I have always loved pinwheels, and these crunchy Southwest Chicken Pinwheels are now top of the list. They are loaded with creamy chicken, veggies, and cheese, and they get a crunch from crushed tortilla strips, which sends them to another level. They are perfect for a lunchbox, after-school snack, or as an appetizer for game day!! Your family and friends will love them.
Want more pinwheels? Then try our Vegetable Cream Cheese Pinwheels, Delicious Sausage Pinwheels, Cranberry Turkey Pinwheels, or our amazing Cheesy Pizza Wheels. You can never go wrong with a pinwheel; everyone loves them.
I know you want to reach right in and grab one of those delicious chicken pinwheels. Your kids are going to love you for this recipe.
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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7 Piece Mixing Bowl Set with Lids
Small Glass Bowls with Lids, 6.25 ounce, Set of 8, Clear
14-inch Porcelain Serving Platter Rectangular Plate / Tray, Set of 4
What Ingredients are in Chicken Pinwheels?
Easy ingredients that are found anywhere. The tortilla strips are a fun crunchy addition but won’t last long if you make them too far ahead. Tortilla strips are also great on a salad or make a fun side for dinner, or make up a little bag of them and tuck them into a lunch box.
This recipe is a great use of leftover chicken or can be accomplished easily by buying a rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken from the grocery store. Or, as need be, cooking up a chicken breast or two will do the trick also.
If you want them spicier, just add in a little hot sauce or a hotter salsa to the sour cream. Scatter on a few green onions to make the platter pop even more.
Ingredients
4 large tortillas, I find flour tortillas to be better than corn for these chicken pinwheels
1 cup lettuce, shredded
½ tomato, diced
1 avocado, mashed
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¾ cup tortilla strips, crushed
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
Sauce
½ cup sour cream
½ cup salsa
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
How to Make Chicken Pinwheels
This is a simple build-and-go recipe with no cooking involved. Let’s get to it.
Prepare the sauce by combining the sour cream, salsa, and taco seasoning in a medium bowl.
Add the chicken to the sauce and toss to coat.
Lay the tortilla flat and spread a spoonful of the chicken and sauce mix on the tortilla, leaving about an inch border around the edges.
Add lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cheddar cheese on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with some of the crushed tortilla strips before rolling the tortilla tightly.
Cut the rolled tortilla into 1″ sections.
Repeat steps 2-4 with the remaining tortillas.
Assemble pinwheels on a plate or platter and either refrigerate until ready or serve immediately.
Enjoy!
How far in Advance can you Make Pinwheel Wraps?
Some pinwheel recipes you can make far in advance, even overnight, and they just get better. This recipe with its fresh ingredients is not one of them. They tend to get soggy if made too far in advance.
I like trying to serve them within 2-4 hours. For additional crunchiness, I have sprinkled extra tortilla strips on top (crushed them up a little first), and that also helps them keep that awesome crunchification!!
But for a quick meal or appetizer, this recipe can’t be beaten. My best suggestion would be to make them 30 minutes ahead of time, wrap them in plastic wrap and then serve.
Pinwheel Additions and Variations
The sky is the limit on making these tortilla pinwheels your own. A couple of easy variations are to add ranch seasoning to the sour cream instead of taco seasoning.
Or make these into kind of a clubhouse variation using a bacon ranch combination; it goes great with the chicken and veggies that are already in these pinwheels.
Adding in softened cream cheese brings them closer to the side of crack chicken pinwheels. Spice up the cream cheese as you like with ranch or taco seasoning. Cream cheese ranch is an awesome combination.
Lastly, feel free to make a spicier version with buffalo chicken pinwheels. All you have to do is toss the prepared chicken in some Frank’s hot sauce, and you are away to the races. All these variations and the original are our favorites.
Pin it HERE!!
Pin it HERE!!
Southwest Chicken Pinwheels
Ingredients
- 4 large tortillas
- 1 cup lettuce shredded
- ½ tomato diced
- 1 avocado mashed
- ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
- ¾ cup tortilla strips crushed
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
Sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by combining the sour cream, salsa, and taco seasoning in a medium bowl.
- Add the chicken to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Lay the tortilla flat and spread a spoonful of the chicken and sauce mix on the tortilla, leaving about an inch border around the edges.
- Add lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cheddar cheese on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with some of the crushed tortilla strips before rolling the tortilla tightly.
- Cut the rolled tortilla into 1” sections.
- Repeat steps 2-4 with the remaining tortillas.
- Assemble pinwheels on a plate or platter and either refrigerate until ready or serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
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