Freezer Friendly Chicken Avocado Burritos (Baked or Grilled)

Cool, creamy avocado pairs up with chicken and black beans in a flavor-packed package for these Freezer Friendly Chicken Avocado Burritos. They can be prepared three ways: baked, grilled in a skillet with some oil, or pressed on a panini grill!

Looking for a few more recipes to build your freezer stash? Make a batch of Chile Colorado or Baked Sweet Potato and Soyrizo Tacos to have meals on hand for dinner emergencies.

Nothing is as sure a hit in this house as burritos. Not even pizza. Even if I just made basic beans-rice-cheese burritos they'd be forever popular (please don't jinx me, Universe!), but today's offering is a little bit elevated. We've got the beans-rice-cheese trifecta (duh), but there's also chicken, avocado, and a creamy and warmly-spiced sauce to bring it all together.

Serve these burritos with a side of sautéed corn with peppers or roasted delicata squash.

Ingredients

Chicken: This is a great time to use chopped chicken from a rotisserie chicken. I also like to use canned chicken in this recipe for a really easy filling. You can use leftover salsa chicken or broiled chicken thighs as well. To make these burritos vegetarian, feel free to leave out the chicken altogether.

Rice: Use brown or white rice, but make sure it has cooled before stirring it into the filling mixture.

Cheese: I generally have shredded cheddar cheese on hand, but substitute a Mexican blend, Monterey jack, pepper jack for a hint of spice, or a Colby cheese if you prefer.

Avocados: Use avocados that are just barely ripe so that they don't get too smashed up when you are stirring up the filling.

Black Beans: Be sure to drain and rinse your beans and remove all of the water before adding the beans to the filling mixture.

Dried Spices: Coriander, cumin, and ancho chili powder make a warmly spiced filling that isn't too spicy for the whole family to enjoy.

Greek Yogurt: Thick Greek yogurt is perfect for blending the spices for a sauce that brings all of the ingredients together but isn't too loose for filling the burritos.

Prepare the Filling

I like to mix up the sauce first. Grab a big bowl and combine the Greek yogurt, cumin, coriander, ancho chili powder, and salt. This way the spices get evenly distributed within the filling for perfect bite after perfect bite.

Stir the rest of the filling ingredients into the sauce. Fold the avocado in gently to avoid mashing it up too much. Getting a bite with a chunk of avocado is bliss!

Fill the Tortillas and Wrap for Freezer Storage

This recipe makes 8 big burritos if you have the giant flour tortillas to start with. This time around I had only the large-ish tortillas and I got 10 burritos. I take the bowl of filling and sort of divide it into wedges with my spoon to help portion things out. The burritos get rolled up and then you can either go directly to frying them or wrap them up for the freezer.

Whether you are going to cook them directly after filling them or you are working with thawed burritos, you can finish them three ways. Bake them in the oven, grill them in an oiled skillet, or grill them in a panini press! Then bring them to the table with lime wedges, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, or sour cream.

If you are going to freeze your burritos, wrap each one separately in plastic wrap. Then place them in a labeled freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Before cooking the burritos, thaw them completely overnight in the refrigerator. They will not heat up in the middle if they are still frozen when you start cooking them.

Bake the Burritos

Baked burritos have a crisp outer layer and piping hot filling and are a great way to get dinner to the table almost hands-free.

Preheat your oven to 400F. Brush each burrito with olive oil or vegetable oil to coat all sides. Place the burritos about 2 inches apart on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes total, turning them half way. To get an extra golden finish, broil them for the last two minutes.

Grill with a Panini Press

Heat your panini press to medium-high and add the burritos to the grilling surface. Grill for about 4-5 minutes, until the tortilla is golden.

Grill the Burritos in a Skillet

Add a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil to a skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add the burritos to the pan and spin them to lightly coat them with oil. Cook, rotating every 1-2 minutes, until the burritos are golden brown on all sides.

Spread the Love

I usually prep the batch of chicken avocado burritos the night we are going to eat them and freeze any we don't cook, but I have also wrapped the whole batch up in plastic wrap and frozen them for later dinner "emergencies". This was a popular option for preparing for those first few bleary months of bringing home a newborn. This is a perfect recipe to bring to a friend in need of some support! Just print out the recipe for them so they know how to reheat the burritos when they wish.

Try it and Share

These Freezer Friendly Chicken Avocado Burritos will help you build the freezer stash every busy family needs. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

Recipe

This recipe was republished on October 20, 2022 from an original post dated June 25, 2020.