Authentic Charro Beans Recipe [+Video]

Discover the traditional flavors of Mexico with this authentic charro beans recipe. Made with slow-cooked pinto beans, bacon, and a blend of flavorful spices, this hearty dish is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

I’ve never eaten so many beans in all my life! Testing and developing this recipe has filled my freezer with more beans that my family will eat in our lifetime😂. But I had to figure out the best charro beans recipe!

I’ve tried them with chorizo, without, with ham, without ham, spicy, way too mild and bland. And finally I’ve come up with what I believe are the best charro beans with fantastic flavor and best of all, the perfect method. The bay leaves are essentially though I could never describe the flavor they lend to the beans. Without the bay leaves it was a flatter dish. I also tested dried beans vs canned beans and have a whole section below on what I found there.

What are Charro Beans?

Charro beans or frijoles charros (cowboy beans) are a savory Mexican side dish consisting of pinto beans slowly cooked with different meats (ham, chorizo and bacon) in a rich flavorful broth with peppers, onions and tomatoes.

Ingredients for Charro Beans

You have the option in this recipe to use dried or canned pinto beans. The recipe card lists all the ingredients for the dried beans version so there are a few more ingredients since you need to cook the dried beans before making the charro beans. Here is everything you will need:

• Dried Pinto Beans: see section below for using canned beans
• Yellow Onion: a white onion would work great too
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Bay Leaves: adds flavor
• Kosher Salt: adds flavor
• Dried Mexican Oregano: an absolute must! It can be found at most grocery stores – Walmart, Kroger, Harmon’s etc.
• Water: needed to soften and cook the beans

For the Charro Beans

• Meat: Bacon, Ham and Chorizo
• Yellow Onion: a white onion also works
• Jalapeño: adds flavor and little bit of heat
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Better Than Bouillon: adds flavor, can be substitute with water and a bouillon cube
• Roma Tomatoes: You could also used canned diced tomatoes if needed.
• Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce: You will find this in the Hispanic food section is in a can. Our favorite brand is La Costeña.
• Smoked Paprika: adds smoky rich flavor
• Ground Cumin: adds the signature Mexican food flavor
• Kosher Salt: adds flavor
• Fresh Cilantro: adds a pop of freshness that balances everything out

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below. Keep scrolling for all the details.

Dried vs Canned Beans

The most authentic recipes use dried beans, but I have to tell you, I prefer canned. The

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl is a quick and easy dinner recipe the whole family loves. A bright cilantro lime rice with flavorful Tex-Mex chicken, beans and lots of gooey cheese!

When we’re short on time and ingredients, this is a go-to meal at our house, and yes, you can totally swap any meats, beans or add-ins that you’d like! It’s like making a delicious Chipotle burrito bowl in the comfort of your own kitchen!

I’m finding that the older my kids get the more I desperately need quick and easy dinner ideas as we pretty much live a life of errands lately. It’s soccer, piano, clothes shopping because heaven forbid anyone stay the same size for more than a month and on and on. Anyone feel me?

Ingredients for Chicken Burrito Bowls

• Chicken Breasts: You want boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then chop them into bite-size chunks
• Oil: used to sauté the chicken
• Seasonings: Cumin, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt and Chili Powder
• White Rice: just simple long-grain white rice works great
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Chicken Broth: cooks the rice and adds more flavor
• Green Chiles: adds flavor
• Cilantro: adds bright herby freshness and flavor
• Lime: You’ll want to use the zest and juice for maximum flavor.
• Pinto Beans: Keep it simple by using canned beans. Swap for black beans if desired.
• Colby Jack Cheese: You can’t have a burrito bowl without the melty cheese! Colby jack is our favorite, but you can also go with Monterey jack or pepper jack.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below. Once you serve up the chicken and rice, top with all your favorite burrito toppings. See section below for ideas.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowls

• Step 1: Chicken

Start by seasoning your chicken (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder) and then cook it in a little olive oil in your Instant Pot in “sauté mode”. You won’t need to cook it long, just enough to get a little sear on the outside, about 3 minutes.

• Step 2: Everything Else

Add the rice and garlic and stir it with the chicken for about 20-30 seconds. Then you add the rest of the ingredients (broth, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and pinto beans) and change your Instant Pot to “high pressure”. Give everything a good stir and place the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the valve to “seal” and cook for 7 minutes.

3 Secrets for Authentic Homemade Flour Tortillas [+Video]

Homemade flour tortillas are easier to make than you think! We have 3 simple secrets that will have you cranking out the most deliciously soft and tender tortillas.

“These are incredible! I have tried for years to make tortillas and they have never turned out better than the store bought ones you cook at home. I followed the recipe exactly and I couldn’t be happier with the end result. Trust me, this recipe is the only one you will ever need for soft, pliable and delicious tortillas.”

-OSB Reader

Easy Tortilla Recipe

My friend, Shelly, grew up in Mexico and when I heard that she makes the best tortillas I just had to try her recipe. I’d been testing off and on for years and finally decided that homemade tortillas were just not my fave. I loved the uncooked tortillas you get at Costco and had totally given up.

But now that I’ve tried these, I’ll be whipping up tortillas homemade from now on! Well, I’ll probably keep a pack of the uncooked tortillas from Costco on hand for dinner in a hurry, but homemade flour tortillas are SO MUCH BETTER!

These tortillas are perfect for tacos, burritos, fajitas, and of course, quesadillas! The first thing you are going to want to do once you’ve cooked these tortillas is to make yourself a quesadilla full of gooey melted cheese. I know, you’re not 9 years old, but trust me on this, you’ll never want a classic quesadilla more. Check out our quesadilla post if you find yourself in this boat.

If you want a real treat, take one of these tortillas hot off the griddle and spread some butter all over it. Roll it up and devour that baby! Yummmm, I’m totally craving a butter roll-up now!

Flour Tortilla Ingredients

One of my favorite things about this flour tortilla recipe is that they use normal pantry ingredients. Just 5 simple ingredients is all you are going to need!

• bread flour
• baking powder
• salt
• oil
• water

That’s it! Can you believe it?! Nothing fancy, just the basics! Now let’s jump in to how to make them…

How to Make Homemade Tortillas

Start by adding the flour (see secret #1 below), salt, baking powder and oil (see secret #2 below) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the dough hook attachment and turn the speed to low. The mixture will slowly come together. When it looks like slightly wet sand that holds together when you squeeze it, you know that you have the right consistency.

Now it is t

Chicken Chile Verde

Tender, juicy chunks of chicken simmered in a bold chile verde sauce. Serve it over rice or load it up in a burrito! It’s so flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious!

I love this even more than our pork chile verde which means I must be going crazy! Usually I’m all about a bunch of tender, shredded pork but there’s just something so good about this chicken dinner recipe that calls my name! I especially love it with rice and beans but my family is starting to prefer it in a freshly made tortilla from our most recent cookbook, Raised in the Kitchen.

Whichever way you eat it, you’re going to devour this yummy Mexican chicken dinner.

What is Chile Verde?

The term “chile verde” translate to “green chile” or “green chili” and is a Mexican stew that is traditionally made with chunks of pork that is simmered until tender in a roasted tomatillo and green chile sauce. For this recipe we are swapping out the pork for chicken.

We have a salsa verde recipe on the blog that is inspired by this same flavor profile. It is so yummmmmmmm!

The Ingredients You Need for Chicken Chili Verde Recipe

I’m going to break up the recipe ingredients into two parts – ingredients for the verde sauce and ingredients for the chicken. Here is your shopping list:

For the Verde

• Vegetable Oil – used to roast the veggies
• Tomatillos – those green tomato looking things in the produce section that have a papery layer on the outside. They are used a lot in Mexican recipes and are so tasty!
• Poblano Chiles – large, mild peppers popular in Mexican cuisine
• Red Onion – these get blended into the sauce and add so much flavor
• Garlic Cloves – flavor of course
• Jalapeño – roasted jalapeño adds heat and tons of flavor to the sauce
• Pepper – flavor
• Cilantro – freshness and flavor

For the Chicken

• Chicken Thighs – boneless, skinless and cut into bite size chunks
• Kosher Salt – helps dry brine the chicken
• Bacon – flavor
• Chicken Broth – helps deglaze the pan after cooking the bacon and adds moisture to the chicken
• Dried Oregano – flavor
• Cinnamon – may seem strange in a savory dish, but trust me!
• Cumin  – it has to be in pretty much all Mexican dishes
• Ground Cloves – again, trust me here!
• Sugar – enhances the flavor
• Bay Leaves – flavor
• Orange Juice – acidity and tenderizing the chicken
Read more

Chicken Birria Taco Recipe

If you’re craving a delicious Mexican dinner, this chicken birria taco recipe is exactly what you need. With savory shredded chicken and a crispy cheesy shell, they’re hard to resist and so easy!

So the kids and I did a little thing. I was making our totally viral cafe rio copycat for sweet pork tacos and accidentally made too much sauce. I poured it into a ziploc and threw it in the freezer for another day. A couple of weeks later I snagged one of those handy packages of pulled rotisserie chicken from Costco and the light went on… birria chicken tacos. The rest is history.

The chicken already is moist and flavorful thanks to the slow roasting, but then throw on some seasoning and pan cook it so you’ve got a few crispy pieces, smother everything in sauce and it’s hands down some of the best chicken you’ll ever put in a taco.

But like all Birria tacos, this tortilla should be cooked in a little oil and sauce, stuffed with meat (cheese if you’re awesome) and then dipped in a little extra sauce or sprinkled with pico de gallo for the ultimate chicken taco experience.

Recommended Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Tongs

Before You Begin…

You’ll want to have two things ready before you get too far into this recipe. First, have your chicken ready. I love to buy the packages of pre-shredded rotisserie chicken at Costco. If you want to save a bit of money, buy a whole rotisserie chicken and break it down yourself saving the breast and thigh meat. Shred it using two forks or toss it into your stand mixer and use the paddle attachment to break up the chicken.

Second, make the sweet sauce from our sweet pork recipe mentioned above. It only takes a few ingredients and is so tasty!

What is Birria?

Birria is a rich stew originating in Jalisco, Mexico that simmers on the stove all day and is so tasty. It typically made with goat or lamb and has a flavorful rich broth (or consommé). It is eaten like a soup, and no tacos are involved at all. Haha! People find that sort of shocking since birria tacos have been taking the world by storm the last few years.

What are Birria Tacos?

Some genius somewhere decided to take the tender, juicy meat from the birria and stuff it into a taco and then use the consommé as a dipping sauce for the taco. And the birria taco was born!! The corn tortillas are fried in a little oil and some of the saucy broth to create the tastiest tacos ever.

So in its most basic definition, a birria taco (also called quesabirria taco) is a braised juicy meat stuffed inside a corn tortilla (along with some cheese if you’re smart) th