Chicken Burritos and Tomato Avocado Salad

Burritos!

Never eat them, never make them.

And then I did, and here they are.

Sorry, but I am not a fan of those giant burritos the size of your head that the serve at the Q and the C and the M's.  There must be like 4 million calories in one of those things.  It's hard to look at them and think of that whole big burrito being in your stomach.. yeesh.

But, I mean, it's cool if you like them!  We can still be pals.  I'm not really sure why I picked this recipe while browsing through the F&W archives.  Maybe it was the cheese, or the lack of rice.. I'm also not a fan of rice in burritos, but that's another tangent.  Anyways- these mini-sized (or should I say normal-sized!) burritos are delish.  I made a simple tomato avocado salad to go along with the burrito and it was just enough to satisfy.  No giant burrito belly for me!  This is also a great meal for couples who are eating different portions sizes (one for me, two for hubs).

Can you believe we still have nice, ripe tomatoes in season down here in OCTOBER?  It is baffling to me.  The South has my seasons all confused.  One day it's 100, one day it's 70.  One day tomatoes, one day butternut squash.  So from now on, I won't comment on it.  You'll just have to deal with margaritas and grilling in December, okay?

Hot, fresh, and won't put you into a food coma.

Chicken Burritos with Black Bean Salsa and Pepper Jack
Food & Wine
(meant to serve 4, but it made 8 servings for me!)


1 2/3 cups drained and rinsed black beans (from one 15-ounce can)
2 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 pound pepper Jack cheese, grated
4 large (9-inch) flour tortillas (I used 8 8-inch tortillas)

Light the grill or heat the broiler. In a small glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the beans, scallions, lemon juice, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. 

Rub the chicken breasts with the chili powder, pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook the chicken over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until brown and just done, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove, let the chicken rest for a few minutes, and then slice.

Heat the oven to 350. Put one quarter of the cheese in a line near one edge of each tortilla. Top the cheese with one quarter of the black-bean salsa and then with one quarter of the chicken slices. Roll up the burritos and wrap each one in foil. Bake them until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes. 

Make Ahead: You can assemble the burritos ahead of time and bake them just before serving. If they’ve been in the refrigerator, add about five minutes to the baking time.

Simple Tomato Avocado Salad
Oven Love
(serves 2)

1/2 ripe avocado, sliced
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, sliced in rings
1 lemon or lime, halved
salt and pepper to taste
minced cilantro for garnish

Assemble the avocado, tomato and onion in layers on two plates.  Squeeze the lemon or lime juice over the slices, salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with cilantro.

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This post is part of a series featuring recipes from the FOOD & WINE archive.  As a FOOD & WINE Blogger Correspondent, I was chosen to do four recipes a week from FOOD &WINE.  I received a subscription to FOOD & WINE for my participation.