We don’t always get the best avocados in Israel, but lately I’ve had some great ones. So I’ve been eating them like crazy. For lunch I have slices of avocado and tomato with nothing more than a sprinkle of salt and drizzle of olive oil. And, wanting to highlight them in dinner as well, I made avocado crema to go with chipotle chicken burritos (which also, of course, have avocado slices inside). I know he’s biased, but my husband declared these the best burritos he’s ever eaten. I have to agree.
Don’t be put off by the long recipe – there are a few different components, but everything comes together fairly quickly, and there are lots of shortcuts you can take if you want an even faster meal. First, I poached the chicken in a mixture of juice, broth and chipotle, then I shredded it and tossed the chicken with a tomato-chipotle sauce, almost like a homemade enchilada sauce. The black beans I cooked until creamy and flavorful, and the avocado creme came together in minutes by blending avocado with yogurt (instead of sour cream), cilantro, and lime juice. That stuff is so amazing you are going to want to put it on everything – seriously, it makes the dish.
If you wish to go the shortcut route, that’s easy too. Shred the meat of a rotisserie or any leftover cooked chicken and simply toss it with the burrito sauce for some quick flavor. You can skip the cooking of the beans to make the process faster, just drain and rinse them. Whatever you do, don’t skip the avocado crema.
The flavors were so good, and I had so much leftover chicken (I made double the amount) that the next day I reinvented the burrito as a salad. I used lettuce, drained and rinsed black beans and corn along with the chicken and sliced avocado, then thinned down the crema with a little water and olive oil to use it as a dressing. Amazing.
- 2 cups orange or pineapple juice
- 6 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped plus 1 tablespoon adobo
- 1½ pounds (750g) chicken breast or boneless chicken thigh
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 teaspoon adobo
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 (15½ oz/439g) can black beans (not drained)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 avocado, peeled and pit removed
- ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- Salt
- 6 large whole wheat tortillas
- 3 cups shredded cheese
- 1 avocado, sliced
- Put the juice, broth, and chipotle in a wide-rimmed pan or pot and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken, cover, and return to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken is.
- Cut the biggest piece in the middle to make sure it is cooked through, then transfer the chicken to a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Shred the meat and discard the poaching liquid.
- Put the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Toss with the shredded chicken and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the black beans, with liquid from the can, and simmer, stirring often, until thickened.
- Season with salt, mash slightly with the back of the spoon, and remove from the heat. Stir in the cilantro. Set aside.
- Put the ingredients in a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat the tortillas briefly in a low oven or pan.
- Put one tortilla on a plate and sprinkle cheese down the middle. Top with the beans, chicken, avocado crema, and avocado slices. Fold the sides of the tortilla in then roll up into a tight burrito.
- Place seam-side down in a hot pan and toast for a minute to seal. Transfer to a plate and serve (believe it or not these can actually be made a day ahead and refrigerated – eat cold or at room temperature, or heat up on the stove or microwave).
I do adore Mexican and this sounds great – RJ would love the chicken!
I love avocados and this time of the year always have them at home:) When living in Finland,I would sometimes find outwardly very nice looking avocados,that were disgustingly brown inside,but that has never happened here,as they are locally grown. Nice burritos!
Your burritos are making me drool!!
I added in three of my recipes. Looking forward to trying out all the others!
Love that chicken poaching broth and the burritos look awesome! My husband can eat burritos in every flavor for every meal!
Burritos? Yes, please. 😉 I love Mexican, and these look wonderful. Really like the before and after picture towards the top – the one with the avocado whole, then halved. Good stuff – thanks.
Oh my gosh, these look so tasty! I love anything chipotle/avocado – such a great combo of hot and cool. 🙂
I am making this for lunch today! Just decided….YUM!
I have a feeling I’m going to be putting the crema on everything! 🙂 looks delicious!
Oh Katherine, I love every bit of this and happily I have ripe avocados on the counter. I’ve been sprinkling flaky sea salt on an avocado half and just scooping it with a spoon for breakfast lately. I see some chicken burritos this weekend! And I already know I love avocado crema. Have a great weekend!
Absolutely fantastic components: love that poaching liquid – have never thought of putting orange juice in it, but doubt that I’ll poach chicken in anything different from here on in! And with our local avocado season just beginning until October, the avocado cream will also be oft made! There are so many different ways one can compose this: let imagination loose!!
Your recipe looks absolutely mouth-watering. Thank you for sharing and for hosting another delicious blog hop!
Yum yum, this looks and sounds so good!
Your burritto looks awesome!