I was wondering how many of you already tried or used refried beans before? If you had, what dish did you use it for? If you would ask me, I find it clever to add it to your chicken burrito!
Why use refried beans?
You want that juicy, tender, and well-seasoned chicken stuffed in your burritos. This recipe uses refried beans, which amps up the flavour of the filling and holds the ingredients together. Smart, right?
Using refried beans was also new to me and when I saw the chicken burrito recipe on RecipeTinEats, I told myself I needed to try it asap! The ingredients and method I used were exactly from that chicken burrito recipe but only scaled up. And I made flour tortillas from scratch to go with that. Yum.
How to cook and assemble the burritos with ease?
- Mix the seasoning together. Set aside.
- Coat chicken with seasoning and cook. Let it rest and chop. Set aside.
- Sauté aromatics and capsicum.
- Add refried beans and water, stir. Add chicken. Cook and reduce liquid slightly. Cool for a few minutes.
- Lay down a tortilla, spoon the rice on top, add the chicken, corn, cheese, coriander, or other fillings you like. Fold it up. (Video is helpful).
Homemade vs Store-bought Tortillas
These are homemade flour tortillas you can easily make at home. Click here for the recipe and short video.
If using freshly-cooked homemade tortillas, you can simply eat them straight away with the burrito fillings.
If using store-bought tortillas, you can warm them in the microwave before adding the fillings. Or wrap the burritos in foil and bake them in the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
Some reminders when making these burritos –
Before you dash, why don’t you have a quick read where I tripped up the first time.
There were a couple of missteps on my first try and although they still turned out delicious, it would make a difference to get it right. So, here –
For the burrito seasoning, make sure to mix it first before sprinkling it onto the chicken. Not dump it all at once.
When adding the refried beans, stir well with water first until it is ready to coat the chicken, then add the chopped chicken. Not add all three together – refried beans, water, and chicken – at the same time.
Now, you are more than ready for these delightful chicken burritos that are big on flavour and also fun to make! Come and try it, amigos and amigas!
How To Make Chicken Burritos
Chicken Burritos
Ingredients
- 7-8 pcs tortillas, homemade or store-bought
Seasoning
- 1 ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 ¼ tsp mild paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper
Chicken Filling
- 850 grams chicken breast, sliced in half (horizontally)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 400 grams canned refried beans
- ¼ cup water
Other Fillings
- 2 cups or more ccoked white rice or Mexican red rice
- 400 grams canned corn, drained
- 150 grams or more cheese, grated
- 6 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
- Place seasoning in a small bowl and mix. Set aside.
- Slice the chicken in half (horizontally). Transfer chicken to a large bowl and coat with 1 ½ tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle the seasoning onto the chicken and toss to coat.
- Heat a large pan and add the remaining 1 ½ tbsp olive oil. Fry the chicken for about 2 mins on each side (depending on the size of the chicken). Transfer the chicken onto a plate and rest for 3 mins. Chop and set aside.
- Stir-fry the onion and garlic in the same pan. Add the capsicum and cook for 2 mins or until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the refried beans, then pour the water carefully. Stir until the mixture comes together. Add the chopped chicken. Stir and cook for another 2-3 mins or until the liquid has reduced slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes or so.
- If using store-bought tortillas, warm them first in the microwave before adding the fillings. If using freshly-cooked homemade tortillas, use them straight away.
- Lay down a tortilla and spoon the rice on top, add chicken, corn, cheese, coriander (or other preferred fillings). Fold it up starting from the edge nearest you, then close both ends and finish folding it up.