Oven-Fried Chimichangas

Today's recipe is a tried and true favorite of mine. It's so simple and versatile that a lot of times I don't even have to go to the store for anything.

I found this recipe on fromthegalley.blogspot.com awhile ago and I've made several changes, but that's the great thing about the recipe. It allows for creativity. :)

First things first: cook the chicken. Now you can cook the chicken breasts any way you see fit, but I thawed them in the microwave and cooked them in a pan with some fajita seasoning to make them more "mexican". If you want to just continue cooking them in the microwave, go right ahead or boil it. Just cook it somehow! lol


It should look something along the lines of this, when its done:


After the chicken is done, set it aside to cool long enough to be able to handle. To shred the chicken, I'll put one breast at a time in a medium sized bowl and pull it apart with two forks. Again, this is a thankless process but looks SO much better than chopped chicken.

Go ahead and preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 of the salsa, cumin, oregano, chicken, green chilies, and 1 cup of the cheese. (This is when you can add ANYTHING you like to the mix. I've used black beans before, onions, roasted red peppers, etc...)


I ended up making 5 chimichangas out of this batch, but it depends on how much filling you put in each one. Just use your judgment on filling the tortillas.


This next part can be a little tricky/frustrating, but just do the best you can when folding them up. I fold the ends in first and then roll them up.

They should look something like this:


Go ahead and dump the rest of the salsa all over the chimichangas and top off with the rest of the cheese.


Pop the little dudes into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

.....DING!

YAY! They're done!! :) Yummers!

I normally serve them with reduced-fat sour cream because I love sour cream!

Well, that's about it. I told you this recipe was super easy! Enjoy!!

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Oven Fried Chimichangas

Ingredients:
1 24oz. jar of salsa, divided
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried crushed oregano
1 small can of diced green chilies
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
2 cups shredded cheese
5 burrito size tortillas

Condiments of choice (sour cream, extra salsa, green onions, red peppers)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°

Mix together 1/2 of the salsa, cumin, oregano, chicken, diced green chilies and 1 cup of the cheese.

Place a medium amount of the mixture in the center of each tortilla.

Fold opposite sides of the tortilla over filling and then roll from the bottom up and place seam-side down on a lightly greased baking dish.

Pour the remaining salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes (cheese should be melted).

Serve with condiments of your choice.