until well-mixed.
- In a small bowl, mix the beans and salsa together. Spoon ¼ cup of the bean-salsa mixture and ½ cup of the chicken mixture in the middle of each tortilla. Sprinkle each with 2 tbsp cheese and roll up (see tip below for my foolproof method). Continue to make 4 burritos.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray and add two burritos. Place a heavy skillet on top of the burritos, and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until browned to your liking. Repeat with the other two burritos.
- To make a perfect burrito every time, use my trick: Put the filling in the center of the tortilla, leaving more room on the top and bottom than the sides. Fold the sides in over the filling, and then fold the bottom of the tortilla over that, rolling upward to encompass the filling. Easy!
