Intro
I hope you don’t mind if I keep this post brief. You see currently sitting in the sun, body tired after an afternoon in the pool with the kids. The wind softens the sun’s heat and moves my hair just enough to tickle my cheeks. The palm branches nearby sound like faint clapping as the breeze whips through their leaves. I’ll take their clapping as an assurance that we’re currently winning at life. It’s nearly beer-thirty and then shortly after that we’ll ignite the grill for our fish tacos. If you now want to punch me in the face I totally get it. But wait, wait, wait, before you go and leave me here alone I am taking a brief pause in our sunny vacation to tell you about burritos; Creamy braised chicken burritos with a punchy pickled corn salsa.
These have quickly become a family favorite for a couple of reasons. For me I love their ease and the ability to cook something once and have the leftovers make up an entirely new meal the next day. (Chicken and Rice bowls!). The kids love it because it is one of those dinners where the table is littered with plates and they are given the freedom to add to their burrito whatever they desire. They are particularly fond of those custom meals and I am too because I hear far less grumbling. And the third reason is always the most important to me – they simply taste delicious. I know as a food writer I am pretty much banned from using that word in abundance but sometimes it is called for and here, I will argue, it is needed.
I like a simple burrito with just the chicken, salsa, and a good bit of spinach or other greens but it’s nice to have rice and beans as an option as well and then, like I said, you are set with tomorrow’s dinner of rice bowls.
Creamy Braised Chicken Burritos with Pickled Corn Salsa
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4-6 Serving
Ingredients
Braised Chicken:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion sliced
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 peppers sliced
2 teaspoons salt
3 chicken breasts, about 3 pounds
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup cream cheese
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Salsa:
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice and zest from 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Instructions
Saute the onions, garlic and peppers in olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add chicken, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, dill, chives, cream cheese and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Give the whole pot a few stirs then cover and braise in a 400°F oven for 45 - 60 minutes. Peer into the pot and give it a good stir every once in awhile.
Using two forks shred the chicken and let it linger in its sauce.
Make the corn salsa while the chicken braises.
Mix together corn, jalapeño, cilantro, red onion, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, lime, cumin seeds and salt. Let this sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Serve the burritos with beans, rice, greens, cilantro and avocado.
Courses Dinner
Love this idea!!! We have been doing fish tacos all the time with easy slaw/salsa and I have been looking for a similar but different way to mix it up. I will have to try this. The braised chicken looks super delicious!!
Great video, Ashley! This whole post is fantastic and oh, those burritos look killer!
I’m SO IN.
I love meals like this that have plenty of leftovers!
Me too! I’m not much of a planner but I love the idea of doing something once then taking the next day off. 🙂
Hi Ashley! Love your easy way of braising that chicken. And I totally agree with Tori, your video looks amazing! (and have a great sunny vacation!)
Thanks, Marianne! My husband has been making the videos. I think they are so great. We’re hoping to continue to put out about one a week.
I’ve never thought to braise chicken in cream cheese, but I bet it’s killer. These look like they taste almost as good as a sunny vacation. Almost.
Almost. 🙂 Yes, the cream cheese is so lovely. I love the twang of acidity and the effortless sauce the whole pot forms.
Oh my goodness this popped up in my instagram feed while scrolling through before breakfast and all I kept thinking was… is it ok to want burritos for breakfast?.. before my coffee!? Looks so good, really want to make that for dinner tonight for Friday night in! Ah love it! x
Dani, I think that’s totally okay. 🙂
this sounds great! i’m intrigued by the selection of herbs in the chicken–will have to give it a try soon!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. The combination of herbs is sort of reminiscent of ranch dressing.
Another perfection 🙂 Thank you so much !
I just made this for dinner and it was a hit! The salsa had just the right amount of acid to cut the richness of the creamy chicken. Thank you for yet another winner winner chicken dinner–literally! 😉
This looks delicious! My oven is currently broken. Can this be done on the stove instead?
Absolutely! I’m not sure of the exact timing but keep it on low and stir the pot every now and again. Check the chicken around 30 minutes. If you have an Instapot or slow cooker that would work too.
what would you swap cream cheese with? i’m not the biggest fan of cream cheese but don’t want to lose the creaminess!
I would use sour cream. It would still give you the brightness but may be a bit saucier. Let me know if you try it!
So YUMMY!!
This looks delicious! I actually have all of the ingredients, except for the cream cheese.
Do you think it would work to substitute greek yogurt instead?
Thanks!
I think that would totally work! It might be a bit saucier but I see no problem with that.
Ashley, this recipe was INCREDIBLE!
My husband and I received your “Date Night In” cookbook as a Christmas gift, and have loved every single recipe we’ve made. (Our favorites so far have been… “His Birthday”, “My Birthday”, and “A Roman Engagement”.) I especially love your easy meal prep and shopping plans. We have a 1-year old, so going out is a bit tricky these days.
Our pastor’s sermon this weekend was about reflecting back on the week and thinking about where you saw Jesus’ kindness reflected in your life. And honestly, I think about your recipes and how they have so enriched our marriage. Every weekend, my husband and I look forward to cooking a sure-to-be amazing meal together. I’m so grateful to you for sharing your gifts. I pray that you will continue to succeed and that many will be able to enjoy your delicious food!
With heartfelt thanks, Kristen
Thank you for this kind comment, Kristen. These are the messages that fuel the work I do and my passion behind it. The internet can feel like I’m speaking to an empty void but this reminds me that there are lives behind the screen. Thank you for encouraging me so deeply. So much love to you and your family.