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Roll-Your-Own Chicken Burritos with Canned Tomato Salsa

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

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Ingredients

  • 1 large (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 fresh hot green chile (like jalapeño)
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 2 limes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
  • 1 3/4 cups cooked or canned black beans (one 15-ounce can)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 large flour tortillas
  • Sour cream (optional)

Instructions

  1. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice for another use; put the tomatoes in a medium bowl.
    Trim and chop the scallions; add them to the bowl.
    Trim and mince the chile; add it to the bowl.
    Chop 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and add it to the bowl.
    Halve 1 lime and squeeze the juice into the bowl; quarter the other lime and reserve for serving. Sprinkle the salsa with a little salt and pepper, stir, and let sit.
  2. Put 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Chop the chicken into 1/2-inch chunks.
  4.  When the oil is hot, add the chicken to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until it loses its pink color, 3 or 4 minutes.
  5. If you’re using canned beans, rinse and drain them.
    Peel and mince 2 cloves garlic.
  6. When the chicken is no longer pink, add the beans and garlic along with 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are hot and the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
  7. Put the tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds or so to warm them up.
  8. When the chicken and beans are done, spoon the mixture onto the center of the tortillas. Top with the salsa and a few dollops of sour cream if you like and serve, passing the salsa at the table. (If anyone needs help wrapping, here are some directions to share: Fold the bottom of the tortilla up nd over the filling, then fold in the sides to hold it in place; roll the burrito over so the seam side ends up underneath.)

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

Roll-Your-Own Steak and Black Bean Burritos with Canned Tomatillo Salsa Substitute 1 large (28-ounce) can tomatillos for the tomatoes; drain and chop them as directed before Step 1. Use 1 pound sliced skirt steak instead of the chicken; for medium rare, cook it only 2 to 3 minutes in Step 2.

Roll-Your-Own Pork and Black Bean Burritos with Orange Salsa Any orange is good here, especially the small varieties like satsuma or the larger pink cara cara that are now common in winter. Substitute 1 pound fresh oranges for the canned tomatoes. Peel, seed them if necessary, and chop them. Use 1 pound boneless pork chops instead of the chicken; prepare and cook them as described in Step 2.

Roll-Your-Own Shrimp and White Bean Burritos with Frozen Corn Salsa Substitute 2 cups frozen corn kernels for the tomatoes; they’ll thaw as they sit with the other salsa ingredients. Use 1 pound peeled shrimp instead of the chicken; put them in a colander under cold running water for about a minute to thaw them. Replace the black beans with navy or cannellini beans and add them at the same time as the shrimp; by the time the beans are hot, the shrimp will be cooked but not overcooked.