I stole this recipe for Burritos with Chicken and Rice from a cookbook called Mexican: healthy ways with a favorite cuisine. This cookbook was bought off a bargain sale table at Border’s before they closed. A lot of great recipes are in this book and it has a lot of good cooking tips for cooking Mexican food. These burritos are filled with chicken and rice and can compete with any restaurant burrito. Making these burritos at home lets you adjust the flavors and heat level to your liking. Mexican Corn Pudding pairs great with these burritos.
Did you know? Burrito is Spanish for “little donkey.” It is defined as a tortilla that is wrapped around beef, chicken or pork and served with taco sauce.² (see more trivia in the Trivia tab)
Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ½ cup long grain rice and cook for 8 minutes. Drain; rinse and then drain again. Set aside.
In a skillet on medium heat cook 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts sprinkled with taco seasoning. (If needed you can cut the chicken smaller so the sizes match up better)
Shred the chicken after cooking and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Add 1 chopped onion, with ½ tsp ground ground cloves and 1 tsp dried oregano and fry for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the cooked rice and 7 oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice and cook over low heat until all the tomato juice has been absorbed.
add the chicken to the rice mixture. I also add a can of fat free refried beans at this time.
add 1 ¼ cups grated Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese
Mix to combine, set aside. Warm tortillas one a time in the microwave for 15 seconds. Spoon one-eighth of the filling into the center of a tortilla
fold in both sides. Fold the bottom up and the top down to form a parcel. Toast the burritos seam side up in a dry skillet over medium to low heat for 30 – 45 seconds
to get a char mark on the tortilla.
Then I place the burritos seam side down on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with additional cheese and keep warm in a 250 F oven until cheese melts.
Burritos with Chicken and Rice
Homemade burritos filled with shredded chicken, rice, tomatoes, beans and cheese. Toasted and topped with melted cheese. Can easily adjust heat level from mild to hot.
Ingredients
- ½ cup long grain rice
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion , chopped
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp dried or fresh oregano
- 7 oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
- 2 skinless , boneless chicken breasts
- 1 ¼ cups grated Monterey Jack or mild Cheddar cheese
- 4 tbsp sour cream (optional)
- 8 8-10 inch fresh flour tortillas
- Salt
- Fresh oregano , to garnish (optional)
Instructions
-
Bring saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 8 minutes. Drain; rinse and then drain again.
-
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, with the ground cloves and oregano and fry for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice and tomatoes and cook over low heat until all the tomato juice has been absorbed. Set the pan aside.
-
Put the chicken breasts in a large saucepan, pour in enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Lift the chicken out of the pan, put on a plate and cool slightly.
-
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Shred the chicken by pulling the flesh apart with two forks, and then add the chicken to the rice mixture, with the grated cheese. Stir in the sour cream, if using.
-
Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and place them on a plate. Stand the plate over boiling water for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, wrap in microwave-safe plastic wrap and heat in a microwave on full power for 1 minute.
-
Spoon one-eighth of the filling into the center of a tortilla and fold in both sides. Fold the bottom up and the top down to form a parcel. Secure with a toothpick.
-
Put the filled burritos in a shallow dish or casserole, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven while you make seven more. Remove the toothpicks before serving, sprinkle with fresh oregano.
Recipe Notes
I cook the chicken in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle some taco seasoning on the chicken while it cooks. After finishing cooking, shred chicken then continue with the recipe.
When filling the burritos I add fat free refried beans. Microwave the store bought tortillas, one at a time in the microwave on HIGH for 15 seconds, then add filling and fold. If the burritos are placed seam side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet, no toothpicks are needed. Repeat with next tortilla, warming for 15 seconds and continuing.
After all of the burritos are assembled, I toast the burritos seam side up in a dry skillet over medium to low heat for 30 – 45 seconds to get a char mark on the tortilla. Then I place the burritos seam side down on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with cheese and keep warm in a 250 F oven until cheese melts. You can make this a higher level of heat by using a HOT salsa instead of the canned tomatoes, and using a cheese that had jalapeno in it. Or you can serve a HOT salsa on the side.