Chicken Wet Burritos

You would not believe how hard it was for me to find a recipe for "wet burritos" on the internet! I was actually pretty shocked because I've seen this item on many a tex-mex menu, so I thought there would be some good recipes out there. I found a few, but they were things like "wet burrito casserole" and uh... NOT what I was looking for.

A wet burrito is much like an enchilada, but instead of being baked in the oven, it's made right on the stove. It's a big burrito with a hot filling that doesn't include cheese, that is drenched with either a tomato or green chili sauce and while it's still hot, topped with cheese and served immediately. It's melty, saucy, and hearty. It's also quicker than making enchiladas because there's no bake time.

So after searching for a recipe for like a half hour, I decided to just make my own version and gift the internet with a recipe of my own. Then maybe one day there will be someone out there like me that really just wants a recipe to tell them how to make this thing and there it will be. I did use Emeril's enchilada sauce recipe as a base, but majorly tweaked it, so really this recipe in its entirety is all mine.

So let me show you how to make this tex-mex treat so you can add this to your week-night dinner choices list because I promise you, these are no more difficult than the taco dinner you make with a kit out of the box.

Start by making the sauce. Heat the olive oil, then add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook for 1 minute on medium heat.


Next stir in the chili powder and cook for another 30 seconds.


Next, add the chicken stock, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, and salt.


Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out.

Add the honey and sour cream and adjust the seasonings if needed.


Keep warm until you're ready to ladle it over your wet burrito.


Next, make the filling. Start by cooking your chicken in a bit of olive oil until cooked through. No need to even season the chicken at this point because it will be seasoned later when it's mixed with the vegetables. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat some more olive oil if needed, then add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Saute for a minute or so, then add most of the tomatoes (reserving some for garnishing the burrito), cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. While that's cooking, quickly chop up the cooked chicken and add it to the pan along with the juice of 1 lime. Cook for a few minutes more and it's done.


Pop the flour tortillas into the microwave for 30 seconds or until they're warm, soft, and easy to bend and work with. Quickly spoon some of the filling into the tortilla, fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll the tortilla enclosing the filling inside.


Do this with the other four tortillas to make four burritos.


Ladle as much sauce over the burritos as you like, then top with some of the shredded cheese immeidately so it can start to melt.


Garnish the burrito with slices of avacado, the rest of the tomatoes, sour cream, and a sprig of cilantro. Serve with a knife and fork.




Chicken Wet Burritos
by Tara



For the sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/8 cup chili powder
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or a bit more depending how thin you want it to be)
6 ounces tomato paste (1 small can)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup sour cream

For the filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts (depending on size)
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 small plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 small lime

4 large (not extra large) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese (or cheese of your choice)

1 avacado, peeled, pitted, and sliced for garnish
sour cream for garnish
sprigs of cilantro for garnish


Make the sauce:
In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken and smooth out. Add the honey and sour cream and adjust the seasonings if needed. Keep warm until you're ready to ladle it over your wet burrito.

Make the filling:
Start by cooking your chicken in a bit of olive oil until cooked through. No need to even season the chicken at this point because it will be seasoned later when it's mixed with the vegetables. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat some more olive oil if needed, then add the onions, bell peppers and garlic. Saute for a minute or so, then add most of the tomatoes (reserving some for garnishing the burrito), cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. While that's cooking, quickly chop up the cooked chicken and add it to the pan along with the juice of 1 lime. Cook for a few minutes more and it's done.

Assemble the burritos:
Pop the flour tortillas into the microwave for 30 seconds or until they're warm, soft, and easy to bend and work with. Quickly spoon some of the filling into the tortilla, fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll the tortilla enclosing the filling inside. Do this with the other four tortillas to make four burritos.

Ladle as much sauce over the burritos as you like, then top with some of the shredded cheese immeidately so it can start to melt.

Garnish the burrito with slices of avacado, the rest of the tomatoes, sour cream, and a sprig of cilantro. Serve with a knife and fork. Makes 4 wet burritos.