Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
These southwest crispy chicken wraps are delicious, easy to make, and so versatile! It’s no surprise they’ve been on our steady meal rotation for many years!
Considering these southwest crispy chicken wraps have been pinned nearly 2 million times (!!), I’d say the recipe is definitely worthy of your attention.
Well, actually, can I take that back?
I can give several pretty riveting personal testimonials about how recipes that have been pinned millions of times turned out with disastrous results for me.
Talk about a bad mood inducer.
So while hopefully we can agree that Pinterest alone may not be our best parameter for judging a successful outcome, I promise that in this case, these crispy chicken wraps really do live up to their pinned fame.
You can read hundreds of comments below if you don’t believe me.
Taken after the model of these delicious wraps, I threw these together for dinner one night nearly three years ago in a frantic attempt to feed my hungry family and use ingredients I already had on hand.
And the result was such a smashing success that we’ve continued to enjoy this recipe at least monthly since.
That’s saying a lot coming from the girl who doesn’t repeat many meals.
These crispy chicken wraps have been a staple this summer, in particular.
Thanks to the insane craziness that has been summer thus far (kind of funny since I think we “go” less than most people, but man, I feel busy), I’ve been calling on all my favorite quick and easy meals to save us.
At least once a week since June, we’ve made some variation of these wraps for dinner.
And by we, I mean my kids. Bless them.
They have become quite proficient at throwing together ingredients in the fridge for any number of crispy wrap variations.
Most super delicious, at least one slightly questionable, and all of them eaten with an open mind and heart (better that than going hungry).
Great for an on the go dinner, these crispy southwest chicken wraps can be made in less than 30 minutes, and they are infinitely adaptable.
No cooked chicken on hand? Make ’em meatless.
Forgot to cook or save leftover rice? Leave it out (less carbs that way anyway!) or use cooked quinoa (yum!).
Not a fan of cumin, cheese, black beans, bell peppers, life, humanity and food in general?
Well, by all means, make your own filling with whatever you have on hand and with whatever flavors tickle your fancy.
You really can’t go wrong here.
Um, actually, I should never use that as a disclaimer. I have a feeling I’ll get a comment saying I basically endorsed using marinated seaweed and bananas and for some reason the crispy wrap turned out soggy and nasty.
So use the versatility option with a little common sense and caution, ok?
If you haven’t let these crispy southwest chicken wraps be part of your life, what are you waiting for?
What to Serve With This
- Fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables
- Mexican Corn and Tomato Salad
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt or garlic powder
- 1-2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (or other leftover meat, like shredded pork or beef)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
- ½ red or green bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime, about a tablespoon
- 2 cups shredded cheese, I use a combination of Monterey jack and sharp cheddar
- Sour cream, optional
- 6 burrito-sized flour tortillas
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Optional toppings:, sour cream, salsa, etc.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the rice, chili powder, cumin and garlic salt (or garlic powder). Stir to combine.
- To the bowl, add the chicken, black beans, green onions, bell peppers, cilantro, and lime juice. Mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla.
- Optional: I like to dollop little spoonfuls of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it makes the wraps delightfully creamy.
- Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling, followed by the other side. Press lightly to flatten.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute (about 350 degrees on my electric griddle).
- Spray seam side of wraps with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange wraps, seam-side down (cooking this side first will help them not fall apart), in the pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-4 minutes.
- Spray the top with nonstick cooking spray and flip. Cook for another 2-4 minutes until golden and the filling is hot.
- Serve with sour cream, salsa, or other toppings of your choice!
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: original recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally published Sept 2009, updated with new pictures, recipe notes, etc.
Hi Mel! I recently saw a guest post you did on another blog for some veggie wraps. I cannot remember where I saw it. Maybe there was a link on one of your posts? Can you help me out? They look wonderful and I look forward to trying them out! 🙂
I’ve made these several times, and loved them, but tonight I made the chicken with the marinade from the Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas…even better!! Soooo yummy!
My whole family loved this!!! Even my meat and potatoes husband!It’s very much like the Cafe Rio or Costa Vida seasoning. Thank you!!!
Cindy – thank you – glad this was such a hit!
Melanie, I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR RECIPES!! I make something different from your website once and week, and have NEVER been disappointed! I don’t know where you get all of your recipes, but they are always awesome. This one was a delight. Followed it up with your mint brownies, which are now a family fav. Thanks!!! (Last week we had the simple asian noodles. So good…. I was afraid to make them, since my husband is Asian, and usually only likes authentic asian food, but he LOVED it!)
Amy – thank you so much for your comment! It makes me happy to know you have been excited about the recipes. Thank you!
We love these and have them at our house quite often. But…I just got a panini grill for my birthday, and we made these in the panini maker. They were so fast and easy! If you have a panini grill, be sure to try making these and your other crispy wraps (love them too!) in it!
Aubri – I don’t have a panini grill but it is a great idea to use one! Better add one to my ever-growing wish list!
These were SO GOOD! So easy, especially with rotisserie chicken. Wonderfully simple, thank you!!
Erin – so glad you liked these! The tender flavor of rotisserie chicken works wonders in simple dishes like this.
Tried these ones last week and was glad I had leftovers- I used to not like leftovers until your recipes! I have printed so many to try and know they will be delicious! Keep up the amazing cooking and baking! 🙂
Thanks, Heather! I’m glad you’ve liked many recipes – and that they’ve converted you to leftovers!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made them for Father’s Day and my husband loved them!
Thanks, Felicia!
Melanie,
We really love these. I was wondering, have you ever tried freezing them?
I think they would be great for a quick meal as we head off to dance or something.
Danielle – I’ve never tried freezing these but it is a good idea. If I were to freeze them, I would wrap the tortilla more like a burrito so that there isn’t an open end and then microwave to reheat. Let me know if you try it!
Wow made these last night with homemade guac. My family loved them! My brother was in town from El Paso, so I always get nervous making mexican for him, but he raved about them! So happy I found your blog! I also made the Caramel Crunch Bars for my goodie trays and they turned out fabulous also! I have a lot of other meals on my list too of yours and can’t wait to try them!! Thanks again!
Amy – I think these would be divine with homemade guacamole. I’m so glad your brother liked them, too! And thanks for letting me know you liked the Caramel Crunch Bars!
Late this afternoon- no dinner plan but had some chicken to “do something with”. I went to your blog which I have bookmarked and found this quick recipe that I had all the ingredients for! Yea! What a great quick and easy recipe that we all loved! I especially liked the fresh lime juice! This is definitely a keeper! THANKS!
Amy H. – I love it when nights like that actually work out and dinner is good. I’m glad this recipe came through for you. Thanks for letting me know!
Emily – glad you liked these. Thanks!
These were so good, Thanks for the recipe!
Anonymous – oh man, I love to hear when the picky husband loves a meal. Thanks for letting me know!
So I made these Grilled Burritos and my husband, who is very hard to please when it comes to cooking, just loved them. He wanted them a couple days later, which is ok since I had stuff left over to make them. They were a big hit and super easy!!!
Oh these sound and look so good! Now I know what is for dinner tonight! Thank you so much! And thanks for responding about how many Parm. rolls you defrosted (on the last post). You are very helpful and responsive. It is very much appreciated!!! Have a wonderful day. 🙂
Yum! I’m going to make these witht the leftover Kalua pork I made last night. 🙂
They look wonderful! My hubby often puts wraps on the grill to get them crispy too… he likes the look of the grill marks on them.
Hi from a fellow Wisconsin-ite!
Just discovered your site from Tasty Kitchen – the sweet & sour chicken recipe caught my eye. I know my husband will love those!
Mmmmm, we had quesadillas last night, but I wish we had had these! They look yummy. Maybe later in the week.
Oh yum!!! My sister told me about your blog! I love all your stuff! Thanks for sharing all your fabulous recipes!!! 🙂 We are making Caramel Crunch Bars tonight and this one is going on my list for dinners! 🙂
I think it’s great you had all of those things on hand–cilantro? That’s only hanging around if I had it on my weekly menu!
yep..you gotta love when you make a “non planned” dinner and it turns out perfect!
Oh yum!!! They look really, really good. I love when you can throw a meal together quickly and have it turn out to be awesome. I’ll for sure have to try this recipe!
I love how you used the word snarf! That’s my kinda gal! Looks like another winner!!!
mmm…cheesy and definitely snarf-worthy! the ONLY thing i’d change is to go with all jack cheese and no cheddar. yeah, it makes a great color variety, but i just don’t like it!
What a great healthy weeknight dinner.
I can totally relate to having difficulty just throwing stuff together for dinner on a weeknight, while the pressure is on to feed the hungry bunch 🙂
score indeed! my family would love this!
YUM! That looks soooo good!
Hi Melanie…are there beans in this or not? I didn’t see them in the ingredients, but I think I see them in the pictures. How much do you put in? They look so yummy!
Anonymous – oh my goodness, I can’t believe I left the most important ingredient out! Thanks for calling it to my attention.
SOOOOOO GOOD! I made these today without cilantro (didn’t have any) or peppers (don’t like them) and they were still totally snarf worthy! I loved them!!!
Jan – I love your comments (but you know that already). I’m glad you tried these – I’ve been waiting to get a second opinion on them, beside my family’s. Thanks for letting me know!
My hubby will love this dish! He loves tortillas filled with his meal, the meat, rice, beans etc. FYI you are featured again on tasty kitchen with you sweet and sour chicken!
I’ve never taken the time to comment on your blog but I love your recipes! I’ve already made this recipe and the chili mac this week. Thanks for the great recipes. These wraps got two big thumbs up from my husband!
We made this last night (“we” meaning “Ryan”) and it was terrific. We used homemade tortillas and they did just fine. We used mild cheddar and mozerella as the cheeses. I think next time I’ll add a little tomato and/or pico to the mixture. Anyway, thumbs up, majorly.
The Evans – hey, thanks for checking in! I’m glad that you liked the chili mac and these wraps. I appreciate you letting me know.
I made these the night you posted them and my husband was in heaven. He was so excited for left overs! He always says his co-workers envy his lunch leftovers! Thanks for the great receipe!
Ok Melanie, you are taking over Tasty Kitchen. This recipe is featured there today, but I’m right there with ya with Teriyaki Sliders.
Jessie – thanks so much for letting me know you made these and liked them. I’m all about creating lunch-leftover-envy! Thank you for checking in.
Thanks for this recipe, we had them tonight & loved them. Even my husband, who thinks beans are vile, loved them. We did add a bit more heat to the spices, but that’s us. Thanks again!
SeaShore – ok, the husband-thinking-beans-are-vile thing made me laugh. I don’t know why. No offense to your husband, but it was funny. I’m gld that despite the beans, they were a hit! Thanks for letting me know.
Those wraps look so cheesy and good!
These were delicious! I didn’t use up all the filling the first night because we used smaller tortillas, but it kept in the fridge beautifully, and made a quick, easy, and delicious lunch for the next couple of days!
Thanks, Melanie!
:~D
These were seriously so good!! I had just made a chicken and rice dinner the night befor and used them for his recipie, which made it fast and easy!! I also liked it with a side of fresh salsa and sour cream and just dipped it into them both for a delicious juicy bite!!
Loralee and the gang – glad these were great the first night AND as leftovers. Thanks for letting me know!
The Geists – don’t you love when leftovers make for a great second dinner? Thanks for letting me know you liked these!
I really liked these. I love how they use up leftovers, but they are so yummy and versatile. My husband thought they were a little dry, so next time I’ll really load on the sour cream (hehe), add some guac, and tomatoes. I think that will moisten them up a bit. I love that they get all crispy just by spraying them with Pam (I used fat free olive oil spray).
Yum!
Stacie – I love the “healthy” crispiness to them also. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed them. Hope your husband likes them better next time with additional “goop.”