Chicken Bean Burritos

Cook time 25 minutes

I adapted this recipe from a Cuisine Lite Cookbook, and it has become an easy go to recipe for quick and make ahead meals.  The beauty of this recipe is not only because it’s made with ingredients typically on hand, it is also really good cold.  In fact my 11 year old son loves the leftovers for school lunch. The recipe makes enough for my family of 5 to eat for dinner, and have several servings of leftovers for lunch later.  And even my young daughters eat this without any complaints or threats from me!  It’s a happy dinner night!

Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
½ a red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (full disclosure here, if I’m running late on time I’ve been known to open 2 cans of chicken, shred it up, season it and toss it in.  The one thing is it comes out a little salty so go easy on the salt later!)
1 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1 can of chopped tomatoes with chilis or “Mexican” flavoring (including the juice – it cooks out.)
1 Jalapeno chile pepper, diced.  Depending on your heat tolerance, you can play with this amount.
2 T lime juice
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional
Tortillas
Cotija or cheddar cheese
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Salsa
Sour Cream
Can o’ corn

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Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil (nonstick skillet = easier clean up!) over medium heat.  Toss in the beans.

As the onion is sautéing, toss the chicken with the cumin and coriander, then add to the skillet along with the rest of the ingredients.

Cook for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning as needed depending on the delicacy of your taste buds.  Each time I’ve made this I’ve thought a can of corn tossed in would be good.  I have yet to try it, but it’s a suggestion!

Here’s what the filling looks like when done.  I tossed in the cilantro to add some color and flavor.

Serving suggestion – scoop the filling onto a tortilla with cheese, salsa, cilantro and sour cream.  Roll it up and enjoy!