Grilled Chicken-Wild Rice Burrito with Salsa Roja
Minnesota’s wild rice dresses up plump burritos. The burritos are served on a plate of Salsa Roja. Note that the salsa is made with vegetables which are charcoal-broiled, then chopped. The blackened bits add a smoky depth to the sauce. Make the sauce ahead of time to simplify last-minute preparation. The chicken breasts could be grilled on the same fire after the vegetables are finished, giving them a smoky flavor as well.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Yellow Onion - 1 medium, diced
- Garlic Cloves - 4, minced
- Portobello Mushrooms - 6 ounces, sliced
- Red Bell Peppers - 2, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Poblano Peppers - 2, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Wild Rice - 1 cup, cooked until tender (yields 4 cups)
- Fresh Marjoram - 2 tablespoons, coarsely chopped
- Asiago Cheese - 2 ounces, grated
- Monterey Jack cheese - 2 ounces, grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Flour tortillas - four, 12-inch
- Zest of 1 orange
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Chicken Breasts - four, 4-ounce, grilled
- Clarified Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Salsa Roja (recipe follows)
- Cilantro Sprigs - 4
- Salsa Roja
- Ripe Tomatoes - 6
- 1 white onion - 1 large
- Jalapeno Peppers - 2
- Garlic Cloves - 4
- Freshly squeezed lime juice - 1/2 cup
- Cilantro - 1 bunch, stemmed
- Salt - 2 teaspoons
- Freshly ground pepper - 1 teaspoon
- Chipotl Chile in Adobo Sauce - 1
Instructions
To prepare the burritos: Heat the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onions until they are translucent, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and peppers and saute until the mushrooms soften, about 1 more minute. Put the wild rice, marjoram, and cheeses in a bowl, add the cooked vegetables, and toss to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread the tortillas on a work surface. Evenly divide the wild rice mixture among the tortillas. Mix the orange zest and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, then distribute it over the rice mixture. Slice the chicken breasts on the bias into small slices. Evenly distribute the chicken pieces over the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla, jelly-roll fashion, to form burritos. Brush each burrito with clarified butter. Place on a baking sheet and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let rest for 3 minutes. Cut each burrito into 5 slices.
To serve: Spoon Salsa Roja over each serving plate. Stand 5 burrito slices on end in a circle on each plate. Place a sprig of cilantro in the center of each circle.
Salsa Roja
To make the salsa: Light a charcoal fire. When the coals are hot, grill the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos until the vegetables are slightly blackened. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients until the salsa is fairly coarse. Refrigerate until ready to use.
