This Pulled Chicken Burrito Recipe is so easy to make, with delicious pulled chicken and all your favourite burrito toppings!
Ingredients and substitutions
Pulled chicken
- Chicken breasts – you could also try using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but chicken breasts generally work better for pulled chicken.
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots can also be used.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth would also be good here.
- Salsa – use your favourite jarred or fresh salsa.
- Taco seasoning – make your own using chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed or bottled lime or even lemon juice will work.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Guacamole
- Avocados – you could also use store-bought guac for this recipe.
- Red onion – white onion can be used but has a milder flavour.
- Lime juice – try using lemon juice if it’s all you have on hand.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic or even garlic powder can be used here.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Sautéed veggies
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Red and green pepper – use any combination of coloured bell peppers of your choice.
- Red onion – white or yellow onion can also be used, but will have a milder flavour.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
Burritos
- Flour tortillas – use whole-wheat tortillas or lettuce wraps for a healthier option.
- Pinto beans – black beans or refried beans are also popular choices.
- Shredded cheese – use cheddar, Tex Mex or any blend of your choice.
- Pico de gallo – fresh salsa, jarred salsa or homemade salsa can all be used instead.
- Cilantro – leave this off if you’re not a fan.
- Sour cream – low-fat sour cream would cut down on the calories.
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How to make chicken burritos
Step 1: Sauté the veggies.
Sauté the peppers and onions until the vegetables are sizzling.
Step 2: Make the shredded chicken.
Boil the chicken in hot water then shred it with a knife and fork. Once cooked, add it to a pan with all the pulled chicken ingredients and simmer until the liquid has absorbed.
Step 3: Prep your toppings.
Heat up the drained pinto beans and make the guacamole.
Step 4: Assemble your burritos.
Add all your burrito toppings to a flour tortilla, placing everything in the middle of the tortilla.
Step 5: Roll the burritos.
Fold up each side of your tortilla and then roll to form a wrap. You can fry the burrito if desired so it doesn't get soggy.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Cut the burrito in half and serve or freeze for later!
Slow cooker and Instant Pot method
While I typically boil the chicken for this chicken burrito recipe, you can also easily make the pulled chicken in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot.
Using a slow cooker to cook chicken is great for people who need to be away from the kitchen. Because the crockpot does all of the work, you’ll just put the chicken in and head out to do whatever you need to do.
You can get the full recipe instructions in my 2-ingredient salsa chicken post. You'll mainly just be cooking the chicken with the seasonings on low for 8 hours.
If you own an Instant Pot, you will be able to save SO much time making this recipe! For chicken breasts that are thawed, you can cook Instant Pot shredded chicken in less than 15 minutes. Of course, you will also need to allow for 10-15 minutes of natural pressure release but the cooking time is hands off when using your Instant Pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to chicken burrito toppings, the options are pretty much endless. The basics typically include chicken (or another kind of meat), veggies, cheese and guacamole, but you can add in anything you’re craving. Try adding in some Mexican rice, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, shredded lettuce, refried beans and more.
I made this recipe using pulled chicken, but it would work just as well for another protein of your choice like ground beef, steak or even pulled pork. If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, leave out the pulled chicken and add in some more beans like black beans.
I find the easiest way to shred the chicken is with a fork and knife, but you could also use a hand mixer!
These burritos are great for meal prep! You can store all the ingredients separately in the fridge then assemble your burritos fresh right before serving. You could also make the pulled chicken in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days – it can be used for other recipes like salads, quesadillas, pasta and more.
These burritos are definitely freezer-friendly. Leave out the guac, pico de gallo/salsa and sour cream, then roll them in foil or plastic wrap and freeze them in a Ziploc bag for up to 4 months.
Storing and reheating
It can be tricky to reheat an already-assembled chicken burrito, especially if you’re using a mixture of hot and cold ingredients. For that reason, I’d recommend keeping all the ingredients separately – not only does it make storing the leftovers a lot easier, but it means that everyone at the table can customize the fillings to their liking.
Store all the components of this burrito recipe in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat the chicken, sprinkle some water over top to prevent it from drying out, then microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. You can also reheat the veggies in a skillet on the stovetop or in the microwave. Assemble your fresh burritos with the rest of your chosen toppings and dig in!
Can you freeze burritos?
Yes! This chicken burrito recipe is definitely freezer-friendly. Follow the recipe instructions to make your burritos, but leave out the guacamole, pico de gallo or salsa, and sour cream. Once the burritos are assemble, wrap them in foil or plastic wrap, and store them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for up to 4 months.
When you're ready to enjoy your burritos, wrap them in a damp paper towel and reheat in the microwave for 5 to 7 minutes. If you want your burrito to be a bit toasty, add them to a skillet and toast for 2 minutes per side!
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Pulled Chicken Burrito Recipe {Freezer-Friendly}
Ingredients
Pulled Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup salsa
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- salt & pepper, to taste
Guacamole: Mash avocado & mix all ingredients together
- 2 avocados mashed
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
Sauteed veggies
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1 green pepper sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Burritos
- 6 flour tortillas
- 1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice
- pico de gallo or salsa
- cilantro chopped
- sour cream
Instructions
Pulled chicken
- Boil chicken in hot water for 15 minutes or until almost fully cooked and easily shreddable. Shred chicken once cooled slightly.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add onion & garlic, sauteeing for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add shredded chicken, broth, and all other ingredients for the pulled chicken as listed. Bring to a boil, then down to a slow simmer and cook for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has absorbed into chicken.
Sauteed veggies
- Heat oil in large pan on high heat until it starts to smoke. Add peppers and onion, then season with salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are sizzling, about 2 minutes stirring often, then remove from heat and set aside.
Assembling the burritos
- Meanwhile, heat drained pinto beans in a saucepan (or add to burrito cold) and mix all ingredients for guacamole together.
- Everything should be finished cooking right about now, so set up a station where everyone can go and get their favourite toppings. Add a small amount of chicken, veggies, beans, cheese and other desired toppings to each flour tortilla, placing all ingredients in the middle of each tortilla.
- Fold up each side of your tortilla and then roll to form a wrap.
- Optional step: fry the burrito on all sides in a pan that's placed on med-high heat. This will toast the burrito a bit so that it doesn't get soggy. Cut in half with a very sharp knife and enjoy!
Freezing and reheating instructions
- Make the burritos as normal, but leave out the guacamole, pico de gallo/salsa and the sour cream. Roll in foil or plastic wrap and store in a large freezer bag up to 4 months. When ready to reheat, wrap your frozen burrito in a damp paper towel and reheat in the microwave for 5-7 minutes, then finish by toasting in a skillet with some cooking spray for 2 minutes per side if you'd like it toasty.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Kathy says
The only addition I made was I added some chipotle chili powder and we used some Guacamole with hatch chile that we already had and needed to used up. This was an amazing recipe. My husband isn’t to keen on chicken burritos, he’d rather beef burritos and he really enjoyed it. He said it felt like we’d eaten at a Mexican restaurant. This may be my new favorite way to use up chicken.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you both enjoyed 🙂
Lacy says
What do I need to take out or do to make this meal freezeable?
Taylor Stinson says
You can freeze the cooked shredded chicken for up to 3 months. Once it’s cooled, transfer it to airtight glass containers or Ziploc bags. When you’re ready to use it, let it defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal.
Lacy says
I premake burritos and freeze them for my husband who works out of town. Is there something I can do to make the burrito itself freezeable?
Taylor Stinson says
Ahh gotcha! I suppose you could freeze the burritos with the cooked chicken, beans, sauteed peppers and cheese inside. I have heard that freezing the burritos rolled in paper towel and then reheating by microwaving in said paper towel is the way to go but I have not tried that with this particular recipe. I would not freeze the guacamole, pico de gallo or cilantro inside the burritos. Hope this helps!