Barbecued Chicken Burritos

Barbecued chicken burritos turn a supermarket rotisserie chicken into dinner in the time it takes to set the table. One skillet warms the shredded chicken with barbecue sauce, black beans, corn, and a spoon of sour cream until everything melts into a creamy, smoky, slightly sweet filling.

The lettuce leaf at the base of each tortilla is the move. It is not just decoration. A crisp lettuce leaf between the warm filling and the wrap keeps the tortilla from getting soggy, which means you can pack these for lunch or halve them diagonally and eat them an hour later without regret. A squeeze of fresh lime at the table cuts through the barbecue sweetness and wakes the whole thing up.

Kitchen Tips

• Use whole wheat or flour tortillas warmed briefly in a dry skillet or microwave. Cold tortillas crack when rolled.
• Rinse the black beans well. Canning liquid is salty and slimy and muddies the filling.
• Do not overfill. Four cups of chicken across four 10-inch tortillas is the ceiling. Any more and they burst on the roll.
• Choose a smoky, slightly sweet BBQ sauce (Kansas City-style) for the best balance. Vinegar-forward Carolina sauces work but taste sharp against the corn and beans.

Variations

• Add a handful of shredded cheddar cheese or pepper jack inside before rolling.
• Swap sour cream for guacamole or diced avocado.
• Griddle the rolled burritos seam-side down for a crisp, toasted exterior.