Monday, May 4, 2009

Chimichangas


Yummy!  I thought this would be a good choice for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow!  The filling is super delicious.  And what's great about this recipe is that it's baked, not fried...but it tastes like it's fried!!!  Word to the wise...use ALL the butter it calls for.  This time around I used hardly any (thinking that I'd save a few calories from going to my hips), and the end result was too much like chips on the bottom and ends instead of fried goodness like what it tasted like last time I made this.  It still tasted good, but it didn't have the wonderful texture of the previous batch!  !Tienes una buena dia manana!

Ingredients:
2/3 c picante sauce or your favorite salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 c cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1 c shredded cheddar cheese (can also mix some monterey in there)
2 green onions, chopped with some tops (about 1/4 c)
6 8" four tortillas
2 Tbsp margarine, melted
Extra green onion and picante sauce, for serving

Directions:
Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions.  Place about 14 c mixture in the center of each tortilla.  Fold opposite sides over filling.  Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.  Brush with melted margarine.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Garnish with additional cheese and green onion and serve salsa on the side.

Pretty easy right?  I also like to freeze my extra chopped up green onions.  This saves me time and money later (and typically an extra trip to the grocery store...b/c who has these on hand all the time?).  Another extra time saver:  Whenever the chicken that is fresh from the meat dept goes on sale, I like to buy lots and cook it all that night in a crock pot with chicken broth.  I just put it on low, and in the morning, very moist and easy to shred chicken is done.  Then I freeze it in the little snack ziploc baggies for whenever I need already cooked and shredded chicken!

3 Comments from you:

Jilly Bean said...

Looks yummy!

Anonymous said...

what a great ideas!! thanks for the tips...making me crave Chimichangas!!!
just found your blog! its great
lesliefolks

kiddle97 said...

So it's a good thing I've already eaten dinner. You're making me hungry. :)