Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Remember that time I posted about a Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas and said the word "chimichanga" about 18 times? Well, get ready because here we go again.

My bestie kept raving about a recipe she found for baked chimichangas and said she had been making them almost weekly because they were so simple and delicious.

I gave it a try one night and, not that I doubted her, but I was reminded why we are best friends. She was so right on about these chimichangas.

She suggested a few tweaks and the recipe made 10 chimichangas! So, if you know me very well, you'll know that "freezer meal" immediately popped into my head. I cooked 6 that night for dinner and lunches the rest of the week for me and the hub and froze the other four. I wrapped the uncooked chimichangas in foil and threw them all in a freezer bag! Perfect for once Charlotte arrives and we can pull out one or all 4 of them for dinner.

This is a new favorite of mine for our own house and I think it'd be perfect to take to neighbors and friends when they have a new baby or other life changes!



Baked Chicken Chimichangas

Yield: 10 chimichangas

Prep Time: 30 min. (including cooking chicken) Total Time: 1 hr. 

Adapted from The Other Side of Fifty

 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I cooked a few chicken breasts for multiple meals and shredded 2 in the food processor)

1 pkg. Mexican style rice, prepared

1 can Ro-tel
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
6-8 ounces of shredded cheese (I used a Mexican mix)
10 burrito-size tortillas

Canola Oil for brushing

 

Directions:

Puree Ro-tel in food processor or blender and pour into medium mixing bowl. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in the shredded chicken, rice and taste, then season with salt and pepper if needed. You can refrigerate the mixture here for a few hours or days, if need be, to make dinner prep simple!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Wrap tortillas with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds to soften.

To build the chimichangas place a handful of cheese on the tortilla and top it with about a 1/2 c. of the chicken mixture. Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the mixture, fold up the sides and roll the chimichanga on top of itself. (See here for a visual of rolling up the chimichanga). Place seam side down on the baking sheet and brush with canola oil. If freezing, wrap in foil and place in labeled freezer bag.

 

Bake for 17-20 min. or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa and chopped avocado for topping!

 

Enjoy!

Laura