burritos – First Look, Then Cook

burritos

In Colorado when you go to a Mexican restaurant, they ask you if you want Green, Red or Christmas. They are talking about the chile sauce that smothers the burritos. I adapted this recipe from the Chicken Burritos Grande recipe in Gourmet and put a green chile sauce on top. With the red chile sauce oozing out of the burritos mixing with the green chile sauce on top – it was a perfect christmas combo.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1 medium onion chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 large (burrito-size) flour tortillas
4 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese blend, divided
1 14-oz can green chile enchilada sauce

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and toss just until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to bowl. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until they soften, about 4 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, and chipotle powder, stir 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; stir 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer sauce until slightly thickened and flavors blend, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Coarsely shred chicken and add to sauce. Simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Stir cilantro into filling. Place tortillas in the oven for 5 minutes wrapped in foil to soften. Place 1 tortillas on work surface. Now the next section all depends on how big your tortillas are… Sprinkle some grated cheese down the center of tortilla, leaving a 2-inch plain border at the top and bottom. Add filling (maybe 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup). Fold over into a burrito and transfer to a large baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

Pour the enchilada sauce over the burritos, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered until heated through and cheese melts, around 15 minutes.

Now…if you were like me and used smaller tortillas, then you will have a lot of filling left over. So, for leftovers the next night – cook some rice, put it in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish, put the filling on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Put in a 350F oven until the cheese is melted, and the filling is nice and warm.