Our easy Buffalo Chicken Burritos made with brown rice, veggies, buffalo chicken and cheese are both comforting and filling. They are a complete meal in one convenient hand held wrap or serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and veggie sticks if desired. They are meal prep friendly too.
Why We Love These Easy Buffalo Chicken Burritos
Like most of you, here at Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we are a busy family that is usually on the go. And there are nights when we don’t have the time to whip up a healthy, elaborate meal. So, we are always on the lookout for simple, easy-to-whip-up, irresistible recipes that help our readers get a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner on the table in no time flat.
Filled with hearty brown rice, spicy buffalo chicken, tender veggies, and gooey cheese, these wraps are not only filling but bursting with flavor. Pair with blue cheese dressing to help balance out the spice of the buffalo sauce for one easy dish that the whole family is sure to enjoy!
Recipe Highlights
- Great way to use leftover chicken for a quick and easy lunch or weeknight dinner
- Can be customized using your favorite hot sauces, rice, and cheese
- Convenient, high protein, complete meal
- Family-friendly
- Ready in just 30 minutes
Key Ingredients for this Recipe
- Leftover Chicken: Feel free to use chopped or shredded leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. We love using leftovers from our Dry Rub Spice Roasted Chicken for this recipe because the chili powder and spices make these burritos even more delicious! You can also poach chicken breasts instead. Here’s how.
- Flour Tortillas or Wraps: We used 10-inch flour wraps, also known as large burrito-size tortillas for these easy burritos. When purchasing, be sure to buy a package with 6 wraps, as some brands only have 4 which won’t be enough!
- Brown Rice: To quickly whip up these burritos, we used one pouch of pre-cooked brown rice; however, feel free to use leftover cooked rice or make rice and allow it to cool before adding it to the mixture.
- Buffalo Sauce: We love the classic buffalo flavor of Frank’s RedHot® Original Buffalo Wings Sauce but you can use your favorite or even make your own!
- Vegetables: For added nutrition and to help make this easy wrap a complete meal, we loaded it with sweet veggies. We used a combination of celery, carrots, and diced onions. Feel free to use green onion or red onion if desired.
- Cheese: We used Monterey Jack which melts beautifully and the mild creaminess is perfect with the spicy flavors, but you can also use cheddar cheese.
- Blue Cheese Or Ranch Dressing: We highly recommend serving these buffalo chicken wraps with blue cheese or ranch dressing. Feel free to use your favorite store-bought dressing or our homemade Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing.
Step By Step Instructions To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Saute Veggies
In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and salt, stirring often until the vegetables are soft.
Step 2: Add Chicken and Sauce
To the veggies, add chicken, hot sauce, and melted butter. Cook until chicken is heated through.
Step 3: Assemble Burritos
Lay tortillas on a work surface. Layer on the rice, a few spoonfuls of the buffalo chicken and veggie mixture. Top with cheese. Wrap and tuck in sides to make a tight burrito package and seal seam side down.
Tip: If your tortillas are stiff or not very pliable, you can warm tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to make them softer. Simply wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave in 20 second bursts until hot and soft.
Step 4: Brown the Burritos
Coat a clean large skillet (preferably non-stick) with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, place burritos in the skillet and brown on each side. When ready to enjoy, cut it in half and serve with dressing!
FAQs and Expert Tips
Make Ahead and Freezing
Make Ahead: Coat aluminum foil sheets with cooking spray. Wrap each burrito in a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to three (3) days. When ready to enjoy, preheat oven to 350°F. Place foil-wrapped burritos on the oven rack. Bake, until the burritos, are hot and the cheese is melted about 20 to 30 minutes.
Freezing: Coat aluminum foil sheets with cooking spray. Wrap each burrito in a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place in a freezer-safe ziplock bag for up to three (3) months. When ready to enjoy, allow the burritos to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, bake the foil-wrapped burritos in a 350°F oven until the burritos are hot and the cheese is melted about 20 to 30 minutes.
Variations to Try
While we love the simplicity and classic flavors of this buffalo chicken burrito recipe, feel free to make these easy and delicious swaps:
- Feel free to use your favorite hot sauce or our second favorite Texas Petes
- If you do not have leftover chicken, these wraps would be delicious with grilled or poached chicken.
- Add in crunchy romaine lettuce or creamy sour cream.
- Serve over cauliflower rice instead of tortillas to make a buffalo chicken burrito bowl
- Use cooked ground chicken, turkey or beef instead of leftover chicken.
How To Cook Chicken If You Don’t Have Leftover Chicken
To poach a boneless skinless chicken breast couldn’t be easier! Here are two easy steps to do so:
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, let the chicken come up to room temperature for 20 minutes.
- To the boiling water, add the chicken, cover it, and return the pot to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for 35 minutes until the center of the chicken registers 165°F when tested with an instant-read thermometer.
Serving Suggestions
Once browned and cut into two, serve with a side of our Healthy Coleslaw, crisp veggie sticks, and a homemade cool blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping, for one quick, easy, tasty family-friendly meal. These also go with sides you’d typically serve with Mexican food, Spanish rice or black beans.
Additional Recipes To Try
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Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Description
Our easy Buffalo Chicken Burritos made with brown rice, veggies, buffalo chicken, and cheese are both comforting and filling. They are a complete meal in one convenient hand-held wrap or serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and veggie sticks if desired. They are meal prep friendly too.
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pound cooked leftover chicken, chopped or shredded
- 1/3 cup Frank’s Original Hot Sauce
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 6 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 8-ounce pouch of pre-cooked brown rice (or 1 ½ cups of cooked cooled rice)
- 6 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup purchased or homemade Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing, for serving
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add chicken, hot sauce, and melted butter and cook, stirring until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Lay tortillas on the work surface. Divide rice among the tortillas. Divide chicken and vegetables among the tortillas. Top with cheese. Wrap up burritos, tucking in sides, and sealing seam side down.
- Wash and dry the skillet. Coat with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the burritos and brown for about 2 minutes per side.
- Cut burritos in half and serve with dressing.
Notes
Make Ahead: Coat aluminum foil sheets with cooking spray. Wrap each burrito in a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to three (3) days. When ready to enjoy, preheat oven to 350°F. Place foil-wrapped burritos on the oven rack. Bake, until the burritos, are hot and the cheese is melted about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 18 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burrito
- Calories: 544
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fat: 26 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 38 g
Keywords: buffalo burrito, buffalo chicken burrito, buffalo chicken burritos, buffalo chicken wraps healthy, healthy buffalo chicken wraps, buffalo chicken wrap