Crispy Southwest Chicken Burrito

I got the idea for our crispy burritos here. I tweaked it to fit our family. We've made them several times now & changed one thing here or there. And they've been amazing every time. Hope you enjoy them, too.

This recipe made 12 burritos total. We made up as many as we needed the first day and then used the leftover ingredients for more the next day.

Ingredients:

Chicken, cooked & shredded (instructions below)

1 can Mexican RoTel (it has lime & cilantro)

1/2 pkg Taco Bell taco seasoning

1 pkg Knorr Rice Sides Spanish Rice

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well

Uncooked tortillas, as many as you need for your family

Shredded cheese

Sour Cream

1 can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

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Directions.........

In crockpot:

2 lbs chicken (I use mine from frozen)

1 can Mexican RoTel

A little water to cover the bottom of the crockpot

Cook on high for 3 hours.

Do not drain the juices. Push the rotel into the crockpot and remove chicken. Shred chicken with forks and return to crockpot. I always add about a 1/2 pkt of Taco Bell taco seasoning and stir until all the chicken is coated. Put the lid on and let the crockpot "keep it warm."

On the stovetop:

Cook 1 pkt of Knorr Rice Sides Spanish Rice according to pkg directions. Let sit when it is done. It's okay if it cools off a little.

On the griddle:

Heat griddle to 400. Cook tortillas according to pkg directions. It is usually about 30 seconds on each side. Ours are from Costco and are Tortilla Land brand. I can cook 2 at a time on our griddle. Don't turn off the griddle. You're going to use it soon to "crisp" the burritos. Keep it at 400 degrees.

Now it is time to build the burrito. Place the tortilla on a plate. Starting at the bottom of the tortilla, add:

spoonful of rice

spoonful of chicken

few dollops of sour cream

spoonful of black beans

Sprinkle with shredded cheese

Carefully wrap it up and place seam side down on the griddle. Once that side is "crisped," rotate to the back side, and continue with the remaining 2 sides.

I can do quite a few burritos at a time on the griddle. I just build the other burritos while the others are "crisping."

Serve hot with green chile sauce on the side. We use a spoon and drizzle it on!

I couldn't get a good picture of a cross section of these and didn't think about it until they had cooled off. But this gives you an idea....

Meat and Potato Burrito

I love Taco Johns. However, I live 2 hours from the nearest one. So I decided to make my own version of their Meat and Potato Burrito. It actually turned out pretty good. We'll definitely be making them again!

2 lbs hamburger

taco seasoning

water

lettuce, shredded

tomato, cut up

nacho cheese sauce -I just buy a small cup at my convenience store

sour cream

Ore Ida Crispy Crowns

Burrito-sized tortillas

Brown hamburger with minced onions. Drain and return to pan with 1/3 cup water and taco seasoning. Use your own judgement on how much seasoning you want. Turn on low and allow the hamburger to get moist and tasty. If it starts to get too dry, add just a little more water.

Broil the crispy crowns. You want about 6-8 per burrito. I like a little bit more crunch and texture in mine so I use 8. Broil the crispy crowls on high for about 7-8 minutes. Turn them over and broil for another 3-4 minutes. Check until they're golden brown and crisp, but not burnt or soggy.

Wrapped in paper towels, warm up tortillas slightly in microwave.

To make the burrito:

Put some meat and some nacho cheese sauce in the tortilla. I learned later that this was not enough nacho cheese sauce. I think about 2 Tbsp is more appropriate. Maybe more. You don't want a dry burrito. :)

Put the crispy crowns down the center.Pile on sour cream, tomatoes, and lettuce. Then wrap it all up. I didn't have the burrito-sized tortillas and so mine didn't roll up so great. We'll definitely be buying those for next time. I had to use toothpicks to hold them together. As you can see below, the poor thing was bursting at the seams. However, they still tasted great. They're juicy and crispy and oh they're so yummy! Eat and enjoy.

Breakfast Wrap

from my own brain... with some help from a fast food place I ate at once
These are great for on the go, for kids, or just for convenience.

Tortilla
Egg
Cheese
Choice of breakfast meat

Cook egg like you would an omelet. I added a tiny bit of salt and some water to help make it fluffy.
I warmed the tortilla up in the microwave for a about 10 seconds to make it more pliable for wrapping. Place cooked egg on tortilla, toward the top so you can fold the bottom up when you wrap it.
Place cheese slice on top immediately after so it can melt. I ended up using two slices because I LOVE cheese!Place choice of meat on top. Make sure it is also warm. I was feeling particularly naughty so I used 3 pieces of bacon. Normally I would use one and break it in half. I think sausage links would also taste great. Or thinly sliced ham.Wrap it all up. I drizzled a little bit of syrup over the top for some sweetness, but that could certainly be left out for less calories.

Variation: For a spicy breakfast treat, Scramble eggs until done. Add cheese, taco meat, and/or salsa. We do salsa on the side usually. Wrap it all up and you've got a breakfast burrito.

Lo-fat/Lo-cal tip: All of this could be made to be lo-fat/lo-cal by using a wrap that is lo-fat (like wheat or other natural ones I've see in the stores). Or use turkey sausage or turkey bacon. The cheese could be optional but it sure helps. Maybe just put a tiny bit of grated cheese instead of an american cheese slice.

Spicy Chicken Wraps

from my own brain
Mission Flavored Wraps (we like Sundried Tomato Basil)
Head of Lettuce (I like green leaf for these best)
Shredded cheese
Chicken -however you want it
Chopped tomatoes
Winger's sauce (you can buy a bottle from the restaurant)
Ranch

I like to broil the wraps on low for 1 minute on each side to get them slightly crispy. You just have to watch them very closely. I just set them right on the rack and flip them over when it is time.

In a bowl, toss desired amount of lettuce (enough for one wrap) with Ranch. Arrange down the center of one wrap. Sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes. Some people even like boiled eggs, cut-up, in their wrap.

For the chicken, I either cut up nuggets (the quick, cheap, easy way) or I cut up chicken into strips and egg and flour it and fry it up, or I use grilled chicken or you can use deli chicken breasts. If I do nuggets (which are Tyson's chicken breast tenders), I cook them in the oven on broil for 5 minutes on one side and another 4 or 5 minutes on the other side. I figure about 10 nuggets per wrap. I cut them long ways so they are like strips. I cut up 10 nuggets at a time and, in a bowl, I drizzle a little Winger's sauce over them. Arrange them over the lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes in the wrap. Carefully wrap up the wrap. I place two toothpicks in it, one at each end, and then cut it diagonally in the middle.

Repeat for each wrap. The wraps are pretty big. Brent can eat 1 1/2 or 2. I usually eat 1/2 or 1 depending on how hungry I am.

These are SUPER easy and fast.... if you go the nugget route. We like these for a Saturday meal.

***Lo-Fat tip: Use grilled chicken, not crispy. Use spinach leaves instead of green leaf lettuce. Use lite ranch. Go light on the cheese. Add in alf alfa sprouts if desired or any other veggies. Whatever you do, don't skimp on the Winger's sauce. That's what makes these so good!