Chicken Burritos

(from Gourmet Today cookbook)

I love this recipe! It’s easy because half the cooking is cut out for you when you buy an already roasted rotisserie chicken. Also, if you worry about burning your food, it’s okay to do in this dish. The more charred the onions and peppers the better!

Ingredients:

1-2 Serrano chilies, stemmed

1 medium white onion, halved

1 (14 to 15 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice

1 garlic clove

½ cup fresh cilantro sprigs

Salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 Tablespoons water

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 (3 pound) rotisserie chicken, meat cut into bite-sized pieces, skin and bones discarded

6 (10 inch) flour tortillas

1 ½ cups coarsely shredding Monterey Jack cheese (about 6 ounces)

1 firm but ripe California avocado, halved, pitted, and cubed

6 Tablespoons sour cream, or to taste

Accompaniment: hot sauce or salsa

Method: 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat a dry 12 inch heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over moderately high heat for 5 minutes. Add whole chilies and 1 onion half, cut side down, and cook, turning chili and pressing on onion occasionally, until skin is charred on all sides and underside of onion is very well charred, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Cut charred onion and chili into quarters (set skillet aside) and transfer to a blender or food processer. Add tomatoes with juice, garlic, cilantro, ¾ teaspoon salt, and pepper and blend until smooth.

Add oil to skillet and heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add tomato puree; bring to a simmer, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine beans, water, cumin, oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt in a 1-quart saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until beans are heated through. Mash beans with a potato masher or large fork. Remove pan from heat and stir in lime juice. Cover to keep warm.

Add chicken to tomato puree and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Finely chop remaining onion half.

Use microwave to melt ¼ cup cheese on each tortilla for about 30 seconds. Transfer tortillas to a work surface and top with one sixth of each filling: about 3 tablespoons beans, 2/3 cup chicken mixture, a rounded tablespoon chopped onion, 2 tablespoons avocado, and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Fold over opposite sides of tortilla to prevent contents from spilling, then fold bottom up and roll away from you. Transfer burrito to an ovenproof platter, seam side down, and keep warm in oven. Assemble 5 more burritos in same manner, transferring to platter in oven.

Serve Burritos with hot sauce or salsa. (serves 6)

Cook’s Notes:

-for less heat, remove seeds from Serrano chilles before pureeing them.

-this is a knife and for affair, but if you prefer handheld burritos, you can wrap them up in foil.