This chicken and rice burrito recipe is full of flavor, juicy, and very easy to prepare at home. Make the filling ahead and have it ready for a quick weekend breakfast or brunch!

Chicken burritos are also a quick and easy dinner and believe me, everyone loves those warm and juicy wraps filled with a flavored mixture of chicken, spices and vegetables.

One of the first Mexican dishes I was able to make here in Italy was chicken and rice burrito. There’s a small store near my home where they sell ingredients from all over the world. Japanese noodles, Chinese wraps, Indian spices, Brazilian liquors and much more.

Among those, they sell different treats and ingredients from my country, Mexico. Things like spicy sauces, flour tortillas, dry chilies, corn chips and corn flour.

Burritos filled with chicken and rice, piled on a plate.

Going to that shop store always made me feel like I was a child in a lunar park. Happy. I will leave the shop with bags full of my favorite treats like mazapán, salsa Valentina, corn chips, candies and of course: Flour tortillas.

My husband loves chicken burritos. I like to make them with shredded chicken, onions and red/yellow bell peppers.

Adding a little bit of ground cumin makes the dish taste really good but don’t add too much since that’s is a common mistake most people does when they cook Mexican food (blame store bought Tex-mex food).

Close up on the filling on a chicken and rice burrito.

I like to make those chicken and rice burrito when we have people over for dinner. Specially if they’re our Italian friends because this version have also a Mediterranean touch thanks to the bell peppers and tomatoes. They love them and always ask for the recipe.

Make Them Ahead

I like how easy is to make those burritos in advance. You can use one of those two methods below:

  • Make the mixture, rice, and refried beans 2 or 3 days in advance, store in fridge then just heat tortillas and make your burritos the day you want to eat them.
  • Make chicken and rice burrito but don’t add lettuce. Roll them, allow them to cool, and then wrap them in foil. Store in the fridge and then just heat them up in the oven the day you want to eat them. It saves a lot of time!

Use Your Favorite Mexican Rice Recipe

And for the rice, there’s nothing better than an authentic red mexican rice. Or you can also use Arroz Blanco or Cilantro and Poblano Rice, any of those options are perfect to make this chicken and rice burrito recipe. Check out our video below to see how to make Mexican red rice!

What Tortillas Work Best for Burritos?

Flour Tortillas are the best because they’re softer and moister. They won’t break or crack so easily allowing them to be rolled in a more easy way.

Also, they’re more easy to heat, just a few seconds on a hot skillet or comal and they will be ready to roll. And last, they’re usually bigger than corn tortillas, which makes them perfect to handle a good amount of filling! Read more about Flour vs Corn Tortillas here.

Sourdough Flour Tortillas Recipe

When making a chicken and rice burrito, just make sure the tortilla is warm before wrapping so it remains soft enough to fold. Making so will prevent the liquid from leaking out through crackers.

Step by step recipe

Make the chicken filling

Chop and dice your vegetables: Peppers, onions, japaleños, and tomatoes.

Heat oil on a non-stick pan or skillet. Add bell peppers, onions and jalapeños. Then sauté for about 5 minutes or until veggies start to soften.

Sautéing vegetables in a non-stick pan.

Add tomatoes and shredded chicken. Stir for 3 minutes or until tomatoes starts to release its juices.

Tomatoes and chicken added to the pan with vegetables.

Add chicken stock, season with salt, pepper, garlic power and ground cumin. Mix well and bring to a simmer.

The mixture covered with chicken stock.

Cover and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Uncover and keep cooking for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are soft and there’s almost not liquid left.

Make burritos

Warm up the tortillas and wrap them in a damp kitchen towel to keep them moist while preparing chicken rice burritos. If you don’t know how to heat flour tortillas, follow those easy steps:

  • Heat a comal or griddle over medium heat.
  • Place one tortilla and heat from 10 to 15 seconds.
  • Turn over and heat for another 10 seconds or until you’ll see some char marks appears.
A tortilla with char marks on a comal.

Now, take one tortilla and place it flat on a plate or working surface. Spread some refried beans on the center.

Spreading refried beans on a tortilla.

Scoop the chicken mixture lenghtwise near to the border of tortilla. Then add lettuce. Top with a spoonful of red rice.

Chicken, lettuce and red rice added to the tortilla.

Next, roll up the burrito, first folding in the two ends, then rolling tightly. Serve immediately.

A collage with two photos showing how to roll the burrito.

Place burrito on a serving plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep it warm.

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Chicken and rice burrito closeup.

Chicken and Rice Burrito

12 burritos
A quick and easy dinner or breakfast that everyone loves! Those juicy and flavoured chicken and rice burrito are so rich in flavour that they won't last so much on the table.
prep 20 minutes
cook 15 minutes
total 35 minutes

Ingredients 

For the chicken mixture

  • 2 ½ cups shreded chicken breast
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (diced)
  • 1 medium green pepper (diced)
  • 1 medium white onions (diced)
  • 2 large fresh tomatoes (diced)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper (chopped)
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups chicken stock
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil on a pan over medium heat. Add bell peppers, onions and jalapeño peppers, sautée, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
  • Add the tomatoes and chicken, keep cooking for 3 minutes or until tomatoes start to release their juices.
  • Add chicken stock, season with salt, pepper, garlic power and ground cumin. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
  • Cover and let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes.
  • Uncover and keep cooking for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are soft and there’s almost not liquid left.
  • Remove from heat and let the chicken mixture rest for 10 minutes or until it slightly cool down.

Make burritos

  • Heat a skillet or comal over medium heat, then warm up the tortillas and wrap them in a damp kitchen towel to keep them moist.
  • Working one burrito at time, spread some refried bean on a tortilla.
  • Add chicken mixture, lettuce, and red rice on top, near to the border (so it will be easy to roll).
  • Next, roll up the burrito, first folding in the two ends, then rolling tightly.
  • Place burrito on a serving plate and cover with a kitchen towel to keep it warm.
  • Repeat the steps with all tortillas and ingredients.

Notes

Nutrition Information
Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 433mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 511IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    So the tortillas won’t have a weird texture after being store in the fridge and then heated up? I did the recipe yesterday and everybody Loved it! Indeed is not the same taste as the fast food chains, it’s even better!