Green Chili Breakfast Burritos. I’m wild crazy about them and so pretty much anybody I’ve made them for, including the whole family – so much so that when someone comes for a visit I stock up the freezer and usually end up sending some home with my guests. I love sharing with them, so now I’ll share them with you!
A bowl of my Denver Green Chili
These are a go-to recipe when I make a pot of my Denver Green Chili. There’s just something magical about Green Chili and melty cheese that does it for me! And when it’s all tucked in a burrito with eggs, chorizo or breakfast sausage, along with hash brown potatoes…all cheesy & melded together inside a warm, soft, yielding tortilla! YUM!
About Green Chili Breakfast Burritos:
Now the beauty about this recipe (besides the absolute deliciousness of it) is that you can easily whip out a dozen for your family for breakfast and maybe have a few leftovers. If your family is like mine, crazy about them, that might not be enough. You can increase the recipe, below and fill the freezer! These freeze and reheat easily.
Of course, you’re not limited to eating my Green Chili Breakfast Burritos for breakfast, especially if you have a stash in the freezer. They make great snacks or quick on-the-go meals. Whatever you do, when you read this, don’t tell my little sister I have a stash in my freezer. She’ll be up in a heartbeat to clean me out!
Getting the Green Chili for Breakfast Burritos:
So obvs, the first thing you’re going to need to make the burritos is the green chili. Now some of you might not know what I mean by Green Chili. It’s a saucy, thin stew-like concoction made with green chiles & in regional Denver/Colorado style, usually a little pork. (Note: a product made with chiles is spelled with an “I” at the end, like Texas Chili, Green Chili; the actual chiles used in the product, the fruit, are spelled with an “E” at the end.)
So getting back to it, seriously, make my Denver Green Chili to use in these burritos and you won’t be sorry; it makes a big pot and you can use it in all kinds of different ways and it freezes well, too. Do plan ahead for it if you go that route because it’s pretty easy, but it’s a low & slow recipe that takes a while. I also have another recipe on my site, Colorado Pork Green Chili, which is a little quicker. Both are variations of the Green Chili found in Colorado. Both will be excellent in these burritos.
Of course, just about any green chili will be fab in these burritos, if you have your own favorite recipe or love a particular style of Green Chili found elsewhere. There are other options, too: you might be able to buy some from your fave Mexican restaurant (check with the owner or manager, not the wait staff for special requests), and if you want a quick and easy (but probably pricier option) there are several varieties of Green Chili you can buy in cans or jars.
Large Batch of Burritos:
It’s a simple matter to multiply the recipe ingredients by two, three or four, in my recipe calculator below. (Watch that it multiplies properly for you.) It’s not such a simple matter to cook huge amounts of all those ingredients! Although it’s a project, it’s a huge time saver to make in larger amounts, wrap and freeze. Here’s how I manage it.
While it’s perfectly fine to freeze eggs, there is a bit of a difference in the texture when reheated. While millions of people eat frozen eggs at chains every day, to others they can be offensive. I personally don’t find the frozen eggs an issue because there is so much more going on here!
- Eggs: When making a big batch of breakfast burritos, I make my Oven Baked “Hotel” Eggs. I usually don’t add as much milk and they cook a little faster. Make 12 to 24 in a batch, and you can easily get two batches going at a time.
- Sausage and Onions: I don’t cook in a skillet, but instead use a Dutch oven. When I first start it out, I flatten and chop the sausage up a bit, add a small amount of water and add the lid. Then I remove the lid when they’ve gotten a bit solid, and mash-up with a potato masher, and let the sausage brown.
- Hashbrowns: I lay the hashbrowns out on rimmed cookie sheets (about a pound per sheet) and bake them in a 400-degree F. oven for about 30 minutes total. Watch them and stir now and then – there is a big difference in how quickly they cook in different ovens with different cookie sheets, and of course, all brands vary a bit in size.
- Poblanos: When I roast several Poblanos, it’s easier than one. I line them up, touching and holding each other up on a foil-lined sheet, all in a row. Broil, turning each over about a quarter turn as each is lightly charred.
- Cheese: I usually buy chunk cheese and run it all through the large grate hole of the food processor, but pre grated is a great time saver if the price is right.
- Tortillas: If they’re super fresh, I can usually work them without heating; If I heat, I work with a dozen at a time so they are nice and warm when I roll them!
To Wrap for Freezing and Reheating Frozen Burritos:
I like to wrap in foil. I use a piece about 12 x 9″ which is the length of the roll of standard aluminum foil. If you have access to the foil sheets like restaurants use, that would be great, too.
When ready to reheat, remove the foil, place the burrito on a plate with a paper towel or napkin both under and over. Timing will vary depending on the size of the burritos and the strength of the microwave. For me, I microwave 2 minutes, then turn over and microwave for about 45 seconds. I then take the foil the burrito was wrapped in and plop the burrito in and wrap. That keeps it warm and easier to handle.
Sweet Pineapple Mango Habanero Sauce
Saving Money on Green Chili Breakfast Burritos:
When I make Green Chili Breakfast Burritos ahead for the freezer, I really watch the sales in the preceding weeks before I plan to make them up and pick up ingredients at their rock bottom pricing.
Items that are perishable like Tortillas, Cheese, Hashbrowns, or the Pork Roast to make the Green Chili get chucked in the freezer until all the ingredients are bought. Don’t forget to watch for great prices on whatever you use to wrap with, too. Items like foil and plastic wrap are on sale before every holiday.
Green Chili Breakfast Burritos
Green Chili Breakfast Burritos
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 dozen large, depending on size 1x
- Category: Breakfast or Brunch
- Cuisine: Mexican or Southwestern
Ingredients
- 1 pound sausage, your choice breakfast or chorizo
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large poblano chile, roasted, peeled, deseeded and chopped or a 4 ounce can, drained
- 1 pound of cubed hashbrowns (use frozen for convenience)
- additional oil as needed
- salt & pepper, as desired
- 8 ounces of grated cheese: cheddar, Colby, jack, Leghorn, or a mix, best if this is a coarse rather than fine grate
- 8 to 12 eggs, scrambled
- 1 1/2 cups or a 12 ounce can of Green Chili
- 12 tortillas, depending on how large you wish to make these
Instructions
If using a fresh poblano, place on a foil-lined tray and put under the broiler for several minutes until the skin is bubbled and charred. Turn and roast the other side. Place in a small bowl, cover with a plate, and leave until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and stem from peppers, open and remove seed. Slice into strips then slice across them into small dice. Add to a large bowl. If you’re not roasting a fresh poblano, open the can of diced Green Chili, drain by pressing down on the lid to remove excess liquid and add to a large bowl.
Add sausage to a large skillet with about 2 tablespoons water. Press it down to flatten it out as much as possible. Turn heat to medium-high, and as it cooks, mash it with your potato masher to break it up into small chunks, stirring as you do so. Once the sausage is broken down and starting to brown, add the diced onion and let it cook along with the sausage. When sausage is done, remove from pan and add to the bowl with the canned green chili or roasted poblano. Do not drain skillet.
Check the amount of drippings in the skillet; you’ll need about three tablespoons to fry the potatoes. Drain the oil in the pan if excessive and add oil if there’s not enough. Add hashbrowns and cook until they’re done, stirring often. Looks aren’t really important here but it’s nice to get a bit of browning on them. Add salt and pepper as desired. When done, add to the bowl with the sausage/green chile mixture. Add the Green Chili to the bowl and mix together.
Wipe skillet clean and add a little additional oil; turn down the heat to medium. Whisk eggs together and scramble in the same skillet. Light, fluffy eggs work best in these burritos, and it’s best not cook to too hard in the initial scramble as they’ll cook a bit more when the burrito is heated.
Add the eggs and cheese to the bowl and gently fold in. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Feel free to doctor these in any way that you please (although they’re perfect as is, just saying!) with Sriracha, hot sauce, etc., to your taste.
Warm tortillas by wrapping in a clean towel and microwaving for one minute. Turn over and microwave for another 30 seconds or until the stack is heated through. Keep the stack covered as you wrap the burritos. Add desired amount of Green Chili mixture to a tortilla and roll. The amount of burritos will vary depending on size of tortillas and how heavily they are filled. This will make about a dozen or more.
Keywords: Bargain Meal of the Week, Breakfast or Brunch Dish, Cheese, Chili, Denver Green Chili, Eggs, Family Recipe, Freezes Well, Hash Browns, Hot Peppers, Mexican or Southwestern, Poblano Peppers, Potatoes, tortillas
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