Recipe: Chicken and Bean Burritos

Chicken and Bean Burritos

I've done this before and added leftover rice instead of the chicken, or used black beans instead of pinto. Add some lime juice with black beans. It also works for chalupas and if you aren't worried about fat, deep fry them for chimichangas.

4 to 5 chicken breasts (or thighs or a mixture)
1 small onion chopped
1-2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp red pepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
chicken stock or broth
1 red onion chopped
1 to 2 jalepenos, seeded and diced fine
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
grated colby-jack cheese
fat free sour cream
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
salsa
lettuce, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
burrito-sized flour tortillas

Place chicken, onion, bay leaves, spices in a pot and cover with chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is done. Remove the chicken, let cool and shred. Strain the broth and save.

Drain, rinse and drain the pinto beans. Place the pinto beans in a food processor and process until smooth, adding a couple of tablespoons of either salsa or chicken broth or sour cream if too thick.

In a bowel, combine the chiken and beans, again adding salsa or the chicken stock until the filling mixture is moist enough to stick together. (If you get it too wet, add more processed beans. Add the chopped red onion, the jalepeno pepper, the chopped cilantro and mix.

Take a large flour tortilla and spread with a little bit of the fat free sour cream and some grated cheese. Add a couple of tablespoons of the filling on one end and fold the sides over and then roll up. You can use a toothpick to keep it rolled up or place it end side down to keep it from unrolling.

Either bake in a hot (450-degree) oven until brown and crunchy or microwave until hot. Serve toped with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, fatfree sour cream, grated cheese, salsa and jalepenos.

rec.food.recipes/George R. McTyre/1995