These Southwest Chicken Pinwheels are a great way to add some flavor and fun to your meal plan. They are made with chicken, black beans, corn, cheese, and salsa all wrapped up in a tortilla. The combination of these flavors makes for an amazing taste experience that you won’t soon forget. Plus, they are super easy to assemble!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are full of flavor and fun, plus your family will love them.
- You can serve them as an appetizer, snack, or a meal.
- They are also super easy to customize with your favorite taco toppings.
Ingredients
To make these easy pinwheels you will need a few simple ingredients. While this list may seem long, most of these ingredients are spices that you most likely already have on hand. The rest of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store after one quick trip.
- large flour tortillas
- cream cheese
- sour cream
- paprika
- chili powder
- oregano
- garlic powder
- shredded chicken
- cheddar cheese
- black beans
- Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
- corn
- jalapeno
Equipment
For this simple appetizer recipe, you will need a few basic kitchen tools that likely already reside in your kitchen.
- Large, serrated knife
- Cutting board
- Plastic wrap
How to Make Southwest Chicken Pinwheels
Making these pinwheels is so easy. Just follow the step-by-step instructions and you will have a delicious appetizer in no time at all.
Step 1: Dice the jalapeno
Cut the jalapeno in half, remove the seeds, and dice it into small pieces.
Step 2: Mix together the cheese filling
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and seasonings to a small bowl, and mix well to combine.
Step 3: Spread the cream cheese on the tortilla
Spread ¼ of the mixture onto each tortilla.
Step 4: Add the chicken and other toppings
Sprinkle and layer the chicken, cheese, black beans, tomatoes, corn, and jalapeno onto each tortilla.
Step 5: Roll the tortillas
Start from one end and tightly roll the tortillas.
Step 6: Chill the tortillas
Wrap the rolled tortillas in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 7: Slice the pinwheels and serve
Cut off the ends, discard (or eat), and slice into one-inch pieces. Arrange the pinwheels flat on a platter to serve.
Storage
These pinwheels should be stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
Pro Tips
Here are a few tips to make sure that your Southwestern Pinwheels turn out perfectly for you every time that you make them.
- Use softened cream cheese, so that it’s easier to spread.
- Be sure to roll the pinwheels tightly and evenly for best results.
- If you have extra filling, you can use it as a dip on the side.
- Add more or less jalapeno, depending on your preference for heat.
- You can also use cooked taco meat instead of shredded chicken if desired.
- Make sure that you chill the filled rolled tortillas before you slice them so that they slice evenly.
FAQs
Do you have questions about this southwest chicken pinwheels recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions for this recipe.
No, these pinwheels do not freeze well.
Yes, you can substitute a different type of cheese for the cheddar if desired.
These pinwheels are delicious with a variety of dips, such as guacamole, salsa, ranch dressing, or sour cream.
Other Delicious Recipes You May Enjoy
Southwest Chicken Pinwheels
These delicious pinwheels are loaded with chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, shredded chicken, Rotel, jalapeno, black beans, corn, and seasonings, all rolled into flour tortillas for a perfect party appetizer.
Ingredients
- 4 large flour tortillas
- 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ tsp oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 10 oz can Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles, drained
- ½ cup corn, canned
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
You will need the following items:
- Large serrated knife
- Cutting board
- Plastic wrap
Instructions
- Cut the jalapeno in half, remove the seeds, and dice into small pieces.
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and seasonings to a small bowl, and mix well to combine.
- Spread ¼ of the mixture onto each tortilla.
- Sprinkle and layer the chicken, cheese, black beans, tomatoes, corn and jalapeno. Onto each tortilla.
- Start from one end, and tightly roll the tortillas.
- Wrap the rolled tortillas in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Cut off the ends, discard (or eat), and slice into one inch pieces.
- Arrange flat on a platter to serve.
Notes
The sour cream makes these more moist than your typical pinwheel appetizer that only contains cream cheese. Therefore, I recommend preparing these 1 hour before you plan to serve them. These will not store well, so throw away any leftovers.
Storage: Do not store leftovers, they will become soggy