These Smothered Burritos are filled with shredded chicken, cheese and spices, baked until crispy, and then smothered in the best homemade green chile sauce.
There’s almost nothing I love more than homemade Mexican food! If you love smothered burritos be sure to try my Pollo Fundido Burrito, Chicken Taquitos, and Mole Enchiladas.
A Smothered Burrito is a burrito that has been covered in sauce and cheese. These green chile burritos are smothered in a creamy green enchilada sauce that you’ll be tempted to eat straight from the pot with a spoon. You could also make these smothered burritos with red enchilada sauce.
What I love about Green Chili Burritos:
- From scratch. They’re made with real, fresh ingredients (no canned enchilada sauce or canned “cream of” soups!) because we should all agree by now that everything tastes better from scratch! 😉
- Restaurant quality. They’re just as good as anything you’d get at your favorite Mexican Restaurant! Serve them with Authentic Mexican Rice, refried beans or charro beans!
- Freezable! I like to double the recipe and serve half for dinner, then freeze the other half for another night.
How to Make Smothered Burritos:
1. Make burrito filling: Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place a heaping ½ cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold the sides of the tortilla in and roll up like a burrito. Place seam-side down on baking sheet.
2. Bake: Brush lightly with olive oil or spray with non stick cooking spray. Bake at 400°F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
3. Make the green chile sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted and bubbling, whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Add cumin, oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in green chilies, cheese and sour cream. Tastes and add more seasonings if needed.
4. Broil smothered burritos: Remove burritos from oven and turn the oven to HIGH broil. Ladle a spoonful of sauce over each burrito and top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Enjoy!
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: The chicken filling and green chile sauce can both be made a day or two in advanced, making dinner prep super easy! Store them separately, covered in the fridge.
To freeze: Make the burrito filling as instructed and roll up in tortillas (either uncooked or regular tortillas). Place in a freezer ziplock bag. Make the sauce but do not add the sour cream. Freeze sauce in a separate container. To bake from frozen place frozen burritos on a lined baking sheet, cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until warmed through and crisp on the outside. Add frozen sauce to a saucepan and warm. Stir in sour cream. Serve over cooked burritos.
Recipe Variations:
- Use cooked or uncooked flour tortillas: If using uncooked flour tortillas you don’t need to cook them first. Just roll the chicken filling in the uncooked tortilla and it will bake perfectly in the oven. I highly recommend the uncooked tortillas but you can also use packaged, ready-to-eat flour tortillas.
- Substitute red enchilada sauce.
- Swap the protein: Feel free to substitute steak carne asada steak, or pork carnitas.
Consider serving these with:
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Recipe
Smothered Green Chile Chicken Burritos
Ingredients
Chicken filling:
- 3 cups cooked chicken , chopped or shredded
- 1 1/2 cups salsa , your favorite kind
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano , crushed
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions , chopped
- 6 large flour tortillas *
- olive oil , for brushing on burritos
Green Chile Sauce:
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano , crushed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
- 4 ounces diced green chilies , mild
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Make the filling: Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place a heaping ½ cup or so of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.
- Fold the sides of the tortilla in and roll up tightly like a burrito. Place seam-side down on baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil or spray with non stick cooking spray.
- Bake at 400°F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Make the sauce: Meanwhile, prepare sauce by melting butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted and bubbling, whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Add cumin, oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in green chilies, cheese and sour cream. Tastes and add more seasonings if needed.
- Broil: Remove burritos from oven and turn the oven to HIGH broil. Ladle a spoonful of sauce over each burrito and top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Serve with Authentic Mexican Rice!
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
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I originally shared this recipe October 2016. Updated October 2020.
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Recently moved to Australia from Texas and was craving some Tex Mex. This hit the mark and some. I did add some paprika and oregano to sauce and had to use diced jalepenos as I couldn’t find jar/tin mild green chilies. Definity adding to rotation and will use for those dinners with friends that are curious as to what we eat in Texas.
Brilliant – I topped them once out of the oven with a Jalepeno & Pineapple Salsa – amazing lift to the dish.
Delicious! My husband said it was on restaurant level. I used your instant pot shredded chicken for the filling
Amazing. Everyone loved it, even my finicky Mother lol. I Will make this anytime I am craving something that tastes like authentic Mexican!!!
Given all the rave reviews, I expected more from this dish. It was just okay, lacking in flavor. I wouldn’t choose to make it again.
Made this per recipe & it was *excellent*!! Using fajita-size flour tortillas, I got 7 burritos which completely filled a 13×9 baking pan. There was some filling left over, so I could’ve gotten 8 but it wouldn’t have fit in the pan. Older son LOVED these, so thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’ve made this three times already and will be making it again this weekend. The sauce is Delicious!
Do you use canned or fresh diced green chilies?
Canned diced green chilies but you can use either!