Chicken Burritos with Freshly Made Salsa Verde

I always return to the basics and these Chicken Burritos have been in my kitchen for the past couple weeks. 

You simply can’t beat the flavor of  homemade Salsa Verde — it will turn any dish you make into a keeper!

So feel free to adjust the protein or fillings in these burritos, but please no skimping on the Salsa.  It’s a gamechanger 🙂

How To Make Chicken Burritos with Freshly Made Salsa Verde

I still think the easiest way to roast your tomatillos is to plop them in the oven — it’s easy, hands off, and efficient.

Here’s what this batch looked like after twenty minutes in a 400F oven:

Note that it’s common to boil tomatillos, but I’ve tested that in the past and think the higher temp of the oven gives you superior flavor.  See this post on various ways to roast your tomatillos. 

Once you’ve got your tomatillos roasted, plop them in the blender with the other ingredients:

1/2 small onion
1 garlic clove
1 serrano (or less for a milder version)
10-12 sprigs cilantro

Yes, feel free to use jalapeno if that’s what you have available as it will work just as well. 

And as usual, if it’s been awhile since you’ve made Salsa Verde it’s usually best to add the heat incrementally.  Chop the serrano/jalapeno in half, or quarters, and add a sliver at a time.  Blend, taste test, and keep adding more until the heat tastes right to you.  

Have I mentioned that homemade Salsa Verde is a gamechanger?

It really is and I get tons of mileage from it — please give it a go if you’re new to it!

Once you’ve got the Salsa Verde on hand the rest of the ingredients are flexible.  For this batch I coated some chicken in chile powder and cooked it off with some onion, made a quick batch of white rice, and chopped up a bowl of Easy Guacamole.  I’ll put directions for these in the recipe box below if you want to add them to your epic burritos. 

So in the above pic I’m using:

rice
chicken
Salsa Verde
guacamole
cheese (it’s under the rice!)

Loaded up in a flour tortilla that’s been slightly warmed up so that it’s easier to roll. 

And please don’t forget that final step of crisping up your burrito in a skillet over mediumish heat.  This makes a huge difference as it will melt the cheese and enhance the flavor of the tortilla. 

Yum!

And yes, you’re welcome to add a spoonful of Salsa Verde to each bite if you want to. 

These are simple, easy meals to make and I always come back to them.  Always!

Because when you make the Salsa Verde from scratch you get a massive upgrade in flavor compared to jarred Salsa.  Or takeout options.  Or restaurants.

Enjoy 🙂

Chicken Burritos with Freshly Made Salsa Verde

Homemade Salsa Verde is a gamechanger! Especially in burritos 🙂

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 3

Calories: 674kcal

Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

• 1 cooked chicken breast
• 1 cup shredded cheese (I used Jack)
• 2-3 cups cooked white rice
• 3-4 burrito-sized flour tortillas

For the Easy Guacamole:

• 1 avocado
• 1 lime
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)

For the Salsa Verde:

• 4-5 medium sized tomatillos
• 1 serrano (or jalapeno)
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 10-12 sprigs cilantro

Instructions

• Start by husking and rinsing the tomatillos. I usually de-stem them as well knowing that any juices leftover in the roasting pan will go in the blender too. Add the tomatillos to a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes.

• If you want to make rice from scratch for your burritos, start with a single cup of uncooked white rice. Add the rice to a saucepan along with a glug of oil. Let the rice cook over medium heat until it’s turning opaque and light brown in color, stirring occasionally. Add 1.5 cups water (or stock) along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat and let sit covered for a few minutes.

• I cooked a single chicken breast for this batch using this simple chicken recipe. Basically you are just seasoning a chopped chicken breast with chile powder and cooking it off with some onion. It’s a great all purpose technique for tacos, burritos, tostadas, etc. — but feel free to cook the chicken as you see fit.

• Add the roasted tomatillos to a blender along with the remaining Salsa Verde ingredients: 1/2 small onion, 1 rinsed and de-stemmed serrano (or jalapeno), 1 peeled garlic clove, and 10-12 sprigs rinsed cilantro. I usually twist off and discard the bottom, thicker portion of the cilantro stems but use the upper stems that hold the leaves together. And keep in mind that you can always start with 1/2 or 1/4 of the serrano if you want a milder batch. After blending and taste testing, simply add additional slivers of serrano if you want to increase the heat. Combine well.

• For the Easy Guacamole, finely chop 2-3 tablespoons of onion. Use the back of a fork to smoosh the onion until it turns translucent. Add onion to a bowl along with the avocado flesh, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the juice of a half lime. Mush and mix well. Taste for salt level, adding more if necessary.

• For this batch I chopped up some thin slices of Jack cheese.

• To build the burritos I usually start by warming up the tortilla in a skillet over medium heat, this makes them easier to roll. Each burrito gets cooked white rice, cheese, cooked chicken pieces, guacamole, and plenty of Salsa Verde! Roll tight. Cook your rolled burritos in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side — this will crisp them up and melt the cheese. 

• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

I usually get three loaded burritos from this recipe.

Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease