These Chicken and Butternut Squash Tortillas combine juicy chicken, tender butternut squash, creamy avocado, pinto beans, and queso fresco inside warm flour tortillas. The sweet, earthy squash pairs beautifully with the savory chicken and beans, while sour cream adds a cool, creamy finish.
The recipe also includes homemade tortilla chips, giving you a crunchy side to serve alongside the soft, generously filled tortillas. With chicken, beans, vegetables, and avocado all in one meal, these tortillas make a hearty lunch or dinner with a seasonal twist.
Why This Tortilla Is Worth Making
- A seasonal filling: Butternut squash brings natural sweetness and a fall-inspired element to a familiar tortilla.
- Hearty and satisfying: Chicken and pinto beans provide substance, while avocado and queso fresco add richness.
- Contrasting textures: Tender squash and chicken are balanced by creamy avocado and crisp homemade tortilla chips.
- Freshly assembled: Each tortilla is filled just before serving, keeping the ingredients distinct rather than turning everything into one mixed filling.
- Flexible ingredients: Fresh or canned pinto beans work, making the recipe convenient for different cooking schedules.
- Two-part meal: The filled tortillas and homemade tortilla chips give you both a substantial main dish and a crunchy accompaniment.
The Butternut Squash Makes This Different
Butternut squash is the ingredient that gives these tortillas their seasonal character.
Its naturally sweet flavor works well with savory chicken, garlic, shallots, and beans. The squash is cut into cubes and cooked until tender, making it easy to scoop up with the other fillings.
Cutting the squash into evenly sized pieces is important. Pieces that are roughly the same size will cook at a similar rate, so you are less likely to end up with some pieces that are soft while others remain firm.
Chef’s Tip: Keep the squash cubes relatively small and uniform. This helps them cook evenly and makes the finished tortilla easier to fill without large pieces falling out.
Chicken and Butternut Squash Tortilla
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
- Pizza cutter or pastry wheel
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Spatula
- Toothpick
Ingredients
- 2 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 pounds chicken breasts trimmed
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 butternut squash
- Pinto beans fresh or canned
- Onion slices
- Canola oil spray
- Salt to taste
- 2 flour tortillas
- Queso fresco
- Sour cream
- Avocado
Instructions
- Peel and chop the shallots and garlic.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, then cook the chicken with 1 chopped shallot and 2 chopped garlic cloves. Season with ground pepper and cook until the chicken is done.
- Cut and clean the butternut squash, then cube it into evenly sized pieces. Season with pepper and cook in the same skillet, adding the remaining shallot and garlic. Cook until the squash is tender when pierced with a toothpick.
- Heat the pinto beans with onion slices until hot. Use fresh or canned beans according to preference.
- Cut the two tortillas into chips with a pizza cutter or pastry wheel. Arrange on a baking sheet, spray both sides with canola oil, season with salt if desired, and bake for 3–4 minutes per side, checking until crisp.
- Heat a clean skillet over medium heat without butter or spray. Place one tortilla in the skillet and brown lightly on both sides, being careful not to overcook it so it remains flexible.
- Slice the cooked chicken and layer it onto each tortilla with the butternut squash and shallots, pinto beans, avocado slices, and queso fresco.
- Top with sour cream, fold the tortilla around the filling, and serve with the homemade tortilla chips.
Notes
- Cook the chicken thoroughly before slicing and assembling.
- Cut the squash into similar-sized cubes so it cooks evenly.
- Do not over-brown the flour tortillas, or they can become too hard to fold.
- Canned pinto beans can be used for convenience, or you can prepare the beans from scratch.
How to Keep the Flour Tortilla Flexible
The tortilla needs to be warm and pliable enough to wrap around a substantial amount of filling.
Lightly brown each tortilla in a clean skillet over medium heat. The important part is to avoid cooking it for too long.
A tortilla that becomes too crisp can crack when folded, allowing the chicken, squash, beans, and other fillings to spill out.
Think of this step as warming and lightly browning the tortilla rather than crisping it.
The Homemade Tortilla Chips
The homemade chips provide a useful textural contrast to the soft tortilla.
The recipe cuts tortillas into chips, coats both sides with canola oil spray, seasons them with salt if desired, and bakes them until crisp.
Watch them closely during baking because thin tortilla pieces can move from lightly crisp to overly browned quickly.
Bake them on a prepared baking sheet and check them after the suggested 3–4 minutes per side.
Fresh or Canned Pinto Beans?
Either option works.
- Canned pinto beans are the convenient choice when you want to keep preparation short. Drain and use them according to your preferred method.
- Freshly prepared pinto beans take more planning but can be used when you already have a batch prepared.
The beans are heated with onion slices before being added to the tortillas, giving even canned beans a more savory component.
How to Assemble the Tortillas
Start with the warm, lightly browned flour tortilla.
Layer the sliced chicken, cooked butternut squash and shallots, warm pinto beans, avocado, and queso fresco across the center.
Add sour cream near the top, then fold the tortilla around the filling.
Avoid overfilling. A tortilla that contains too much filling will be difficult to close and harder to eat.
Serve immediately with the homemade tortilla chips.
Serving Suggestions
These tortillas can be served as a complete meal with the homemade chips, or you can add a few fresh toppings on the side.
Good additions include:
- Pico de gallo
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Additional sour cream
- green salad
- Roasted vegetables
- Fresh cilantro
Making the Components Ahead
Cook the chicken, prepare the squash, and heat the beans before assembling. Keep the tortillas and fresh toppings separate until you are ready to serve.
The avocado and sour cream are best added during final assembly rather than mixed into the filling ahead of time.
If you are making the components for later meals, store them separately so you can assemble a fresh tortilla rather than reheating everything together.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I use canned pinto beans?
Yes. Both fresh and canned pinto beans. Canned beans are a convenient option when you want to shorten preparation time.
2. What type of chicken works best for this recipe?
Trimmed chicken breasts. Once cooked, they are sliced and layered into the tortillas.
3. How do I know when the butternut squash is done?
Check it with a toothpick. The squash should be tender enough for the toothpick to pierce it easily.
4. Can I prepare the tortillas without the homemade chips?
Yes. The chips are served alongside the tortillas and can be omitted if you do not want the additional side.
5. Why shouldn’t I brown the tortilla too much?
The tortilla needs to remain flexible so it can wrap around the filling. Over-browning can make it too firm and cause it to crack when folded.
6. What does queso fresco add to the tortilla?
Queso fresco provides a mild, crumbly cheese component that contrasts with the tender chicken, squash, and creamy avocado.
7. Can I use another type of cheese?
Queso fresco is the cheese used here. Another cheese can change the flavor and texture, so the result will not be exactly the same.
8. How many tortillas does this recipe make?
2 tortillas, with plenty of leftovers from the prepared ingredients.
9. Can I serve these tortillas with salsa?
Yes. Salsa is specifically suggested as a serving option and works well with the sweet butternut squash, savory chicken, and creamy avocado.
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The Freshman Cook started as a place to keep track of recipes I wanted to make again. Somewhere along the way, it grew into a collection of meals that friends requested, desserts that disappeared too quickly, and weeknight dinners that made life a little easier.
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