Chicken And Rice Burritos (Meal Prep)
Cheesy chicken and rice burritos are the perfect dinner or lunch-time meal prep. They're simple, yet packed with flavor and incredibly delicious. These burritos are freezer friendly so you can make them months in advance!
Servings: 16 burritos
Calories: 558kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large crockpot *I use my 7 quart crockpot, chicken can also be cooked on the stovetop in a pot.
- 1 Cheese grater *Optional if you buy pre-grated cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 medium (about 3 lbs) boneless skinless chicken breasts *or thighs
- 24 oz jar salsa *your favorite brand, red or green
- 1 & ½ cups uncooked brown rice *white rice works too
- 1 packet taco seasonings *see note below
- 16 pack burrito-sized flour tortillas *see note below
- 16 oz can refried beans *black or pinto
- 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese *or cheese of choice
Recipe notes:
Flour tortillas: I recommend two 8 packs if you cannot find a 16 pack. The largest tortillas will say "burrito size" on the packaging! Taco seasonings: My favorite is Siete Brand Taco Seasonings.Instructions
- Arrange chicken in a large crockpot and cover with salsa. Cook on high for 2-3 hours until it shreds easily. You can also simmer chicken in salsa on the stovetop in a large pot until it reaches 165°F.
- When chicken is almost done cooking, make rice on the stovetop according to package instructions (or you can also make oven baked rice, but start earlier because it takes longer). You'll make 1 & ½ cups of uncooked rice which will create about 3 cups of cooked rice to add to the crockpot. You can also make rice a day in advance and store in the fridge.1 & ½ cups uncooked brown rice
- Finely shred chicken (burritos are easier to eat if chicken is shredded into small pieces). I usually shred mine right in the crockpot but you can take it out, shred on a cutting board, and return to the crockpot. Do not drain any of the salsa juices.
- Add cooked rice and taco seasonings to the chicken and salsa mixture and stir until well combined.
- Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave them for 1-2 minutes until they become more pliable. This step is important as the tortillas will crack when rolling burritos if they're not softened.
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of refried beans in the middle of a warmed tortilla. Top with about ⅔ cup chicken and rice mixture and ⅓ cup shredded cheese.
- Roll tortilla around fillings to create your burrito and then wrap in a large sheet of parchment. I recommend nice, big parchment sheets as they make wrapping so much easier. I cut mine into 15x15 inch squares! You can also buy pre-cut parchment squares.
Storage:
- Place parchment wrapped burritos in a Ziploc bag or empty tortilla bag. Refrigerate up to 3-4 days or freeze up to 6 months. Note: you can also wrap burritos in foil but you'll have to remove before microwaving. I prefer parchment because you can microwave burritos right in the wrapper which is great for grab-and-go!
How To Heat Burritos:
- From refrigerated: microwave in parchment paper, on high, for 2-3 minutes flipping halfway through cooking. From frozen: microwave in parchment paper, on high power, for 4-5 minutes flipping halfway through. Note: If burrito feels soggy after microwaving, simply let it rest for a few minutes and it will firm up.Note: You can also heat burritos in a large skillet or grill pan on the stove top over medium heat.
Video
Nutrition
Serving: 1burrito (all values are approximate). | Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 55.9g | Protein: 44.2g | Fat: 16.4g | Fiber: 5.2g | Sugar: 3.4g