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 plate with a smothered burrito and Mexican rice on it.

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.

Two process photos for making chicken filling for smothered burritos and adding some to a flour tortilla.

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.

Burritos on a baking sheet, then sauce poured on top to make smothered burritos.

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.

Three burritos on a baking tray smothered in green chile sauce and topped with cheese and green onion.

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

A plate with a smothered burrito and Mexican rice on it.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 50 minutes
Save Recipe

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 leaves , 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:

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.

Notes

Tortillas: I prefer to use uncooked flour tortillas, but regular flour tortillas work as well. 
Make ahead Instructions: 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. 
Freezing Instructions:  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.

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 32gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 973mgPotassium: 550mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 891IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 326mgIron: 3mg

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I originally shared this recipe October 2016. Updated October 2020.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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  1. 5 stars
    Made this tonight for dinner and we all loved it . Gonna make this again for sure. Already added to my Favorites. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us .

  2. I’d like to know what tortillas you used in this because I can’t find any tortillas that are under 30 g of carbs and this recipe state it’s only 26 g of carbs with the tortillas.

    1. Mission offers low-carb tortilla varieties that contain nearly half the carbohydrates compared to traditional tortillas. The nutritional information provided in our post is a general guideline, as the carb content can vary significantly between different brands. Hope you love the burritos!

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