Black Bean, Chicken, and Rice Burritos

One of the advantages of having a bit of time off work is that I am more motivated to stock up on freezer dinner meals. Going into the past two weeks, we had four nights worth of basic beans, four nights worth of three bean chili, two nights worth of lasagna, and one night worth of chicken for chicken and rice burritos. Eleven glorious nights of walking in the door and throwing something in the oven and then wandering off to do something else more interesting than cooking.

Really – who am I kidding? I love to cook! For each of the nights we had something easy and frozen, we still ended up doing something a little extra for each of the staples we’d frozen. Three bean chili goes with baked potatoes, for example. Lasagna is great with a robust salad. And the chicken? Amazingly good with black beans, rice, and guacamole.

So if you happen to have some leftover chicken, here’s a great recipe to use it up, along with my favorite guacamole hack.

Black Bean, Chicken, and Rice Burritos

Makes Six Burritos

Rice
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups water
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

Chicken and Black Beans
2 cups diced chicken
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil

Guacamole
1 large, ripe avocado
¼ cup store-bought salsa
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt

To serve
1 ½ cups grated cheese
6 flour tortillas

Start by preparing the rice. Bring the 2 cups of water to a boil and add in the uncooked rice, lime juice, garlic powder, olive oil, and salt. Lower the heat to low and cover, cooking the rice for 20 minutes without stirring.

Meanwhile, prepare the guacamole. Cut the avocado open and scoop out the avocado into a small bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the salsa, garlic powder, and salt and combine. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick pan. Combine the chicken, black beans, lime juice, cumin, coriander, and cilantro in the pan and stir until heated.

To assemble the burritos, heat the tortillas for a few minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. They should be warm and pliable, not crisp. On each tortilla, spread 1/6^th of the rice, 1/6^th of the chicken mixture, 1/6^th of the guacamole, and about ¼ cup of shredded cheese. Fold the end of the tortilla up and then roll up each side of the tortilla.