This chicken burrito is absolutely delicious and is made with simple, homemade ingredients!
When you’re looking for a healthy and hearty meal, look no further than this incredible chicken burrito recipe! There’s something about a burrito that makes it so comforting. Maybe it’s the perfect combo of tangy cilantro-lime rice, warm tortillas and juicy chicken. Add to that, some fresh homemade guacamole and sour cream, and you couldn’t ask for anything better!
I’ve used my favorite guacamole recipe for this burrito so please do check that out, as I won’t be covering it in this recipe! After you try this chicken burrito recipe, you will prefer it over Chipotle’s burritos any day! Overall, it’s a very straight forward and easy recipe which involves prepping a few things and assembling it all together.
It involves marinating and cooking the chicken, preparing the cilantro-lime rice, making the pico de gallo, and using my homemade guacamole! I also used additional toppings like canned red kidney beans, zero-fat sour cream and shredded cheese.
How to make this chicken burrito recipe?
Cook the Chicken
Before cooking the chicken we need to slice it and mix it with all the spices. We start by butterflying the chicken breast. Hold it steady with one hand and slice it horizontally to get 2 thinner pieces of the chicken breast. The reason we do this is so that there’s more surface area for the spices and the chicken cooks evenly.
Once sliced, place the chicken in a large bowl and add in all the spices. Namely, the red chili powder / cayenne powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, lime juice, freshly ground black pepper, dried oregano and salt. Be sure to mix this well and evenly coat the chicken.
You can choose to let the chicken marinate overnight in the fridge for a more enhanced flavor. Today, we’re going to cook it straightaway. Heat a large pan on medium-high and add some olive oil. Carefully add in the chicken slices and make sure not to overcrowd the pan. You can cook it in batches. Cook each side for about 3 minutes each and get a nice char on the sides to add a smoky flavor. Ensure that the chicken is cooked all the way through by checking it’s internal temperature with a food thermometer. It should be 165 F.
Once it’s cooked, transfer the chicken onto a cutting board. Now, you can either cut it into small bite-sized pieces or simply pull it apart with two forks to get shredded chicken. Whatever works for you!
Prepare the cilantro-lime rice
This is a super easy and quick step. All you need to do is add in some chopped cilantro, lime juice, garlic powder and salt to a bowl of cooked rice. Gently mix this together and set it aside!
Based on your preference, you can use either white or brown rice. I’ve used long-grain white rice for this chicken burrito recipe.
Prepare the pico de gallo
To make your very own pico de gallo, dice a tomato and an onion, roughly chop cilantro and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Squeeze some lime juice and sprinkle some salt to taste. Mix this all together and you’re done!
Pico de gallo adds a tangy freshness to every bite of the burrito!
Assemble the chicken burrito
Now, it is time for the show stopper! It’s time to assemble everything we’ve prepped. But before we start adding the fillings to the tortilla there’s one small step left.
On a hot pan, warm up the tortilla. After flipping the tortilla, spread some shredded cheese on it and allow it to melt a little. After a few seconds, transfer the tortilla to a plate and add the fillings. Be careful not to overheat the tortilla because it can get hard and difficult to fold.
Add all the fillings lengthwise on the tortilla. This ensures that after you roll it up, you’ll get all the toppings in every bite! So, start by adding the chicken, cilantro-lime rice and pico de gallo. I’ve also added some canned red kidney beans and zero-fat sour cream to it. I finished this burrito line-up with my delicious homemade guacamole!
Once all the toppings are added, rotate the tortilla so that the strips of toppings are horizontal in front of you. Next, slightly tuck in the left and right ends of the burrito and roll it up, away from you! You can slice the burrito in half to serve.
Indulge in your delicious creation of this chicken burrito recipe!
Tips and Substitutions
- You can substitute the chicken with any meat of your choice! Burritos taste amazing with fish, shrimp, beef, pork and lamb!
- For vegan alternatives you can substitute the chicken with tofu or simply use veggies like peppers, corn, beans and onion.
- Don’t overheat the tortillas because otherwise they become hard and difficult to roll.
- You can use plain, sliced avocados instead of guacamole.
I hope you enjoy the chicken burrito as much as we did! 
If you liked this recipe, please share it with your friends and family and do leave your rating and comments below. It’ll motivate me to keep creating and sharing my experiments in the kitchen with you guys!
When you try out this recipe, be sure to tag us on Instagram @Wholesome_goals!
See you next time!
Here are some other weeknight favorites that you don’t want to miss!
Chicken Burrito
Ingredients
- 4 flour tortillas 10"
Chicken Marinade
- 450 g / 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp red chili powder (or cayenne powder. Adjust to your spice levels)
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt (add to taste)
Pico de Gallo
- 2 small tomatoes (diced)
- 1 small white onion (diced)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp salt (add to taste)
Cilantro-Lime Rice
- 1½ cups cooked rice
- ¼ cup cilantro (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt (add to taste)
Optional Fillings
- ¾ cup shredded cheese
- ¾ cup canned red kidney beans
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup guacamole
Instructions
Cook the chicken
- Butterfly the chicken breasts by slicing it horizontally. Add in all the ingredients under Chicken Marinade into a large bowl with the sliced chicken. Mix well so that the chicken is coated evenly.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan or skillet on medium high. Begin cooking the chicken by laying the sliced pieces flat. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until they are slightly charred.You can use a food thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature is 165 F.
- Shred the cooked chicken using forks or simply cut it into small pieces and set it aside.
Prepare pico de gallo
- In a medium-sized bowl, add in all the ingredients under Pico de Gallo. Mix everything well and set it aside.
Cilantro-lime rice
- In a large bowl, add the cooked rice and all the ingredients under Cilantro-Lime Rice. Gently mix it all together.
Assemble the burrito
- In a hot pan, warm up the flour tortillas. After flipping the tortilla once, add some shredded cheese and let it melt. After a few seconds, transfer the tortilla to a plate.
- Add in about ¼ cup of chicken, some rice, beans, pico de gallo, sour cream and homemade guacamole. Be sure not to overcrowd the tortilla otherwise it will be hard to roll it into a burrito.
- Fold in both the sides of the tortillas and roll up your burrito. (For detailed instructions, refer to the post above.) You can slice it in half to serve!