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Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
Vegetable oil for frying, and an additional 2 tsp for sautéing
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cups chicken broth
2 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup salsa, bottled or fresh is fine
2 tbs sour cream, plus some for topping
1 3/4 cup refried beans
6 flour tortillas, burrito size
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese, Mexican cheese blend
Optional: guacamole and diced tomatoes for serving
Instructions:
Begin by heating two teaspoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté it until it is slightly gold and tender. This may take approximately four minutes. Once the onion is cooked, add the garlic and sauté an additionally 30 seconds.
Next, add in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander and salsa. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Stir it frequently until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about half and the onions are tender, approximately six minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the sour cream and chicken.
To begin to assemble the chimichangas, spread a 1/4 cup of refried beans onto the center of each tortilla, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border along the edge of the tortillas. Layer each tortilla with a 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture and top it with three tablespoons of shredded cheese. Then, fold in the sides and snuggly fold the bottom side up and roll to wrap, fasten the ends with toothpicks.
To cook them, you can either bake or fry the chimichangas. To fry them, fill a large pot with about one inch of vegetable oil and heath over medium-high heat until the oil is hot (360-365 degrees). Then, add two of the filled tortillas and fry them until they are golden brown on the bottom. Use metal tongs to rotate them and cook the opposite sides as well.
To bake them, brush the tops with vegetable oil or olive oil and bake them on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for approximately eight to 10 minutes each side until golden brown. Repeat the frying until all the chimichangas are cooked.
Remove and drain the chimichangas on paper towels then remove the toothpicks.
Serve warm topped with guacamole, diced tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, salsa and hot sauce.
Commentary:
This recipe is great for those who want to eat one of their favorite Mexican foods but are trying to save money by not going out. It’s relatively inexpensive to make, and this recipe makes six. You can double the recipe to make more, though. To make the recipe even easier, you can substitute some ingredients with ready-made ingredients. For example, use a rotisserie chicken and shred it, use canned salsa, or use store-bough refried beans. If using store-bought salsa and beans, I would recommend adding a tablespoon or so of water to thin them out for the recipe.