Grilled Chicken For Burritos Recipe

This Grilled Chicken Burritos recipe combines smoky seasoned chicken with salsa, sour cream, cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce, and optional black beans and Mexican rice inside warm flour tortillas. Featured on License to Grill with Rob Rainford, the chicken is first cooked in foil, then finished directly over the flame before being sliced and folded into golden grilled burritos.

The Inspiration

Featured on License to Grill with host Rob Rainford, this Grilled Chicken Burritos recipe reflects the show’s bold, practical approach to turning familiar comfort food into a barbecue-ready meal.

On License to Grill, Rob Rainford often uses a combination of indirect and direct grilling to build flavour and control doneness. That technique works especially well here. The chicken is first seasoned with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, then wrapped tightly in foil and cooked gently on the grill. After that, it is unwrapped and placed directly over the flame for a few minutes per side to develop char and smoky flavour.

The filling keeps the burritos hearty and familiar. Shredded cheddar adds richness, romaine lettuce brings freshness, sour cream provides creaminess, and salsa contributes acidity and heat. Black beans and spicy Mexican rice can be added for a more substantial meal.

Ingredients

• 2/3 teaspoon of garlic powder – (3.5ml)
• ½ teaspoon of cumin – (2.5)
• ¼ teaspoon of chili powder – (1.25ml)
• 1/3 teaspoon of salt – (2ml)
• 1/3 teaspoon of lemon salt seasoning and or fresh ground pepper – (2ml)
• 1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken breast – (500grams)
• 4 large flat flour tortillas
• 1 cup of Salsa – (250ml) – See Smoked Salsa Recipe
• 1 cup of sour cream – (250ml)
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese – (250ml)
• 1 cup of shredded romaine lettuce – (250ml)
• 1 cup of canned black beans – (250ml) – optional
• 1 cup of canned spicy Mexican rice – (250ml) – optional

Method

• Preheat grill to medium heat.
• Combine garlic, cumin, and chili powder, salt and ground black pepper. Run chicken with dry rub evenly on all sides. Wrap seasoned chicken in a tight foil package and cook on the grill for 20 minutes.
• Warm black beans and prepare rice.
• Remove chicken from foil and grill over open flame for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from grill and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing in to ½ inch pieces.
• Warm tortillas by placing a piece of foil on barbecue and tortillas on top of the foil, once tortillas are warm add a portion of beans, rice and cheese on half of tortilla. Fold over other half of tortilla and grill on barbecue until brown, flip carefully and grill until brown.
• Once burrito is grilled on both sides open at seam and add lettuce, sour cream and top with salsa. Close and serve seam side down.
• Serve and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

These Grilled Chicken Burritos are ideal for a casual backyard dinner, family meal, or relaxed summer gathering. Serve them with extra salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or lime wedges so everyone can customize their portion.

For a more complete meal, pair the burritos with grilled corn, black bean salad, roasted vegetables, or a crisp cabbage slaw. If using the optional rice and beans inside the burritos, lighter sides work best.

For entertaining, set up the ingredients buffet-style and let guests build their own burritos before grilling them. This makes the recipe especially practical for groups and allows everyone to choose how much chicken, cheese, rice, beans, and salsa they want.

Final Thoughts

This Grilled Chicken Burritos recipe combines straightforward seasoning with smart barbecue technique for a filling, crowd-friendly meal. The chicken starts with a dry rub of garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, then cooks gently in foil before getting a quick char directly over the flame. That two-step method keeps the meat juicy while still giving it plenty of grilled flavour.

Find more recipes from License to Grill here!

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