Freezer chicken and black bean burritos
65 min · 52 g protein · 506 cals / serving
Eight burritos for the freezer, so lunch is a three-minute job: spiced chicken, black beans, cilantro-lime rice, peppers, sweetcorn, salsa and a little melty cheddar, rolled in big soft high-fibre tortillas. Wrapped one by one, they go from freezer to microwave to hand. A whole burrito is a hearty wrap, a full lunch in one.
Ingredients
Cilantro-lime rice
- 2 1/2 tbsp brown rice, uncooked
- 3 1/2 cups cauliflower rice, frozen or fresh
- 4 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Filling
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 2 1/4 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless breasts, cut into 1 cm (1/2-inch) pieces
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large red red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cans (15 oz each) canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup salsa, thick and chunky
To roll
- 1 1/4 cups grated low fat cheddar cheese
- 8 large low-carb high-fibre tortillas (10-inch) low-carb protein wrap
Steps
- Cook the brown rice in plenty of boiling water for 25–30 minutes, until tender, then drain well. Meanwhile, cook the cauliflower rice in a dry nonstick pan over high heat for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until tender and the pan is dry. Mix the two, leave uncovered for 5 minutes to steam dry, and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned and cooked through to 165°F.
- Add the onion, both peppers and the garlic and cook for 4 minutes, until softened. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the beans, corn and salsa and simmer for 5–8 minutes, stirring, until there is no loose liquid in the pan. A dry filling is what keeps a frozen burrito from going soggy.
- Spread the rice and the filling on two trays and let them cool completely, about 30 minutes. Rolling hot filling makes steam, and steam makes ice crystals.
- Warm the tortillas for a few seconds so they bend without cracking. Down the middle of each, put a line of rice, an eighth of the filling and a sprinkle of cheese. Fold in the sides, then roll up tightly from the bottom. Wrap each burrito in baking paper and then foil, and freeze flat in a bag.
Good to know
How do I reheat one from frozen?
Take off the foil, leave the baking paper on (or wrap it in a damp paper towel) and microwave for 2 minutes, turn it over and give it 1–2 minutes more, until steaming hot right through the middle. For a crisp outside, finish it in a dry pan for a minute a side. Or thaw overnight in the fridge and microwave for 90 seconds.
How long do they keep?
3 months in the freezer, or 4 days in the fridge. Write the date on the bag. They can go into a lunch bag frozen in the morning and be microwaved at work, still partly frozen, for a little longer.
Can I use regular whole-wheat tortillas?
Yes, they are a little softer and fold more easily, at about 58 instead of 67.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 127
- Protein
- (43%)
- 13 g
- Fat
- (23%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (35%)
- 13 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 282 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 4046 kcal goes into the pot and 3511 g of ingredients comes out as about 3190 g of food: 127 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.