Pollo Fundido with Jalapeno Cream Sauce (2024)

Cinco de Mayo is less than 2 weeks away so I have Mexican food on my mind. Of course, this is nothing new! Ialways have Mexican food on my mind. When I was in high school, there was a Mexican food restaurant called Garcia’s across the street from my church, and quite often after church on Sundays, or after an event during the week, we would go there to get something to eat. I don’t remember anything else they served except something called Pollo Fundido. It was so delicious, I still think about it. It is a fried burrito, stuffed with a flavorful shredded chicken mixture, and covered in a jalapeno cream sauce, then topped with melted cheddar cheese. Oh my! Just talking about it brings back wonderful memories.

I decidedit was time to tryto make it. It turns out, I’m not the only one who loves this dish,as there are many versions out there.This recipeis the closest to what I remember. The best part of Pollo Fundido is the sauce.It is full of jalapenos, garlic, cream cheese, and sour cream. It’s the stuff of my dreams!

I’m trying to think of other things I can put it on so I can eat it more often. I honestly think if you poured it over rocks, I would be tempted to eat them. And then you melt cheese on top of it. There just are not words….

This recipe is not difficult, but there are a few steps, so I thought I’d share a few tips with you to make it easier. I find it so muchsimpler if I cook the chicken ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze until needed. Then the day you serve it,it is mostly assembling things.Use tortillas the size of a dinner plate. Be sure to heatthe tortillasin the microwave one at a timefor 15 seconds before folding to soften them sothey won’t tear.Once you have made the sauce and assembled the chicken mixture, place a half cup of the chicken in the middle of your tortilla.

It may not look like a lot, but don’t overload it as you need to be able to get the toothpick through the tortilla, and you don’t want any filling falling out while frying.These things arevery rich so it works out perfectly. Next, fold the top and bottom of the tortilla over the filling.

Then fold the sides over towards each other, and secure with a toothpick.

Onceit is secure,you are going to fry each meat filled pocket.I used a medium-sized saucepan, and it was just the right size.Watch them carefully as they brown up almost instantly.

You can also bake them if you don’t want the mess or calories of frying. I tried both, and with the sauce, you really can’t tell much of a difference when eating them.There is a bit of a different texture, but the taste is basically the same. Brushing the tortilla with a tiny bit of oil will help them to brown better, but it isn’t necessary. I didn’tbrush this one with oil,and this is what it looked like.

Just don’t forget to take the toothpicks out afterwards no matter how you cook them.Toothpicks in your cheek is not a fun way to spend Cinco de Mayo!Next, place thecooked burritos on a baking sheet and cover with sauce and a handful of grated cheddar cheese. Only bake for a couple of minutes until the cheese just starts melting. If you overbake them the sauce becomes runny and falls off the burritos. They still taste good, but you don’t get as much sauce that way! And that would be very sad.

Place the Pollo Fundido burritos on a plate and serve immediately!

Your family andfriends will then nominate you for president! Youwill be able tomake Pollo Fundido burritos for everyone, and there would be no more division in the country. Everyone would get along….

I guess I got a little carried away.I did say that sauce was the stuff of my dreams. But your family and friends would beREALLY happy if you made these for them! In fact, they are so good, I’m going to take them to Fiesta Fridayto celebrate the beginning of the weekend. Angie of Novice Gardener, Effie of Food Daydreaming, and Jhuls of The Not So Creative Cook are already there waiting for us. Happy Friday, everyone!