Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Burritos with Roasted Corn Salsa Fresca

In two and a half weeks, I will be in the land of pinon, juniper, sage brush, snow, blue skies, and CHILES! Otherwise known as the Land of Enchantment, or, more commonly, New Mexico. I can hardly wait. Though I live in the Pacific Northwest now, and grew up in Southwest Colorado, when I hear the word home, I think of New Mexico. I wonder why this is, but don’t question it. And so, as I wait anxiously to go “home,” I turn to the kitchen and cook New Mexican inspired dishes.

Notes on ingredients:

Chipotle. Chipotles are smoked jalapenos. Jalapenos naturally turn red at the end of the growing season, and it is these chiles that growers turn into chipotles. You can find them in the Hispanic section of your grocery store, canned in what is called adobo sauce, which is a mixture of pureed chiles, vinegar, and spices. This recipe calls for a chipotle grill sauce, however. Most grocery stores also carry a version or two near the marinades and barbeque sauces. If you can, purchase a fruit and chipotle sauce, such as Raspberry Chipotle, which is what I recommend.

Salsa Fresca. Otherwise known as pico de gallo, this is a mixture of fresh, or raw, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and other vegetables, depending upon the chef. It also contains lime juice or vinegar, and olive or canola oil. In the recipe below, I roasted corn, along with the red onions, for a different flavor. Technically that makes it no longer “fresca” since it now involves cooking, but go with it, will ya?!

Roasted Corn Salsa Fresca

Ingredients:

1 cup corn kernels
½ red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (seeds and placenta removed for milder flavor)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In an oven-proof dish, mix corn kernels, diced red onion, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt. Roast in the oven until vegetables are soft and aromatic, about 15 minutes. (Add a touch of cumin for a smokier flavor.)

In a medium bowl, mix the diced tomatoes, diced jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice.

Once the corn mixture has come out of the oven and cooled, add it to the tomato mixture. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for an hour. At this point, check for taste and adjust as necessary, adding more salt, lime juice, etc.

Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients:

3 medium-large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1 package whole wheat tortillas
1 bottle Raspberry Chipotle grill sauce, or variation

Coat chicken breasts with a light covering of olive oil. Grill chicken breasts until done. Let rest, (after you remove from grill, let the meat sit for 5-10 minutes so the juice doesn’t ooze out and dry out the chicken upon slicing) then slice thinly and toss with ½- 1 cup of the grill sauce, depending on amount desired. (Note: Sauces applied before cooking will burn.)

While the chicken is resting, rinse and drain the black beans, then heat with 1 tbsp. of the chipotle sauce.

Warm the tortillas.

To assemble, lay the sliced chicken on the tortilla, sprinkle with black beans, and top with the roasted corn salsa fresca.