Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken Burrito

It's no secret that Ryan and I love tacos & burritos.  I don't make them often because we love to get them on the weekends from our favorite restaurants.  When I got Kristin Cavallari's cook book for my birthday and saw that she had a recipe for slow cooker tacos, I knew it was something I needed to try.  While I do love tacos, for a weeknight lunch or dinner, burritos just work better because you can fully prep them in advance.  Work has been a little crazy lately, so some days I've only been taking a 10 or 15 minute break for lunch, so having something that's prepped and ready to be reheated is crucial.

I've also been really enjoying slow cooking while working from home because I can prep the ingredients on my morning calls and then have a delicious dinner by the time I finish work.  While Kristin's tacos called for romaine lettuce and avocado crema, I knew those ingredients wouldn't lend themselves to reheating.  Instead, I used sautéed kale, roasted sweet potatoes & black beans inside the burritos because I knew they would reheat well.  And the secret to meal prepping burritos?  You need to crisp up the tortilla so they hold their shape and don't just fall apart in the fridge.  I have two techniques for doing this: on a flattop or in the oven.  While both of these techniques work well, I opted to use a flattop for these to get a nice crisp on the sides of the burrito without overcooking the inside.  I typically go for the oven baked option for my breakfast burritos, but would would recommend either.

Although a fairly simple burrito, these were absolutely delicious.  I paired them with some guacamole, my homemade tomatillo salsa & of course some Yellowbird hot sauce (jalapeno or serrano).

Total Time: 8 hours

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

5 large tortillas

1 can black beans

1 large sweet potato, diced

2 cups kale

For the chicken:

1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbs coconut oil

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions:

1. Set your slow cooker on low and place chicken, paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic, coconut oil and lime in the slow cooker and cover.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 hours.  
2. At hour 7 1/2, preheat your oven to 425° F.  Add diced sweet potato to a baking sheet and toss with salt & olive oil.  Bake for 15 minutes, then toss and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
3. While the sweet potato is cooking, add kale and black beans to a non-stick pan over medium heat and sauté until kale is wilted and beans are heated through.
4. Once all of the ingredients are cooked, assemble your burritos.
5. Cook your tortillas one of two ways: heat a flattop or pan over high heat and lightly cover with oil.  Cook burritos for 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown on the sides.  The second option is to keep the oven heated and bake the burritos for 5-7 minutes per side.  This will get the entire outside of the burrito crispy.