Indian seasonings enliven chicken burrito

What's a few cultures clashed in the name of good food?

As in this chicken and rice burrito. It may sound and look Mexican, but the flavor is all Indian.

For simplicity, we let the grocery store do most of the cooking for you. We start with a rotisserie chicken, the meat from which is tossed with coconut milk, curry powder and finely diced paneer (a type of Indian cheese). Then the mixture gets stuffed inside a flour tortilla with rice and briefly heated in the oven. It also could be done in the microwave.

For condiments, you could go with mango chutney or mango salsa. Either way, a dollop of sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt would be a fine finish. If you have trouble finding paneer, substitute feta or Gouda. Neither is similar to paneer in taste, but either would be delicious in this recipe.

Curried Chicken and Rice Burritos

Start to finish: 30 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 8

21⁄4-pound rotisserie chicken

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces paneer (a firm Indian-style cheese), diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 cups cooked basmati rice

8 large (burrito size) flour tortillas

Mango salsa or mango chutney, to serve

Heat the oven to 400 F. Spritz a large baking dish with cooking spray.

Remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the bones and skin. Chop any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, paneer and onion, tossing to coat. Mix in the rice.

Microwave the tortillas for about 10 seconds to make them more pliable.

One at a time, place each tortilla flat on the counter. Spoon about 3⁄4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla. Fold both ends in, then roll up.

Place each burrito, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. When all of the burritos are assembled, spritz the tops with cooking spray.

Bake the burritos for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with either mango salsa or mango chutney.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 682 calories; 253 calories from fat (37 percent of total calories); 28 g fat (12 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 140 mg cholesterol; 67 g carbohydrate; 42 g protein; 3 g fiber; 1,053 mg sodium.

• Food Editor J.M. Hirsch is author of the new cookbook "High Flavor, Low Labor: Reinventing Weeknight Cooking." He can be e-mailed at jhirsch@ap.org.