Easy Chicken Burritos with Mojo for Tyler Florence Fridays

Having leftover chicken meat in the freezer after making up a bunch of stock recently, I looked for a simple Tyler recipe that used cooked chicken and I found one in his Easy Chicken Burritos with Mojo. I made Tyler's recipe (below), for Spicy Black Beans but used a yellow rice mix I had in the pantry that needed to be used rather than making his rice. Once the beans and rice are done, this recipe goes together quickly and the Mojo has a lot of flavor and a lot of spice. (I toned it down just a bit and it was still spicy but very good). Served on whole wheat tortillas with extra beans and rice, it makes a pretty healthy dinner--as long as you don't pile on the cheese!

The recipes can be found at the Food Network site here.

Easy Chicken Burritos with Mojo

Food 911, Tyler Florence

(Makes 8 servings)

Mojo:
4 garlic cloves
2 serrano chilies, seeds removed
1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves
Juice 2 limes
Juice 1 orange
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 large flour tortillas
1 (3 to 4 pound) whole roasted chicken, shredded
Yellow Rice, recipe follows
Spicy Black Beans, recipe follows
2 avocados chopped
1 cup grated queso blanco or Monterey jack cheese
Sour cream, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Lime wedges, for garnish

Make the Mojo Sauce: Put the garlic, chilies, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, and olive oil into a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

To make the burritos: Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds in a dry skillet or on the grill until pliable. Place some chicken down the center of a tortilla and top with rice and beans, avocado, grated cheese, and Mojo Sauce. Roll up the burrito and serve topped with a generous drizzle of sour cream; garnish with cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.


Yellow Rice:
2 cups long-grain rice
4 cups water
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf

Put all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat until the rice has absorbed the water, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and bay leaf, fluff with a fork, and serve.

Spicy Black Beans:
2 cups (about 1 pound) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quick soak the beans: Put beans in a pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let soak for 1 hour. Drain the beans.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and bay leaf and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Taste the beans and season them with salt and pepper.


Notes/Results: Really good. My original intention was to make the burritos using the homemade whole wheat tortillas from my review of King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking, but they ended up being a tad too small and thick so I made some tostadas out of my homemade tortillas (below) and used store-bought ones for the burritos.


I replaced the sour cream called for in the recipe with a scoop of non-fat Greek yogurt--great tangy flavor, less fat and a bigger nutritional boost. I ended up using just one Serrano pepper in my Mojo and it was still bordering on a bit too spicy for me (I am a bit of a wimp with food that is too fiery), so taste it and adjust the level of the heat for your own taste, or maybe use a milder pepper. I would make this one again.

You can see what recipes the other TFF participants chose to make this week and find out what they thought of them by going to the TFF site here.

Happy Aloha Friday!