This recipe gives you a very basic burrito to build on. Feel free to add fresh corn, sautéed mushrooms, cooked greens, onions, or whatever you like in your burritos! Your favorite salsa and hot sauce are also perfect additions, of course. Total cooking time: about 6 hours, largely unattended.

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Slow-cooked Pulled Chicken Burritos

  • Author: Chuck Smith

Ingredients

Scale
  • Ingredients:
  • 1 Tbs vegetable oil
  • 3 lbs boneless chicken breast
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup cola at room temperature
  • 3 cups orange juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 Tbs dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 3 Tbs butter
  • 3 Tbs flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sour cream
  • cilantro
  • 1 cup rice, cooked
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • large tortillas

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season the chicken on both sides with some salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until browned on all sides, then transfer to a slow cooker.
  2. Don’t clean the skillet yet! Add the garlic and diced tomatoes (undrained) and stir them around to collect the browned bits. Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker.
  3. Add the cola, juice, all spices, and vinegar to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high until it starts to simmer. Turn down to low and cook until completely tender, 4-5 hours.
  4. After the chicken is tender, remove the sauce from the slow cooker into a saucepan. Boil until it starts to thicken, about 30 minutes. While the sauce boils, use a smaller saucepan to make a roux: Heat the butter until it is bubbling but not brown, and add the flour. Stir constantly while the mixture bubbles for two minutes, and then remove from the heat.
  5. Pull the cooked chicken apart and transfer to a bowl. Set aside. (This step can also be done while the sauce is boiling.)
  6. After the sauce has boiled a while, strain it into the pot with the roux in it. Heat on medium-high until it starts to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens up some more. Add this sauce to your bowl of chicken.  At this point, the chicken is ready! But you can also put the finished chicken and sauce back in the slow cooker on low until you’re ready to serve it.
  7. Build your burritos with the chicken, rice, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and whatever else you’d like to add!

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