This was a Monday ALL DAY LONG! Things at work are INSANELY busy all of a sudden. I accomplished so much today that I even impressed myself. . . and I’m a tough judge. I’m not complaining, so don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for the work. . . especially since I’ve felt like I was sitting on the edge of the fence for the last several months. But this whole work thing really interferes with my blogging time, my time with my friends.

This past weekend was spent. . . working mostly. Yes. But I DID manage to squeeze in two new recipes. One was fantastic and it’s going into the Keeper folder. The other one – not so much. It needs some tweaking – Mexican Chicken Stew. I thought it sounded fantastic for a cold Sunday afternoon, but it really wasn’t very good. And because I only pass along recipes that I LOVE, I’ll hang onto that one until I make it spectacular. In the meantime though, the Baked Chicken Burritos were REALLY good! And once I figured out how to fold the burritos (which was about the next to the last one that I folded), I had this down pat.

I know – you’re thinking Burritos…..ANYBODY can make burritos, right? Well, I carry on about these because I’ve been searching for a recipe FOREVER where the chicken comes out with that restaurant tasting quality and is flavored just perfectly. Well, I think I’ve found it! It’s a recipe from Betty Crocker for Baked Steak Burritos, only I used chicken instead of steak. It is soooooo good and I intend to use it in all my chicken Mexican dishes. It’s that good! Here’s what you need, except the picture is missing the onion:

BAKED CHICKEN BURRITOS

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken tenders (chopped into bite-size pieces)
1 can refried beans
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in taco seasoning mix. Add chopped chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. (This chicken turns out so juicy and flavorful! Just don’t hold that stick of butter against me.)

Microwave refried beans in microwave safe dish for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

Spread each tortilla with refried beans to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Then layer the tortilla with chicken, cheddar cheese and onions. Fold up sides of tortilla, then roll up and place seam-side down in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over burritos.

Bake covered for 8 – 10 minutes. Cover with the Mexican cheese blend, and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

This is what you get. I couldn’t get to it with my camera before the boys dug in.

This is my lone burrito before I covered it with my favorite green Habanero sauce, and a dollop of sour cream. It’s a combination that makes my mouth water.

True story. . . my youngest boy saw me pull it out of the oven. He saw that there were only 8 burritos and said, “That’s IT?” I said, “Yes, there’s two apiece, but Grandma probably won’t eat but one and I’ll probably only eat one, so there’s possibly three each for you and your brother.” He said, “Well, I could eat them ALL.” At that point, my boy seriously thought he was going to go home hungry with such a small portion alloted to him.

Let me just say, “Nah nah nah”. I dished him up two and handed him the plate. He felt the weight of the plate and started rethinking that “I could eat them ALL” statement. Then he REALLY rethought that statement halfway through the second burrito. (My boy ended up taking that second half home with him) There was a lot of big talk coming from my hungry boy. All of this is to let you know…… these suckers are FILLING and just as good as the Mexican restaurant.

Now if I could just perfect that Frozen Margarita to the local restaurant quality, I may never leave my house. . . except to stock up on ingredients, of course.