Perfect Chicken Burritos At Home

Definitely better than Chipotle.

Prep
30 min
Cook
1 hour
Total
1 hr 30 min
Serves
6
people
Perfect Chicken Burritos At Home
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Ingredients

Flour Tortillas: 

  • 2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp (4g) fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp (2g) baking powder
  • ¾ cup (180mL) warm water, about 90°F (32°C)
  • ¼ cup (60mL) vegetable oil

Beans

  • 4 oz (113g) smoked bacon, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • ½ white onion, finely diced *see notes*
  • 1-2 jalapeños thinly sliced (depending on spice preference)
  • 2-15.5 oz (439g) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup (60mL) chicken stock, or water

Chicken

  • 7 oz (198g) can chipotle peppers in adobo
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 Tbsp (60mL) lime juice
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil (canola, avocado, etc.), plus more for cooking
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 2 lbs (908g), cut into ½” (1.3cm) chunks

Rice

  • 1.5 cups (300g) basmati rice, rinsed and drained
  • 1.5 cups (360mL) water 
  • 1.5 tsp (5g) kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp (14g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • ½ tsp (1g) lime zest
  • 1 Tbsp (15mL) lime juice
  • 3 Tbsp (6g) fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Guacamole

  • 3 large whole avocados, pitted, peeled, and roughly chopped
  • 1-2 limes, juiced to taste
  • 3 Tbsp (30g) white onion, finely diced *see notes*
  • 2 Tbsp (4g) fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Flour Tortillas:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.  While continuously mixing with a fork, gently stream in the warm water, immediately followed by vegetable oil. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer to your work surface and knead by hand until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest 1-2 hours.
  2. Divide the dough into six even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Generously flour your work surface, then use a rolling pin to stretch each ball out to 12” (30 cm) in diameter. The tortillas should be no more than ⅛” (.3 cm) thick.
  3. Heat a large comal, or a 12” cast iron pan, over medium-high heat. Once ripping hot, add in a tortilla and cook for 15-30 seconds. Flip, cook for an additional 15 seconds, and repeat with the rest. Place on a plate covered with towels to keep warm until ready to use.

Beans:

  1. In a cold medium-sized sauce pot, add your bacon and set the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the bacon has fully rendered its fat and is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. 
  2. Add in your garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Season with a pinch of salt to draw out some moisture. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add your pinto beans and chicken stock. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until about half of the liquid is evaporated. Taste and adjust with salt as needed.

Chicken:

  1. In a food processor or blender, add your chipotle peppers, garlic, lime juice, and salt. Blend on high until as smooth as possible, then while blending, stream in the oil and continue blending until emulsified. Taste your marinade and add additional salt if needed. This needs to be quite salty in order to properly season your chicken.
  2. To a medium mixing bowl, add your chicken and massage in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour, ideally overnight.
  3. Preheat your oven to 375°F (191°C). Once marinated, heat a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot and nearly smoking, add in your chicken in one layer without the meat touching each other. Work in batches if necessary. Cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes, or until nicely browned with a touch of char. Flip, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat with all of your chicken then transfer to a sheet tray (or leave in the pan if it is oven safe) and place in your preheated oven. Cook until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) when a probe is inserted in the thickest part of the chicken, about 5-10 minutes.
  4. Cut your chicken into small bite-sized pieces, cover with foil, and keep warm until ready to serve.

Rice

  1. Place your rice and water in a rice cooker then cook according to manufacturers instructions. If you do not have a rice cooker, simply use a medium-sized pot on the stove. Combine the rice with double the amount of specified water, bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook undisturbed until the water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Cut the heat and let it rest for 3-5 minutes. 
  2. Once your rice is cooked, transfer to a large mixing bowl and fluff with a fork. Add in your butter, lime juice, and salt. Gently fold together until incorporated and keep warm. Once ready to serve, fold in your freshly chopped cilantro.

Guacamole:

  1. Smash your avocado in a bowl using a fork until mostly smooth with a few chunks. Add your lime juice, onion, cilantro and salt to taste. Mix together until thoroughly incorporated. 

Assembly

  1. In the lower ⅓ of your tortilla, pile up however much rice, chicken, beans, and guacamole you want. To wrap, first fold the left and right sides in to cover the edges of your filling. Then take the bottom of the tortilla and carefully fold it up and over your fillings. Keeping the sides tucked in, roll it into a cylinder until your burrito is fully wrapped. Optionally, you can heat a medium skillet over medium heat and seal the burrito for about 1 minute per side. Wrap in foil and rest for a couple minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

  • Use half of the onion for the beans and the other half for the guacamole.