Burritos are a simple food that always satisfy. These Chicken Fajita Burritos are filling, flavorful, and packed with peppers, onions, and jalapeños. They make a great lunch, snack, or dinner that you can make ahead and freeze.
Whether you serve them alongside Mexican Rice and Cooked Pinto Beans or tuck them into a lunchbox with seasonal fruit, they are bound to be a hit.
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If you’re looking for a delicious, make-ahead lunch, dinner, or snack, then look no further than these Chicken Fajita Burritos. Trust me.
Bryan has been packing these to work every week for months. Even on his day’s off, they are his go-to quick meal or snack.
Why Make This
It’s nutritious. When I developed this recipe I was looking for a way to include more vegetables and whole grains in our diet without losing the convenience of a freezer meal. Loaded with veggies and chicken, this whole wheat burrito is fiber-filled and lower in carbs and calories than a bean burrito.
It’s a fajita-burrito mashup. Obviously, I’ve morphed the two dishes here into one. Combining the signature peppers and onions of fajitas with jalapeños and shredded chicken in a burrito wrapper. It’s the best of both worlds!
It’s easy to make a lot at once and freeze them. You can easily make 3 dozen of these fajita burritos in assembly line fashion, wrap them for freezing, and take it easy for awhile, knowing there are quick and easy lunches and snacks all ready to go.
Ingredients
The ingredients list for these fajita burritos is pretty simple. Here’s what you’ll need:
cooked chicken – You can use a rotisserie chicken that you shred by hand or cook chicken in a number of different ways. I usually make a batch of Perfectly Poached Chicken. I place the chicken in the bowl of my KitchenAid with the paddle attachment. A few minutes on low and the chicken is perfectly shredded. If you’re going to freeze the burritos, chill it until you’re ready to assemble your burritos. (see freezer notes below)
olive oil – I typically use olive oil in cooking, but you can use whatever cooking oil you normally use.
veggies (onions, peppers, and jalapenos) – While traditional fajita vegetables are sliced, I’ve chopped them for this burrito to make them easier to eat. If you’ve got extra tuck them into a Fajita Omelet.
pepper jack cheese – These are a spicy fajita burrito. If you prefer less kick, use a mellow cheese, like Monterey Jack, cheddar, or a mix.
whole wheat tortillas – Whole grain balances well with the spiciness of the jalapeños and pepper jack cheese. You can use a white flour tortilla if you prefer. If you can’t find burrito size, go for the white flour variety.
Variations
- For less spicy burritos, omit the jalapeños.
- For a vegetarian option, substitute 2 cans rinsed and drained pinto or black beans for the chicken.
- To make these vegan like the Impossible Fajita Burrito, substitute cooked plant-based grind for the chicken, omit the cheese, and add a little of this Corn Salad.
- Pulled pork or shredded beef can be used instead of the chicken for a different style fajita burrito.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Chop the peppers, onions, and jalapeños.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are tender and start to turn translucent.
3. Add the peppers and jalapeños and cook until all the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If you are preparing the burritos to freeze, chill the vegetable mixture completely in an airtight container in the fridge.)
4. It’s easiest to assemble many burritos at once if you form an assembly line, so lay out the tortillas on a large surface work surface. If you’ll be making the fajita burritos to freeze, then lay each tortilla on a deli wrap.
5. Place 1/2 cup of shredded chicken in a line down the center of each burrito. Divide the vegetable mixture among the burritos. Layer the cheese atop the vegetable layer.
6. Roll up the burritos. Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling you’ve placed across the middle and tuck it under the filling slightly. Fold up the two sides, and continue to roll until you have a tight burrito.
If packaging for the freezer, wrap the burrito in the deli wrap and place in a ziptop bag. Store in the freezer.
Serving Instructions
To serve: heat the burritos in the microwave, bake them unwrapped in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or heat them on the griddle until the filling is hot and the outsides are crisp.
Tips for Freezing Burritos
- Use tortillas at room temperature so that they’re easier to roll without cracking.
- Cooked filling should be completely chilled. Cold food freezes more quickly and you want these burritos to freeze quickly for best taste and texture afterward.
- Use deli papers to wrap the filled burritos. I buy mine at Smart & Final. These are similar.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- chicken – $1.50
- oil – $0.20
- onions – $0.40
- peppers – $1.00
- jalapenos – $0.40
- cheese – $0.80
- whole wheat tortillas – $1.50
Shopping at a mid-range grocery at non-sale prices, you can expect to pay about $5.80 for 8 burritos or 73 cents each. This is an incredible deal!
How to Save Even More
- Meal plan around what’s on sale. Don’t decide to make this when chicken breast is $7/pound and you have none in the freezer.
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a great price on chicken breast, I buy a lot. The same goes for jack cheese. In some ways jack is a specialty item around here, so I shoot for buying it at less than $3/pound.
- Do a price comparison. I know that ALDI is the best place to buy ingredients like whole wheat tortillas or boneless, skinless chicken breast when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where.
FAQs
Fajitas are typically a beef or chicken filling with sliced peppers and onions. The mixture is often sautéed quickly on a hot skillet and served with tortillas alongside.
A burrito is made of a flour tortilla filled with beans, meats, cheeses, and possibly a sauce, like these Green Chile Burritos.
Burritos are a great freezer meal. Be sure to use room temp tortillas and cold fillings. Assemble quickly and place the wrapped tortillas in an airtight container in the freezer right away.
More Great Mexican Food Recipes
Chicken Fajita Burrito
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper (any color) cored and chopped
- 1 jalapeno cored and sliced
- salt
- black pepper
- 8 whole wheat, burrito-size tortillas
- 2 cup chicken (cooked and shredded)
- 4 oz pepper jack cheese (shredded) (1 cup)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to go clear.
- Add the bell pepper and jalapeno. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Transfer the vegetable mixture to a covered dish and chill in the refrigerator until very cold, about 2 hours.
- Lay out 8 deli papers on a work surface. Place a tortilla on each deli wrap.
- Place 1/2 cup shredded chicken in a line down the middle of each tortilla.
- Divide the vegetable mixture and the cheese evenly among the tortillas.
- Fold over one side of the tortilla, tucking it under the filling slightly. Fold up the sides and continue rolling until a tight burrito is formed.
- Wrap the burritos in the deli papers and store in a freezer bag in the freezer.
- To reheat: place one wrapped burrito in the microwave and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until hot. Be careful of hot spots.
Notes
- Use tortillas at room temperature so that they’re easier to roll without cracking.
- Cooked filling should be completely chilled. Cold food freezes more quickly and you want these burritos to freeze quickly for best taste and texture afterward.
- Use deli papers to wrap the filled burritos. I buy mine at Smart & Final. These are similar.
- For less spicy burritos, omit the jalapeños.
- For a vegetarian option, substitute 2 cans rinsed and drained pinto or black beans for the chicken.
- Pulled pork or shredded beef can be used instead of the chicken for a different style fajita burrito.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 29, 2019. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Linda
Can these go into the microwave or oven from frozen or do you need to defrost?
Jessica Fisher
We cook them from frozen all the time. If you’re going to bake them, I’d cover them near the end so that the tortillas don’t get too crispy.
Stephanie Rimmer
How do you reheat these? Microwave?
Jessica Fisher
We microwave them until hot. (Step 9 of the recipe card)