Burrito

The trick to making a burrito that doesn’t fall apart or tear when rolling up is using the right tortillas. This recipe uses large, thin flour tortillas that are warmed up and then seared closed and wrapped in foil. The filling is a chicken, chorizo and black bean mixture.

Ingredients

Chicken marinade:

• 4 chicken breasts or thighs

• 2 dried ancho chillis, deseeded

• 1 dried guajillo chilli, deseeded

• 1 cascabel chilli, deseeded

• 1 chipotle chilli, deseeded

• Half an onion, roughly diced

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 tablesoon soy sauce

• 3 anchovy fillets

• Juice of 1 lime

• Garlic oil (or any other oil of choice)

Chorizo and black bean mix:

• 1 ring of chorizo

• 1 finely sliced onion

• 2 cans of black beans (or 1 large can), drained

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 200ml chicken stock

• Large pat of butter

Tortillas:

• 4 flour tortillas (30cm diameter minimum)

• Grated cheddar

• Guacomole (optional)

• Salsa (optional)

• Sour cream or mayo (optional)

Directions

Marinating the chicken:

1. Add the chicken to a container and salt. Place the cumin and coriander seeds in a pan and toast lightly until fragrant but not smoking. Remove from the pan and add to a mortar and pestle. Grind until there are no coarse lumps.

2. Tear the deseeded chillis into small chunks and place in the same frying pan. Toast until fragrant but not smoking. Remove from the heat and let the pan cool slightly, then add a small amount of water in order to rehydrate the chillis.

3. Add the chillis and a small amount of the water into a blender. Add the ground spices, paprika, oregano, soy sauce, anchovies, lime juice, onion, garlic and garlic oil into the blender. Process until a smooth paste forms. Add some water if neccessary, but do not add too much otherwise the marinade will become too saucy and not suitable for a burrito. 

4. Pour the sauce over the chicken and leave to marinate for few hours or overnight. 

Cooking the chicken:

5. Shake off any excess sauce from the chicken and place in an oiled frying pan over medium heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until browned (about 4 minutes each side). 

6. Add back the desired amount of marinade to the pan (depending on how saucy you want the chicken mix to be) and finish off the cooking in a medium heated oven. Cook the chicken until it registers 70°C internally, then take out of the oven and shred. The chicken can then optionally be placed under a grill to crisp up. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Cooking the chorizo and black bean mix:

7. Add chopped chorizo to the same pan that the chicken was cooked in and cook for a few minutes until some of the fat has rendered out. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few more minutes.

8. Add the drained black beans and chicken stock, and simmer the mixture until the stock has reduced slightly. Add a large pad of butter and combine until it emulsifies and the mixture stiffens up slightly. 

9. Remove from the heat and add some chopped coriander and the juice of 1 lime.

Assembling the burrito:

10. Wipe down the pan and lightly warm the tortillas on both sides. Clear a space on the worktop and set the tortilla down. 

11. Add a layer of the chicken mix, a layer of the chorizo and bean mix, some grated cheese and any toppings within 1 half of the tortilla. Form a V with your hands to tuck everything in and make the initial fold, then use pinkies to fold the tuck everything in further and continue rolling. 

12. Sear the seam of the wrap on the frying pan. Wrap in foil or parchment paper to serve.