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This easy Smothered Burrito recipe has burritos stuffed with seasoned chicken and cheese and baked until golden and crispy, then topped with a homemade creamy green chile sauce. They are ready in under an hour and are everyone's favorite!
These Smothered Burritos deserve their own fan club.
These Smothered Burritos deserve their own fan club.This is the kind of recipe that makes you feel like a rockstar in the kitchen, even though they're actually super simple to pull together! The chicken filling is so flavorful and the creamy green chile sauce is amazing. They taste like we ordered takeout from our favorite Mexican restaurant. The best part is you can prep them ahead of time, for nights when life gets crazy, and they make a great freezer meal; just double the smothered burrito recipe and serve half for dinner and freeze the other half for another day.
Don't miss my other Mexican recipes, like Baked Tacos, Chicken and Rice Enchiladas, Birria Tacos, Tamale Pie, or Pozole!
How to make Smothered Burritos:
Make Filling: In a mixing bowl, combine filling ingredients then scoop ½ cup of the chicken mixture in the center of the tortilla. Fold the sides of the tortilla in and roll it up like a burrito. Place it seam-side down on a baking sheet then repeat with the rest of the filling and tortillas.
Bake: Brush each burrito with olive oil then bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy.
Make Green Chile Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt butter then whisk in flour to create a roux. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds then gradually whisk in chicken broth, cumin, oregano, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until thickened then take it off heat and stir in green chiles, cheese, and sour cream. Taste and add more seasonings if needed.
Broil and Serve: Take the burritos out of the oven and spoon some sauce over each burrito then top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese. Broil for a few minutes until cheese has melted then enjoy! I love serving this green chile burrito recipe with a side of Mexican rice. To make it a feast, add Horchata and Coconut Tres Leches Cake!
Smothered Burrito Recipe with Green Chile Sauce
Ingredients
Burrito 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.3 cups cooked chicken, 1 ½ cups salsa, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, ½ teaspoon Dried oregano, 1 ¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese, 2 green onions, 6 large flour tortillas*
- 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.3 Tablespoons butter, 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 clove garlic, 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon Dried oregano, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 4 ounces diced green chilies, ½ cup sour cream
- 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.⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Serve with Authentic Mexican Rice!
Notes
- Substitute red enchilada sauce.
- Swap the protein: Feel free to substitute steak carne asada steak, or pork carnitas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe October 2016. Updated October 2020 and December 2025.
Excellent recipe for leftover turkey! This is a keeper- thank you!
Delicious my family loved the burritos!
These were good and my family liked them, but they are basically enchiladas lol. I also added some tomatillo salsa verde to the mix that goes over the top, half cheddar and half jack cheese and half the burritos I subbed with the tomatillo verde salsa instead of the red salsa. They are over the top with the tomatillo salsa!
Absolutely delicious! I just made this for tonight’s dinner and we loved it. I made no changes, no substitutes, no omissions. I immediately moved the recipe from my Pinterest “Recipes to try” file to “Successful recipes”.
I made this exactly as the recipe stated and they were phenomenal
!!! Thank you so much.
These were great! Cooked up a huge chicken breast in the instant pot with a little Mexican seasonings, then used that broth for the sauce… had roasted some Hatch chilis earlier in the week so peeled and chopped those for the peppers…simple and delicious recipe! Loved the technique!
I have made these a few times, and they are fantastic!
I can’t use sour cream because, the cheese has lactose. I can’t consume two ingredients with lactose – I’d be in agony for a couple days . Also, I used Monterey Jack (super melty).
I added a 1/2c LF whole milk and cornstarch slurry. I know it’s a deviation from your recipe, but the flavor/consistency were still spot on. Plus, I LOVE baking the burritos first, to get the crispy tortilla. They held the crisp, even after adding the dreamy sauce.
I know I can count on your recipes. I’ve never been disappointed. Usually, the first time I make something of yours, I end up slapping the table as I exclaim…whoa, this is hella amazing.
Oh my gosh. My 11yo nephew wanted his usual chicken enchiladas for his birthday. I made these instead. He ate 2 of them and only stopped there because of cake and ice cream. The only thing I did different is 3 cups of stock and a can of green Chile enchilada sauce. Absolutely fabulous. 5 stars is all the stars it will let me give. But it deserves more stars.
I just wanted to read the reviews.
SO GOOD!!! My husband is trying to cut out cheese and salt, so kept it to a minimum, but it still turned out SO GOOD!!! Much healthier than going out. Thank you for the excellent recipe.