Green Chile Chicken Burritos

Crispy-edged green chile chicken burritos full of cheesy goodness are an easy-to-assemble mealtime hit, full of green chile flavor.

flour tortilla stacked with chicken burrito toppings

Green Chile Chicken Burritos

Burritos are often served wet or smothered in delicious cheeses and sauces. Some days just beg for a simple, flavorful baked burrito with a bit of lettuce, tomato, and sour cream on top.

I enjoy the contrast of the, baked slightly crispy-edged burrito with the creamy, cheese filling. We like to top these easy chicken burritos with freshly shredded lettuce, tomato, and olives with a dab of sour cream. Fresh salsa or guacamole make wonderful toppings as well.

When making green chile chicken burritos I like to cook my own chicken seasoned with Mexican spices and then shred it and add green chile sauce.

To do this, I place chicken breasts or thighs seasoned with taco seasoning into the crock pot along with some green chile sauce. Cook the chicken for 4-5 hours until the chicken can easily be pulled apart.

When the chicken is done, shred it with a fork or roughly chop it and let it sit in the juices for a few minutes soaking up all that flavor. Add the additional green chile and the drained beans to the crockpot and stir to combine before spooning the filling into the burritos.

To assemble the burritos, fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken mixture, add the cheese, and sprinkle with cilantro. After rolling each burrito, keep the seam sides down and slide them into place on the pan.

If you do all the assembly right on the pan, it helps to avoid it spilling out the ends or unrolling when you transfer it.

Baked Chicken Burritos

To finish these chicken burritos in the oven, pop them into the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown and crispy. Serve them topped with a mixture of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, and any other toppings of your choice.

This recipe is written for 6 servings, but scaling it up is super simple. If you are feeding a crowd just add more chicken and seasoning. Increase the other ingredients as needed.

This recipe is easily adapted to your tastes as well. Nothing needs to be exact or precise with this recipe.

The beauty of this recipe is how very simple it is to make. However, if you would like to make it even easier, this can be made with a store-bought rotisserie chicken too.

You’ll need about 6 cups worth of bite-size chicken chunks. Toss them in a bowl with a bit of taco seasoning and green chile sauce to coat them and you’ll be good to go.

chicken burritos with green chile and black beans

Crispy Chicken Burritos

Ingredients

boneless chicken thighs or breasts
taco seasoning
green chile enchilada sauce
chopped green chile
canned black beans
soft taco size flour tortillas OR burrito size flour tortillas
Mexican blend cheese
fresh cilantro

Optional Toppings

sour cream
sliced olives
chopped lettuce
diced tomatoes
sliced green onions
chopped cilantro

green chile chicken burrito with toppings on blue oval plate

Difference Between Enchilada and Burrito

Burritos, enchiladas, and all things Mexican or southwest inspired and flavored are high on the list of favorites at our house. The filling is often the same but enchiladas often use a small corn tortilla while burritos are made with larger flour tortillas.

My family typically makes layered (casserole style) enchiladas instead of the more traditional rolled version. We eat a LOT of enchiladas and I can prep several pans, with extras to spare for the freezer, in the time it used to take me to roll a single pan.

Tender pulled pork is simmered with Mexican spices for these Pulled Pork Enchiladas. The pork is layered with tortillas and plenty of shredded pepper jack cheese to make this cheesy, saucy, slightly spicy recipe.

Cheese and refried beans meld together to create a flavorful layer in these Cheesy Chicken and Refried Bean Enchiladas.

Creamy refried beans are layered with spicy ground beef, green chile, and plenty of cheese in these Cheesy Beef and Bean Burritos. These burritos have been such a hit with my boys. Spicy red chile sauce meets up with creamy refried beans and plenty of cheese to make these Chicken Burritos

Serve your burritos and enchiladas with Spanish Rice or Chipotle Lime Rice, Elote Dip, and some Pico de Gallo or Cowboy Caviar.

Green Chile Chicken Burritos

Crispy-edged green chile chicken burritos full of cheesy goodness are an easy-to-assemble mealtime hit, full of green chile flavor.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 5 hours

Servings

Calories 613kcal

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
28 ounces green chile enchilada sauce divided
4 ounces chopped green chile about ½ cup
15 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
12 8-inch soft taco size flour tortillas OR (8) 10-inch burrito size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Optional Toppings

sour cream
sliced olives
chopped lettuce
diced tomatoes
sliced green onions
chopped cilantro

Instructions

Place the chicken in a crockpot. Sprinkle generously with taco seasoning and add 1 cup of green chile sauce. Cook on HIGH for about 3 hours or on LOW for 4-5, depending on your slow cooker.
When the chicken is done cooking, pull it apart with a pair of fork or tongs, leaving plenty of bite-size chunks of chicken. Allow it to rest in the unplugged crock-pot for a little while to absorb the remaining liquids. Pour the remaining green chile sauce over the chicken and add the chopped green chile and drained beans. Stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Scoop about ½ cup of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla and sprinkle generously with cheese and cilantro. Roll it up and place it on a baking sheet. Repeat this with the rest of the tortillas, lining them across in the pan.
Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until the burritos are golden brown with crisp edges. Serve with the toppings of your choice.

Notes

The beauty of this recipe is how very simple it is to make. However, if you would like to make it even easier, this can be made with a store-bought rotisserie chicken too. You’ll need about 6 cups worth of bite-size chicken chunks. Toss them in a bowl with a bit of taco seasoning and green chile sauce to coat them and you’ll be good to go.

FREEZER MEAL: The pan of burritos can be covered tightly with foil and frozen. Thaw completely in the refrigerator prior to cooking.