Recipe: Baked Chicken Chimichangas

David loves Chimichangas, of the shredded beef variety (back to Monterys restaurant). But these are just hard here because the beef is so blaaahhh! I have done it before and I think I used ground beef. But to avoid all the deep frying I tried this recipe and we loved it. I pound my chicken good to get it tender, chop it, then I stir fry it a little until cooked, instead of boiling/shredding, etc. I made double batch and took some to our friends who just had a baby (a Dutch family, so also foreigners here), they loved it and immediately asked for the recipe. As a side we added homemade refried beans (but not really refried, just cooked and mashed!), with the chopped lettuce and tomato, just like you get at a Mexican restaurant. It was yummy yum.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas: from HERE!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
• 1 cup of your favorite salsa(see earlier post)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I actually used Gouda because it was what I had)
• 2 green onions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 6 (8 inch) flour tortillas (I had brought some back from Thailand but usually need to make)

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• diced tomato, sour cream (I used plain yogurt), guacamole (didn't have), salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.

3. Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.

4. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

5. Garnish with desired toppings and serve with salsa on the side.