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Chicken Burritos Ranchero

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Chicken burritos ranchero featuring our homemade ranchero sauce makes for the ultimate restaurant-style wet burrito. We like to serve them with rice, beans, and guacamole for a complete Mexican dinner that’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo!

A freshly made chicken burrito ranchero plate with cilantro lime rice, refried beans, greek yogurt, and guacamole.

We love drawing inspiration for our recipes from our favorite restaurant dishes. And this chicken burrito ranchero is just that. We were lucky enough to call Southern California home for a couple of years (and miss it dearly every day), and one of the best parts of SoCal in our opinion is the Mexican food. 

Since we no longer live in SoCal, and can’t seem to find any good Mexican food back on the east coast… We had to make our own. So we did. 

This wet burrito is stuffed with shredded chicken, spicy ranchero, cilantro lime rice, refried beans, and Mexican cheese – then drenched in more ranchero sauce and topped with more cheese before being baked to perfection. We now make it any time we’re missing the sunny warmth of our previous home.

What To Expect

  • Great for: Mexican restaurant-style dinners at home and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
  • Ready in: 40 minutes
  • Makes: 4 burritos with 10-inch tortillas
  • Flavor profile: Cheesy, savory, and a little spicy combining many of our favorite Mexican flavors.
  • How to make it: Combine the ingredients to make the filling, spread ranchero sauce in a tortilla then wrap up the filling, top with more ranchero sauce and cheese, bake and serve.

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Why We Love This Recipe

A wet burrito with red sauce is my favorite Mexican restaurant order, and ours definitely stands up to some of the best I’ve ever had! It’s just like the one I used to get at Yolanda’s so every bite reminds me of our old home. I love being able to make these whenever I’m missing SoCal.

– Nicole

Key Ingredients

Ingredients that go into a chicken ranchero burrito: Mexican cheese, ranchero sauce, shredded chicken, tortillas, refried beans, and cilantro lime rice.
  • Flour tortillas – The secret to a great burrito is in the tortilla. If there’s a local Mexican grocery store near you, grab some freshly made burrito-size tortillas and you’ll be amazed by their flavor and texture! We find 10-inch tortillas make for more manageable sized portions. However, if you want a true restaurant-style burrito, you’ll want to use 14-inch tortillas. Please note you’ll need more filling if you use larger burritos as this recipe is for 10-inch tortillas. 
  • Ranchero sauce – You’ll want to prepare a batch of our homemade ranchero sauce for these burritos. Ranchero is not easy to find in grocery stores, and freshly made sauce is so much more flavorful. Plus, it’s super easy.
  • Shredded chicken – We love making these burritos stuffed with our fan-favorite salsa marinated chicken, a simple recipe for flavorful protein that can be added to many Mexican dishes. However, any shredded chicken or even a rotisserie chicken works. 
  • Refried beans – Use canned refried beans for simplicity and convenience, or make your own from scratch. We love making these easy crockpot refried beans when we have some extra time because they taste so much better than any store-bought option. It turns out making things from scratch really does make a difference 😝!
  • Cilantro lime rice – Simply stir lime juice and chopped cilantro into cooked white rice for an easy and flavorful Mexican rice.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Chicken Burritos Ranchero

Shredded chicken, refried beans, Mexican cheese, and cilantro lime rice mixed together in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: Combine the shredded chicken, 1 cup of the cheese, rice, and beans in a large mixing bowl.

A 10-inch tortilla with ranchero sauce spread on it and piled high with burrito filling.

Step 2: Spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the ranchero sauce on a tortilla and scoop in a quarter of the filling.

The steps of rolling a burrito: folding the ends in, pressing it closed, and rolling it over.

Step 3: Fold the burrito by first folding in the sides, and then carefully rolling closed. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each burrito.

Four burritos in a glass baking dish.

Step 4: Place the burritos in a greased baking dish.

Four burritos covered with ranchero sauce and Mexican cheese in a glass baking dish.

Step 5: Coat each burrito in a quarter cup of ranchero sauce and a quarter cup of shredded cheese (1 cup of each in total for all burritos).

A glass baking dish covered with aluminum foil.

Step 6: Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

A wet ranchero burrito on a blue plate served with rice, beans, sour cream, and guacamole.

Step 7: Serve with rice and beans for a complete dinner!

Expert Tips

  • Mixing the filling – Mixing the burrito filling ingredients together before they go into the tortilla is super important! This ensures that every bite of this burrito is packed full of flavor. (And that none of the bites are just tortilla and rice – we’re looking at you, Chipotle).
  • Refried beans – If you’re using canned refried beans, or even homemade beans from the fridge, warm them up in the microwave for a minute or so to make stirring everything together easier. 
  • Folding burritos – Start with the sides at the ends of the filling. Fold them into the center so they meet, and then gently press down and out until there is about 2 to 3 inches between the two ends. Next, use your pinkies to hold the far side in place. Slide your thumbs under the close side of the tortilla and fold it over the filling, tucking it in as you continue rolling the burrito to complete the fold. Keep your pinkies in place to help the ends stay tucked as you roll!
  • Cover the baking dish – Covering the baking dish with foil before putting it in the oven ensures a perfectly-baked wet burrito. This keeps the tortillas from drying out and lets the cheese melt without burning on top so the burritos stay soft and chewy and soak up all the flavorful sauce.
A bright yellow ceramic plate with a freshly made cheesy chicken burrito with ranchero sauce, served with rice, beans, guac, and greek yogurt.

Serving Suggestions

For a true restaurant-style experience, we like to serve these chicken ranchero burritos with a side of rice and beans and a dollop of fresh guacamole and Greek yogurt (a higher protein sub for sour cream). And maybe a margarita or two (or three). And a side of chips and salsa, because it wouldn’t be a Mexican restaurant without first filling up on chips and salsa!

But if you want to add some more festive recipes to your Cinco de Mayo menu to take your party to the next level, here are some of our favorite appetizers, sides, and cocktails to pair with this delicious burrito:

Ranchero Burrito FAQs

A chicken ranchero burrito, or chicken burrito ranchero, is a burrito filled with a mixture of shredded chicken, rice, beans, and cheese and topped with ranchero sauce.

A wet burrito is a burrito that’s smothered in spicy sauce and melted cheese, and eaten with a fork and knife. A wet burrito can be made with any filling and many different sauces. We love making carnitas burritos with salsa verde in addition to these ranchero burritos.

Ranchero sauce is a Mexican tomato sauce made with spicy chili peppers. You can learn more about what goes into it here!

Other Top Notch Mexican Recipes To Try

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Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

A blue ceramic plate serving a wet burrito topped with ranchero sauce and cheese.

Chicken Burritos Ranchero

Nicole & Alex Langdon
Chicken burritos ranchero featuring our homemade ranchero sauce makes for the ultimate restaurant-style wet burrito. We like to serve them with rice, beans, and guacamole for a complete Mexican dinner that’s perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 burritos
Calories 589 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
  • Add cilantro lime rice, refried beans, shredded chicken, and 1 cup of shredded Mexican-blend cheese to a large bowl and stir well to combine.
  • Assemble your burritos: Lay out a tortilla on your work space. Spoon about 2 tablespoons ranchero sauce onto it and spread it around in an even layer using the back of a spoon. Then scoop 1/4 of the filling mixture into a line down the center of each tortilla, leaving about 2 inches of space at either end to fold the burritos.
  • Fold the burritos: Start by folding both "ends" (the space you left on either end of the filling) in. Hold the folded ends in place with your fingertips while using your thumbs to fold one side of the tortilla over the filling, tucking it in as you roll the burrito to complete the fold on the other side.
  • Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each burrito.
  • Place the burritos fold-side down into the prepared baking dish.
  • Top each burrito with a quarter cup of homemade ranchero sauce and a quarter cup of shredded Mexican-blend cheese.
  • Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve hot with any of your favorite sides!
One last step:Please consider leaving a review to let us know how it was!

Notes

Mixing the filling – Mixing the burrito filling ingredients together before they go into the tortilla is super important! This ensures that every bite of this burrito is packed full of flavor. (And that none of the bites are just tortilla and rice – we’re looking at you, Chipotle).
Refried beans – If you’re using canned refried beans, or even homemade beans from the fridge, warm them up in the microwave for a minute or so to make stirring everything together easier. 
Folding burritos – Start with the sides at the ends of the filling. Fold them into the center so they meet, and then gently press down and out until there is about 2 to 3 inches between the two ends. Next, use your pinkies to hold the far side in place. Slide your thumbs under the close side of the tortilla and fold it over the filling, tucking it in as you continue rolling the burrito to complete the fold. Keep your pinkies in place to help the ends stay tucked as you roll!
Cover the baking dish – Covering the baking dish with foil before putting it in the oven ensures a perfectly-baked wet burrito. This keeps the tortillas from drying out and lets the cheese melt without burning on top so the burritos stay soft and chewy and soak up all the flavorful sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burritoCalories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 35gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 1481mgPotassium: 519mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 726IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 527mgIron: 5mg
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90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is my absolute favorite dinner for a special Mexican feast! All the chips and dips, margaritas, and a big plate of burritos hits the spot.

    Reply