spinner
Food & Wine
© Melanie Acevedo

Not in the mood for this recipe?

Tell Us What You Think

Chicken Burritos with Black-Bean Salsa and Pepper Jack

Average Rating

 From 1 rating.

User Reviews

rating mlaupmanis

recipe tools

Printer-Friendly Page Printer-Friendly Page
RSS RSS
AddThis
Email to a Friend

Chicken Burritos with Black-Bean Salsa and Pepper Jack

  • fast FAST
SERVES: 4
Pepper Jack cheese looks innocent enough but adds a nice kick to these burritos. If you prefer a milder taste, use regular Jack instead.
ingredients
  • 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
directions
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

NOTES

Menu Suggestion

Embellish your burritos with sour cream or salsa, if you like. Sliced tomatoes or rice would make good side dishes.

wine recommendation With the heat from the cheese, stay away from any serious, high-alcohol, low-acid wines. Try a white from a cooler growing area such as a riesling from the Finger Lakes region of New York or any white from the Alto Adige region of Italy. A cold beer is a great alternative.

Search for easy-to-find soft, off-dry riesling
Recipe by Quick From Scratch Chicken
This recipe originally appeared in July, 1999.