Making burritos at home can be a special treat to get a balanced, super flavorful mix of ingredients with every bite. If you’re making them from scratch, you may want to try the classic California burrito — a regular loaded burrito, plus tasty french fries. And you should certainly learn how to fold your burrito like a pro. But when you want to just reach into the freezer and grab one, pre-made, there are some quick tips to upgrade them to full-on restaurant quality. You can turn frozen burritos into enchiladas with just a little extra sauce. Or you can go the chimichanga route.
For the uninitiated, a chimichanga is, essentially, a fried burrito. Although its basic preparation and ingredients are associated with Mexico, the chimichanga is more likely from the United States, specifically Arizona. We’ll show you how to make them delicious and extra crunchy with store-bought frozen burritos.
You can deep fry your frozen burrito, fry it with cheese, or simply add a cheesy coating. Either way, your frozen burrito will come out amazingly crispy and flavorful. This will work with any savory burrito flavor — beef, cheese and bean, egg and potato, you name it. And if you don’t already have a favorite brand, we have a breakdown of the best frozen burritos to buy at the grocery store. Once you have your chosen burrito, you’ll want to make sure it’s heated thoroughly before moving onto the next steps.
How to make your store-bought frozen burritos extra crispy and flavorful
Frying your frozen burrito in cheese will give it an incredible texture and flavor. To start, you’ll need to melt some butter, which you’ll then brush entirely around the burrito, and then pan fry it (folded side down). Once lightly browned, dip the burrito in an egg wash, and coat it with a mix of breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Then, deep fry the entire burrito until it’s browned. It will come out like a flavor-filled, crouton-coated little package.
If you don’t want to go through the extra frying steps, you can simply fry your burrito in a layer of cheese. Cheddar, Monterey jack, pepper jack, a Mexican cheese blend, or mozzarella are all good options. You want something with a fairly low moisture content that will crisp up nicely. Simply spread some shredded cheese in a hot skillet. When it starts to brown on the pan side, but is still nice and melty on the top, place the burrito on the cheese. If you’re using a good non-stick pan, the melted part of the cheese will stick to the tortilla, and the crusty bottom part will be easily removed from the pan. If you’re working with a large enough pan, you can even roll the burrito in the melting cheese to coat it all the way around with crunchy, salty goodness. When you bite into it, you’ll be amazed with what your frozen burrito turned into.
