Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade)
Soft flour tortillas made from scratch, griddled with cheese and piled with smoky chicken, seared shrimp, greens and a fresh blended salsa. The dough rests while the filling comes together, so it lands in about an hour.
Ingredients
- 300 g Flour
- 35 g Neutral oil
- 300 g Chicken breast
- 200 g Shrimp
- 120 g Cheddar cheese
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1 Lime
- 1 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 2 Tomato
- 2 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Chili powder (optional)
- 100 g Romaine lettuce (optional)
- ¼ Onion (optional)
- 1 Chili (optional)
- 1 Green chili (optional)
- ½ tsp Black pepper (optional)
Method
- Stir the flour with the salt, then rub in the neutral oil. Add warm water a little at a time until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead for 5 minutes until smooth, then cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.
- Slice the chicken breast into strips and toss with the smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, the minced garlic, the lime juice, the salt and the black pepper.
- Blend the tomatoes, onion, the garlic, the red and green chilies and the salt until smooth or slightly chunky. Set the salsa aside to rest.
- Pat the shrimp dry and season lightly. Shred the lettuce and grate the cheese.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high and cook the seasoned chicken for 5-6 minutes until golden and cooked through. Lift onto a board.
- In the same pan, sear the shrimp for about a minute per side until just pink. Set aside with the chicken.
- Slice the cooked chicken into strips and squeeze the remaining lime over the chicken and shrimp.
- Divide the rested dough into 6 balls and roll each out thinly, flouring lightly so they don't stick.
- Griddle each tortilla in a dry pan for 30-45 seconds a side until puffed and spotted golden.
- Lay a griddled tortilla back in the pan over medium, scatter with cheese and warm until it melts and the base is crisp, about 2 minutes.
- Top each cheesy tortilla with lettuce, the chicken and shrimp, and a spoonful of the blended salsa. Repeat with the rest and serve.
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About Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade)
Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas is a griddled, open-faced tortilla plate: flour tortillas crisped with melted cheddar, then topped with paprika-and-cumin chicken, quickly seared shrimp, fresh greens and a blended tomato salsa. This version makes the tortillas from scratch. A flour tortilla needs only four things — plain flour, salt, fat and warm water — and mixing your own gives you a softer, more pliable round with a toasted wheat flavour that pre-packaged tortillas, stabilised for shelf life, tend to lose.
The dough carries the recipe. After a short knead it rests for thirty minutes, which lets the gluten relax so the tortillas roll out thin without springing back and puff on the griddle instead of turning leathery. That rest is unattended, so the chicken gets seasoned, the shrimp peeled and the salsa blended in the same window rather than before or after. Fat matters too: oil keeps the tortillas soft and neutral, while lard or butter makes them flakier and richer if you have it.
Cook the seasoned chicken and shrimp separately so neither overcooks — shrimp need only a minute or two a side — then build each tortilla on the griddle, cheese down against the heat until it crisps at the edges. It comes together in about fifty-five minutes, most of it hands-off during the dough rest, and serves three. The chicken breast keeps it lean and high in protein; swap in thighs for a juicier, more forgiving result.
Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade): frequently asked questions
Is there a quicker version?
Yes. If you are short on time, use shop-bought flour tortillas and skip the dough entirely — the filling is the same and the whole thing comes together in about 25 minutes instead of 55. See the quick shop-bought version →
How do you make flour tortillas without baking powder?
You do not need any leavening for soft flour tortillas. Just mix flour, salt, oil and warm water into a dough, knead until smooth, rest it 30 minutes, then roll thin and griddle in a dry pan. The rest is what makes them pliable rather than tough.
Are homemade tortillas better than store-bought?
Homemade flour tortillas are fresher, softer and more pliable, with no preservatives and a better flavour. They take about 30 minutes of resting plus a little rolling and griddling, so store-bought wins on speed — but homemade is worth it when you have the time.
Why do you rest tortilla dough?
Resting lets the gluten relax so the dough rolls out thin and easily without springing back, and it hydrates the flour evenly for a softer tortilla. Thirty minutes under a cover is enough; skipping it leaves the dough tight and hard to shape.
What flour is best for tortillas?
Plain all-purpose flour is standard for flour tortillas and gives a soft, pliable result. A little fat — oil, melted butter or traditionally lard — makes them tender, and lard gives the most authentic, flaky texture.
How do you keep homemade tortillas soft?
Griddle them just until puffed and spotted, no longer, and stack them under a clean towel as you go so the steam keeps them supple. Store cooled tortillas wrapped airtight, and warm them briefly before serving to bring back their softness.
Are chicken and shrimp tortillas healthy?
The filling is high in protein from the chicken and shrimp. The homemade version is a little more calorie-dense than the shop-bought one because the from-scratch tortillas add flour, but it is still a balanced, protein-forward meal.
How many calories are in Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade)?
A serving has about 922 calories — 56.6g protein, 85.4g carbs, 40.5g fat, 5.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 56.6g of protein, roughly 25% of its calories.
Is Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade) gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Flour. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade) dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Cheddar cheese. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade) take to make?
About 55 minutes start to finish, but only around 36 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade)?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out chili powder, romaine lettuce, onion — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Chicken & Shrimp Tortillas (Homemade) make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.