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.
I made these last night for dinner, one word AMAZING! Theses will become a regular in our home! Loved everything about it!
Yum!! I am pregnant but recently got the dreaded gestational diabetes diagnosis and was struggling with new dinner ideas that didn’t taste modified. This fit the bill perfectly! Rotisserie chicken from the store meant these came together in a snap and I subbed out flour tortillas for whole wheat to up the fiber factor and decrease the carbs a little. This was the first time I’ve had any rice in 2 months – it was just enough to make me feel like I was getting a treat and without spiking my blood sugar too.
My hubby tucked into these while I was grilling up the 2nd half of the wraps and his plate was nearly clean by the time I was finished! He declared them “keepers”. I can see the potential for modification too depending on what is on hand. I bet these would be excellent with some corn or fresh tomato in the mix too! Looking forward to experimenting with them and will be putting these into the regular dinner rotation.
These are fabulous! I love the crunch of the red bell pepper. I would have never thought to put that in the mix. I had a bunch of leftover pork and left my 13 yo daughter in charge of making it while I ran to the bus stop for her sister. I returned to find her shredding the pork with the cheese shredder. It said to shred it!! I had a good laugh. She is Amelia Bedelia, just like her mother was. Anyway, we didn’t have black beans, so I did sub a can of Brook’s Hot Chili Beans (our fave anyway) and did a double batch. We had plenty for our big family for dinner and plenty for the freezer for later dinners. How great is that going to be, pulling out this yummy food in a couple of weeks with no effort on my part! The grilling idea is great too. I would have just nuked them. George Foreman is going to visit us tonight!
WoW!! I made this last night, with a few changes based on what I had. It was sooo good! Hubby loved it! Thank you!
Just made these! They are SO good – I could eat them in a bowl, even without the cheese. The cilantro really pulls it together. Thank you!
These look great! I need to include rice in my wraps more often, fills them right now! I love the lime juice addition, I bet it really freshens it up!
Found these on Pinterest. Made them today. I doubled the recipe, but added corn instead of 2 cans black beans. I was out of shredded cheese, so I used Laughing Cow wedges. Made them creamier. My fam loved them! Definitely plan to make them again. They were so simple and so flavorful. Thanks! Keep the awesome recipes coming.
I made this a couple nights ago, and my husband and I both agree that this is THE BEST recipe I’ve found on Pinterest and tried!!! It was absolutely AMAZING!!! So good that it’s going on my meal list for this week too!! Thank you for sharing!!!
These look yummy! Do you think I could freeze them? and then cook them as I want one?
We had these tonight and they were a big hit. I might of rolled them a little too tight as mine was not as wide as the picture. I did flatten and that did help. I loved the crispy outside. This will be a recipe we will make over and over again.
Made these for my family. I linked to you on my blog. Thanks for sharing!
http://lizspinspiration.blogspot.com/2012/10/pin-143.html
We love these in our house. I made them last night, and ran out of tortilla before I ran out of filling. So, I used the filoing in corn tortillas and made taquitos! They were good.
Caitlin – I think others have tried these with corn. It’s definitely worth a try!
Can you use corn tortillas for these? I can’t have flour tortillas but I don’t know how well corn would work since they aren’t as soft and pliable.
I have stumbled upon your stupendous website and I am suddenly interested in cooking again! Thank you. I have been looking for something to inspire me and this is it. I started with these chicken wraps and they were a hit! LOVE IT. Next up, Simple Orange Chicken With Broccoli.
This recipes looks amazing. I am going to be sharing it on my blog as part of my 2 week meal plan.
I love recipes that are easy and yummy! This is perfect and my family loves it. I’ve made it every time with sour cream and love it but I decided to try out a new spread. It’s a jalapeño greek yogurt dip from Costco and I will never go back to using sour cream on these!!! This spread on these wraps is amazing!!!
I’m in this place right now where 3 nights a week, we’re running to soccer/baseball practice and need something we can grab and go and this was PERFECT! Delicious and portable. Thanks Mel!
Hey! I came across you receintly and I wanted to let you now my family and I have enjoyed pretty much every recipe we have tried of yours! This one was no exception! Thank you for sharing your talents and great tasting goodies!
Sincerly, a new follower,
Melane
These are delicious and simple to make! Made them with my boyfriend tonight and we love them! 🙂
Just saw these on pinterest and they look and sound soooo good! I’m starving and inspired and its not even 6 am! Yum!
Amy – I don’t, sorry!
Hey i just found your site on pinterest! i was wondering if you knew how many calories are in this recipe?
Thank you for sharing this recipe – my whole family loved them! 🙂
http://fantasticalsharingofrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/11/crispy-southwest-chicken-wraps.html
Yummmy!! I am making these tonight with left over shredded pork!!
I made these tonight for my wife and she loved them but because she is on a low calorie diet we used small corn tortillas instead of the flour tortillas (she said they have less than half the calories so they are essentially two corn tortillas for every one flour tortilla in terms of calories). They turned out great and were delicious. She couldn’t believe that they were healthy!
Oh my goodness…these are AMAZING! My husband said,”these are top ten for sure.” which means his top ten of all time which says a lot. I have made them before but I guess he forgot. Also, this time I used chipotle chili powder, which I love, and it gave them a yummy smoky, chipotle flavor. Thank you Mel, for this wonderful recipe. It took me a little time, because I had to make rice, cook chicken and cook the tortillas….but it was so worth it. Its my husbands happiest day of the year….the start of college football and I wanted to make something yummy. This was a winner. All three of my children ate one whole wrap….even my 26 month old. I used to love the grilled stuffed burritos at taco bell and the way you cook these reminds me of those….but don’t worry….your filling is much better. Thank you Mel. Your site is the best. Hands down.
When I saw this I knew I had to make it. I made them last night and my family loved them especially my little picky eater thank you!!!
gonna try these today – but will have to leave out cilantro – don’t have any in the frig, but not a big fan of it anyhow!
I’m making these right now. Sat down while the rice is cooking. I had defrosted ground beef so I used that, added corn. A few extra “Mexican” favors that I have on hand. I had also made a avocado / cilantro cream sauce to put inside. I didn’t have sour cream on hand. As of right now they smell amazing. I can’t wait to try. Thanks for the inspiration!!!!
I tried this tonight, it was excellent! The only change I made as I used quinoa instead of rice. I have been trying to add this more and this was a perfect time. Very easy and delicious.
This looks amazing! I love Mexican food and always keep flour tortillas on hand. This is a definate must try! Pinning too!
I make a version of these too but I add one package of frozen drained chopped spinach and 1 cup of corn and more green onions. I top them off with some taco sauce and bake in the oven for enchiladas! They are a hit for parties too in egg rolls wrappers – great appetizers! Great recipe 🙂
I have made this dish lots of times when I have leftover rice. I often throw corn in too. I spray them with Pam and bake them in the oven and they turn out nice and crispy. Sometimes I throw tomatoes in too. Tonight my sister used Greek yogurt because we didn’t have sour cream and they came out really good.
I found this recipe on Pinterest a while ago and was going through my recipes I pinned and came across this one again. We hit the store yesterday and got all of the ingredients. I am so looking forward to making this for dinner tomorrow night! Thank you for the great recipes!
I found this recipe on Pinterest, and let me just say, I started drooling at the screen! I LOVE Mexican food but I’ve been trying to watch my weight. This was a great meal that satisfied my “Mexican tooth” and was friendly to my hips. I just made a few simple swaps to lower the calories- brown rice instead of white, weight watchers Mexican style cheese, fat free sour cream, and a whole wheat tortilla. Mmmmmmm! I found myself eating the stuffing while I was cooking my burrito LOL! Thank you so much for posting this- a definite winner!
Sounds like something my family would LOVE! We like to throw burritos into our little Foreman grill, gives great grill marks on both sides & is fast and easy! Makes a nice crispy crust without any Pam or oil needed 🙂
These wraps were delicious! I made them for our dinner tonight,but mixed in refried beans instead of black beans, & used ground turkey instead of chicken( only bc thats what we had on hand). I got the approval of my husband, p,us that of 2 11-year olds;-) Def a keeper recipe.
Made this tonight, It was a big hit in the house….
I added a 1/2 can of corn and mixed Monterey Jack & Cheddar together.
Delicious….
These were delicious! I used a skillet for a few, but it was a little tedious, and they were not cooking evenly, so I put the rest on a sheet pan and put them under the broiler until brown on each side. Much easier and very crispy!
These were delish and very easy to make.. I used canned chicken which made this recipe even easier! Ty for sharing.. Yumm!!!
Louise,
Cilantro = Coriander
Other English translations:
Eggplant = Aubergine
Courgette = Zucchini
Swede = Rutabaga
You have all of them at Tesco, Asda, or Marks and Sparks…
🙂
Melissa (my husband is English)
Louise – cilantro is a green plant-like herb similar to flat-leaf parsley but with a completely different flavor. If you can’t find it, sub parsley or leave it out.
Sorry, what on earth is ‘cilantro’??? (I’m from England btw!)
These were delicious! I found the recipe about 2 months ago and I finally made them last night. They are yummy and good for you. I used brown rice in place of white and cut down on the black beans because I’m not a huge fan of them. I also used 100% whole wheat wrap and I also used a “healthier” cheese and they still came out great!
I just came over from pinterest and I gotta say yu-ummm! This should make taco night all kinds of Delicious! Thanks for sharing!
These are awesome! I substituted quinoa for the rice to for some additional protein.
I made this recipe last week after discovering it on the Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour blog. I had been subjected to the smell of Chipotle all afternoon and was just dying to get home and whip this up for dinner. It was a hit! Even the picky ones liked it.
I will be trying many more of your yummy sounding recipes.
Great job on this site and all the work that goes into it! I truly appreciate that everything is printable. Kudos to you.
I made this last week after smelling all of my coworkers eating Chipotle last week. I found it on the Pearls, Handcuffs and Happy Hour blog. What a great recipe!! Everyone loved it, including the picky ones. We had some leftovers and I could hardly wait til lunch the next day to eat them again!
Also, what a fabulous collections of recipes you have on your site. I can’t wait to try many of them! Special kudos to you for making all the recipes printable and I love the weekly menus. Great job!
We made this two nights in a row. The second night we made a few changes and it was even better!
We added quite a bit of sweet corn into the mix because I love love the stuff and it made the whole thing sweet which was perfect for us. We also used regular sized tortillas (accidentally purchased the wrong size) and we actually liked the smaller versions. I love carbs and tortillas, so the smaller ones were a better ratio of filling to bread for us.
Love this recipe! It’s so easy to alter and change to taste. Thank You!