Michelle’s Kitchen
Michelle’s Kitchen
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I realize this isn’t an Irish dish by any stretch of the imagination - but I bet it would taste delicious with a cold green beer anyway!
I put this together using some previously cooked Shredded White Meat Chicken and Red Beans. You could substitute Shredded Chicken Thighs for the white meat to make this even more budget-friendly. You could also use Zesty Pinto Beans or even Spicy Smashed White Beans. Really - whatever you have on hand! The filling is a creamy sauce (without cheese) I came up with playing around with a variety of seasonings in my pantry - but now that I know what the end result was - you’ll just need Chili Powder and/or Taco Seasoning. Simple.
You can make this ahead of time and cover it with foil and refrigerate until it’s time to bake it. If your chicken and beans are already cooked - it’s just a matter of making the sauce and assembling - won’t take long at all! It needs a total baking time of 30 - 40 minutes. Eric and I both really enjoyed this meal ... I made 5 small burritos (well, they are sort of burritos anyway) - and I couldn’t even finish one ... they are filling, delicious and INEXPENSIVE to make! Serve them with Chips & Restaurant Style Salsa! A great Leftover Makeover!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Shredded Chicken & Red Bean Burrito Bake
The Ingredient Line Up:
Note - you can use chicken stock in place of the water + chicken bouillon granules. And you can use all Taco Seasoning and/or Chili Powder in place of the Fajita Seasoning and Chili Con Carne Seasoning.
This made 5 burritos - enough to feed 2 very hungry people or 3 people - perhaps even 4 people if you’re serving chips & salsa prior to the meal :) !
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 - 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, depending if needed
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
- 1/4 cup Taco Sauce + more for topping
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Taco Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Fajita Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Chili Con Carne Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder (I used Medium Hot)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup cooked Small Red Beans
- 1 - 2 cups cooked Shredded Chicken
- 5 small flour tortillas
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese for topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a casserole dish (large enough to hold the number of burritos you are making) with non-stick cooking spray.
In a deep sauté pan or Dutch oven, melt the butter and warm 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat. Once melted together, add the onion and cook until softened and almost translucent. Sprinkle in the flour. Stir until it combines into a paste-like consistency, drizzling in more oil if flour is sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, until the raw flour taste has disappeared.
Slowly pour in the heavy cream, stirring to combine. Add the water and chicken bouillon granules (or chicken stock), continuing to stir and cook until a thick white sauce emerges. Pour in the taco sauce, stir. Add the seasonings, stir and add the sour cream and stir again. Add the chicken and stir (again) to combine. Taste and adjust any seasonings to your liking.
To assemble the burritos - lay a tortilla on your work surface - spoon 1/5th of the chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Top it with 1/5th of the red beans. With your hands, fold the tortilla in half (kind of like a taco) and bring the edges together, wrapping them over each other - then flip and lay it seam side down in the baking dish. Because this recipe uses the small tortillas, some of the filling may spill out, it’s ok. Top with taco sauce and shredded cheese.
Spray one side of a piece of aluminum foil (large enough to cover your baking dish) with non-stick spray (so the cheese doesn’t stick to it as it bakes). Cover the baking dish (sprayed side facing the cheese). If making in advance, refrigerate until ready to bake - you may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time depending on how long it’s been refrigerated. If baking right away, place the covered dish into the oven and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes until the filling is slightly bubbling around the edges. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes - or until the cheese has fully melted and the edges of the burritos have turned golden (that’s my favorite part).
Serve with any of your favorite garnishes - AND - Have a great weekend!!