Fried Chicken Breakfast Burritos – Crispy fried chicken is wrapped in a breakfast burrito loaded with eggs, cheese, sauteed onions & peppers, and fresh cilantro
Just when I thought I had everything figured out, I got my world rocked a little. A new food entered my life a few weeks ago that changed everything. It wasn’t anything complicated or sophisticated – just a breakfast burrito.
What made this breakfast burrito so incredible was the textures – chewy tortilla, gooey cheesy eggs, and crispy fried chicken. Every bite was magical. I was shocked that this was the first time I had tried all these perfect ingredients together. I was even more shocked that such simple ingredients could taste so good together.
For today’s recipe, I was inspired my that breakfast burrito to make my own version. And so I present…Fried Chicken Breakfast Burritos!
How to make great fried chicken
A few years ago, I found the perfect recipe for fried chicken tenders. I used it in these fried chicken tacos and loved it. So I’ve been using it ever since! I even used them in this southern cobb salad.
I love this recipe so much because the chicken comes out so tender and flavorful without tons of effort. The most important step in this recipe is the buttermilk marinade. It’s made with buttermilk (duh) and spices, including paprika, which is the flavor driver. The longer the chicken marinades the more flavorful and tender it becomes. But you can keep it as little as 1 hour to achieve good results.
After the chicken is marinated, I dip it in a flour dredge that is loaded with the same spices as the marinade. Then, I fry the chicken in a skillet of hot oil until the chicken is perfect browned and crispy.
Assembling these burritos
Once the chicken is fried, we need to prep the rest of the ingredients.
First, the onions and peppers. I love the flavor that caramelized veggies have – it really softened the bite and makes them much more flavorful. To make them, you just slice them in strips and cook for about 10 minutes to get them perfectly softened.
Next, the scrambled eggs. I’ve learned that the less you mess with eggs while they cook, the fluffier they get. I am a huge fan of fluffy scrambled eggs so this was a game-changer for me. Even my husband says they are the best eggs he’s ever had!
To make them, I crack the eggs and whisk them with a little salt. Then, I add them to a warm skillet (not a hot one!) with melted butter. If I were to add it to a hot skillet, the eggs would flash-fry and they wouldn’t have time to fluff up. I let the eggs sit to cook and then I scramble them a little and then let them cook a little more. Finally, I fold them over each other to finish cooking.
Once the eggs are done cooking, I turn off the heat and cover them with all the cheese. The residual heat from the eggs will melt the cheese.
Now we’re ready to assemble the burritos!
First, I place a sheet of foil down with the flour tortilla on top. I used a soft taco-sized tortilla so the burritos aren’t too large. The ingredients are so heavy so if the burritos were any larger, it would be way too much.
Next come the eggs, followed by the fried chicken, which I cut into cubes. Next comes the onions and peppers. Finally, I top with a few cilantro leaves for some freshness. Then you just roll up the burrito and then wrap in the foil to hold it’s shape.
Tips & Tricks
As always, I have a few tips to ensure these fried chicken breakfast burritos come out perfectly:
- Do not let the chicken marinade for more than 8 hours. If you do, you risk the chicken becoming too mushy. If you come up on 8 hours but won’t be able to make the chicken yet, you can coat the chicken in flour and let it sit in the fridge until frying time. But do not let the dredged chicken sit in the fridge for longer than 24 hours.
- Make sure the oil is hot before adding the chicken. The fried crust will get oily and soggy if it’s not fried in hot oil. This may mean that you have to let the oil back heat up in between batches. Ah, and speaking of batches…
- Make sure you are frying no more than 4 tenders at a time. If you crowd the frying pan, the oil temperature will drop and cause your chicken to get soggy. So you’ll probably need to fry the tenders in about 2 batches.
- When breading the chicken, make sure you cover completely with flour and press it into the chicken tender. This will help the breading stick on during the frying process.
- And lastly, if you’re unsure about the cooking time, test one chicken tender using the times I suggest below and then check to make sure the center is cooked. I always do this because cooking time can differ based on what kind of pan or stovetop you have.
- I made these burritos so I could freeze them and eat throughout the week. If you are doing the same, you just need to reheat in the microwave for 45 seconds. Remember to remove the foil first!
Fried Chicken Breakfast Burritos
Ingredients
For the fried chicken tenders:
- 3/4 pound chicken tenderloins
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika divided
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2-3 cup canola or vegetable oil for frying
For the breakfast burrito
- 6 fried chicken tenders see recipe above
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves loosely packed
- 8 soft taco flour tortillas
- salt and pepper to taste
- aluminum foil
Instructions
For the fried chicken tenders:
- First, we need to marinade the chicken tenders. Add tenders to a gallon ziplock bag. Add buttermilk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder. Seal bag and toss chicken to coat completely with spices and buttermilk. Place bag in a bowl and set in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and no more than 8 hours.
- Once chicken is done marinating, prepare the oil for frying. Place 2-3 cups of oil into a cast-iron skillet (should fill skillet halfway). heat over medium heat. The oil should take about 7-10 minutes to get hot.
- While oil gets hot, prepare the dredge. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 3/8 teaspoon garlic powder, and baking powder to a shallow dish. Whisk to combine ingredients.
- Remove tenders from the refrigerator. Remove on tender from the bag and shake off excess buttermilk. Drop into flour mixture and toss with flour mixture to cover all edges of the tenderloin. Place tenderloin on a clean plate and repeat with rest of the tenderloins.
- Once oil is hot, place a tenderloin into oil. If it's sizzling, then oil is hot enough. Add 3 more tenderloins and cook all 4 tenderloins for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes, or until they're golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with any remaining tenderloins. Let tenderloins cool.
- Cut cooled chicken tenders into 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
To assemble the burritos:
- Slice onion and pepper into strips. Heat skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and pepper strips and cook until softened but not yet caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Crack eggs into a small bowl. Season with salt. Whisk together with a fork for 1 minute. Heat nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add butter. Once butter has melted, add eggs. Let eggs cook until bottom of them begins to firm up. Stir together gently with a rubber spatula. Let them cook undisturbed for another minute. Fold eggs on top of each other and let them cook until desired consistency. Remove from heat. Sprinkle cheese on top and let it sit on top of eggs to melt completely. Set aside.
- Cut a large square of aluminum foil. Place 1 flour tortilla over foil. add 1/4 cup cheese eggs, 4-5 cubes of chicken, a few strips of onions and peppers, and top with a sprig or two of cilantro. Grabbing the tortilla by the side edges, fold them in about 1/4 of the way towards the center. Tuck and roll to make a burrito. Roll burrito into foil. Repeat with other tortillas.
- Serve burritos immediately or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove foil and microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minutes.
Pin for later:
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Your alk playing with my emotions now. What a wonderful roll of texture and flavor. Tbis would put breakfast into a league of its own. Love the crispy chicken, cheesy eggs and that lovely tortilla. I could see why this rocked your world!❤❤
Well done!
These are just the best breakfast burritos! The eggs were perfectly cheesy, which is a must for me, and I love the texture the fried chicken add. So delicious!
What a great combination of flavors and textures in these breakfast burritos. I agree, the caramelized onions and peppers add amazing flavor to the burritos.
Fried chicken for breakfast?! I’m all in! This is a perfect make ahead breakfast recipe and my family will love it!
We love a good breakfast burrito in this house! Definitely gotta try this amazing recipe!
This is such a great idea for breakfast or lunch! I definitely have to try this recipe, thank you for sharing!
I just discovered your website! I have to say, even though I haven’t actually made anything here yet, I can tell that every recipe I’ve seen so far will be delicious
These were such a treat for the weekend, such a great brunch recipe!
Quick, easy, and cheesy! That is my kind of breakfast!
FRIED CHICKEN FOR BREAKFAST NEEDS TO BE A THING! Yeah, I said it and I mean it. I need more fried chicken breakfast burritos in my life.
You had me at burrito! This looks so yummy and filling! What a way to start the day.
I never thought of adding chicken to my breakfast burritos but this sounds amazing! This will keep me full all day.
Thanks for the recipe!
Love love love this idea of fried chicken breakfast burritos! The perfect food for my kids when they’ve got taekwondo practice in the morning.
These burritos look like a perfect weekend breakfast. So many flavors!
It’s so crazy – I never EVER thought to add crispy chicken fingers to a burrito! But it makes so much sense now! I love anything with a crunch, especially fries hahaha!
OMG the Southerner in me is singing loudly over these friend chicken breakfast burritos! Thank you so much for such a delicious recipe!
oh man this looks so good!! I love anything with fried chicken in it!!! Totally gonna make this
I feel like you took all my fave things and wrapped it up in a tortilla! This might be breakfast but I’m making this for
Dinner tonight! 🙂
I love fried chicken and the cilantro will be a great addition too! I’m glad I found a recipe for freezing, will make up a few batches and freeze for when I don’t have time to make them!
Oh my gosh, yum, these look incredible! I will have to make these for my family. We’d love them for any meal!
OMG this looks so good. This is exactly what I want to eat for lunch.
This looks sooo good! You can’t go wrong with fried chicken in a breakfast burrito. Delicious!
I love breakfast burritos and this one’s great! Looks so delicious!
What a fantastic idea for breakfast. I bet my kids would love this idea.
I made this early this morning and it was heavenly! So delicious and a great way to start the day!
Great tips on the chicken! Thanks!
If I made this, my kids would go nuts! It’s like all of their favorite things in one dish.
These looks amazing! My family loves breakfast burritos, but we’ve never made them with chicken. I can’t wait to try that!
What a great idea! I really love the fact that the recipe is balanced and has enough good fats and protein.
Yum! I love any variation of breakfast burrito. I will have to try this out!