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.
Made this tonight for my husband and 1 year old! Taking my last few bites right now, I gotta say… NAILED IT! THIS DISH IS RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING!!!!! Favorite recipe I have right now. WOW! Thank you so much! 🙂
Just made these for dinner. They were delicious and I was excited to find a meal that I had everything already in the pantry! I love your site and have come to trust that if you say a meal is delicious it really is. I have so many of your recipes in my “Tried and Loved” binder. Thank you for helping me expand our list of meals!
These look amazing. My wife is a chef, going to have to ask her to make these for me! Feel free to check out my blog if your thirsty. Cheers
Sounds great! Can’t wait to try…
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I just cooked it for my family after following a link from Pinterest… a photo that looked so mouthwatering that I just had to try it.
The results were unanimous. Fantastic!
I am from Australia so I wasn’t sure what our equivilent of Monterey Jack cheese is but I used a mix of Tasty cheese and Mozarella which was lovely. Also couldn’t find Black beans so used Mexican Beans from The Old El Paso range.
I love cooking in oil being a fried food fanatic but resisted the urge and just used the cooking spray and they were still crispy with a great flavour.
Adding this recipe to my recipe file for sure. Cheers!
I tried this recipe and it was a keeper! I also have a daily vlog where you can check out the Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps completed as our dinner. Thanks so much for your recipes. Hopefully our viewers will follow your recipe link here and find some more yummy stuff.
To check out your recipe on our Channel: http://youtu.be/qYUz8ayWgBo
just made these and the husband loved them! i cooked the chicken in the slow cooker with a 1/2 can of diced tomatoes w/lime and cilantro and that made the chicken perfect! thank you for I am sure this recipe will be well used in my house!
Made these for the second time tonight. They are DELICIOUS. The only change I make is to season the chicken with various mexican spices before I cook it. These are going into our rotation of favorite weeknight dinners!
Just made these with brown rice and a wheat tortilla…YUM!
I made these and they were SO tasty. They’ll definitely be added to our “favorites” list for dinner. Thanks for sharing!
I made these with ground turkey, and cheated by using already-seasoned Spanish rice and they were delicious! My boyfriend said it was his new favorite meal that I make.. It works well for me that the meal only took me 20 minutes! Thank you so much!
Made this for tonights dinner with my own little twist. DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for the idea!
I made these tonight & my toddler loved the rice especially! Thank you!
Made these tonight! We loved them! My husband took one bite and said, “That’s a keeper.” Thank you Mel!! .. and so simple too!
Made these last night – the changes I made were to use chicken from a rotisserie chicken, cooked brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, and a whole red bell pepper. I also added pickled jalapenos on top of the cheese before adding the chicken and rice mixture. I didn’t have any sour cream on hand, but if I make these again, I will definitely be adding it. The burritos were a little dry, so I think the sour cream will help with that.
If I am starting with spanish rice do I need the cumin, chili powder and salt? Thanks!
Jenee – is it a prepackaged Spanish rice blend you are using? If so, I’m not sure what to eliminate since each package probably differs in spices. You’ll probably have to experiment to taste but I’d probably leave out the extra spices and add them in as needed so it isn’t overly salty or too spiced.
I have spanish rice, do I need to use the cumin, chili powder and garlic salt? I really don’t cook much. Thanks!
I made these for dinner tonight. They were wonderful. The sour cream made the whole thing, so don’t leave it off. Just the right creaminess.
Sharon – try it as Carolyn suggests (without any cooking spray or oil) and if you have sticking/burning issues, spread a little bit of oil on the griddle or skillet before cooking.
You don’t need cooking spray. Just put the tortilla on the pan. I never use it and they crisp up perfectly because of the fat already in the wrap.
I’d love to make these tonight, but I don’t have any cooking spray. Do you think it would work to coat the tortilla with butter? Or pour some vegetable oil into the pan before I cook each one?
I loooovvveee these!I tricked my family and used greek yogurt instead of sour cream for extra protein and also added some corn. We use the wheat wraps (which my kids and husband think are better than the regular tortillas) and they were toooo-die-for even per my super picky family!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
making this recipe right now!!!! cant wait to try it!!!!! smells so yummy:)
Looks delicious. Trying this tonight. Yum!
These look delicious! Any idea on calorie count? Time to loose weight for summer.. blahh! haha!
Thanks for dinner tonight!
This recipe is perfect for ready rice and rotisserie chicken and frankly you made it when you were in a a rush…..I made it because I just dont always feel like spending an hour cooking. My kids ate the rice and chicken and I can eat like a grown up with actual spices…..it was a win/win Tuesday. Mama likes when it all works out in the end.
I imagine you could make these in other flavors and they would be yum!
I just tried this recipe and it was delicious! These were hands down the best chicken wraps I’ve ever tasted. Thanks for sharing!
Started making these a couple months ago and I now make it every few weeks for the family. A very tasty wrap! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank-you so much for sharing!! I tried this tonite for dinner and my husband and kids LOVED IT! Needless to say so did I 🙂
Made these tonight. Incredibly good. I think I might try adding avocado chunks and chopped tomatoes.
made these tonight…very yummy! Added onion too..
I love that you have a printable version WITH a picture. These look awesome!
I make the same recipe, except I use Spanish rice and I make them into quessadillas. My family and I love this. Yum 🙂
Made this tonight….absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Thank you!
These look and sound great! Making this for dinner tonight!
Made it tonight. Added to the list of recipes!
I made these tonight and they were soooo delicious!!! Relatively quick to make too. I think even my picky eater 3 year old would love these!
I’m making these for dinner tonight! And I’m looking forward to at least one leftover for lunch tomorrow!!
DELICIOUS !!!! loved the flavors.. could even eat the mixture as a salad !
These look awesome! Anyone figure out the PointsPlus for Weight Watchers yet??
Yummy!I can not wait to try them!
I made this tonight and my family loved them! I loved how easy they are to make. Thank you.
hi,
does anyone now or have tried to freeze these rice and chicken wraps?? i wonder if mines the sour cream would they freeze well?
thanks
Just wanted to let you know I found these via pinterest and made them last week. They were a huge hit. Thanks for sharing!! I’m linking to your recipe from my blog this week and just wanted to say hi.
Heather – I use burrito size tortillas and tuck the ends in before I roll. You won’t loose a drop. 🙂
Heather – using a large, flat spatula helps as well as placing them seam-side down to begin with. That helps seal everything in and then all you have to worry about is the two short edges, which isn’t too big of a deal if you flip carefully with a large spatula.
these were amazing. Will make again and again. My 5 yr old girl even loved them. My husband said to put them at the top of my recipes!! I did use Spanish rice instead of plain, but seasoned the chicken with the specified ingredients……did use Si Si cilantro instead of fresh. Loved!!
How do you flip them on the grill without all the contents falling out?
Laura – I usually use either long grain white rice or brown rice. Whatever I am in the mood for!
These look so yummy! I’m making them for dinner tonight. I’m wondering what kind of rice you used? Thanks!