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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!
Call it whatever you want; looks yummy! Thanks, Lauren!
Made a half recipe. It’s a keeper. Thanks!
I am from El Paso Tx. I am a snob when it comes to authentic Mexican food also! Tex Mex is not the same thing! We used to have flat red enchiladas and my mom loved an over easy fried egg on top! Now my husband loves it too! The burritos, we either fried or baked them and called them Chimichangas! I am a sucker for cheese enchiladas and good rive! Thanks for the great recipes!
I made this for dinner tonight and my family loved it! It had a lot flavor and the chilies were not overpowering!
Can I use arrowroot instead of flour since I’m gluten-free? I use brown rice flour tortillas in place of regular flour ones.
I bet that would work just fine! Enjoy!
Do these get soggy? My husband is really weird about textures, thinking corn tortillas may be a better option if they are?
They bake crispy in the oven, and I pour the sauce over just before we eat them so they don’t get soggy.
My boyfriend, who grew up in New Mexico and is also a “snob” for authentic Mexican food, raves about these! So good and yes, the fresh tortillas make all the difference!
Soooo tasty and simple to make.. in my opinion better than most restaurants! So nice to have a great home made sauce with no MSG. My whole family enjoyed them as we all love Mexican food and they will definitely be added into the regular dinner rotation..??
Made them, loved them. Family loved them. Keeper recipe for sure. Sauce was amazing. Thank you.
When you “smother” it, it goes from being a burrito to being an enchilada or some type of casserole. Burritos are held in your hands and eaten, not using a fork, spoon, or plate.
Minerva,
I grew up in San Diego and have been eating Mexican food all my life, on both sides of the border. Your right a burrito is usually hand held, except a smothered burrito, that’s what these are as indicated in the title of this recipe. Those are covered in sauce and cheese, sometimes referred to as a drippy burrito. or wet burrito.
Wet burrito where I am from 👍
Burritos are made with flour tortillas enchiladas are made with corn tortillas This is a wet burrito.