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Crispy Baked Chicken Chimichangas
These are adapted from Family Feasts for $75 a Week: A Penny-wise Mom Shares Her Recipe for Cutting Hundreds from Your Monthly Food Bill
- 1 Tbs oil
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
- a smattering of taco seasoning
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 6-7 flour tortillas
- 1 Tbs butter, melted
- 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (or a Mexican blend)
- salsa verde or tomato salsa at the table
- sour cream at the table (optional)
Heat the oil in a cast iron or other heavy skillet and add half the chopped chicken. Brown a bit, and sprinkle with some taco seasoning. Cook until done. Remove to a bowl, then add the other half of the chicken, season again with the taco seasoning and cook through. Put the first batch of chicken back in the pan, sprinkle with the cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano, stirring to heat through and distribute the spices. Turn the heat off.
Heat the flour tortillas in a microwave or over a dry cast iron skillet to make them more flexible.
Place a tortilla on a plate. Add some chicken, green onions and cheese. Fold the ends over, then roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in a lightly oiled baking dish.
Brush the melted butter across the tops of the tortillas and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or so. In the meantime, you can heat up some refried beans as a side.
Serve with extra cheese, red or green salsa and/or sour cream at the table.
These are lightly crispy, not like the fried version (and so much more healthy!).
Freeze any leftovers wrapped individually for an easy lunch later! Put one in the microwave for 2 minutes to reheat. These were great a few weeks later for a quick lunch and I packed one in a lunchbox to be eaten at room temperature.
NOTE: If you have already cooked chicken in the freezer, just heat it up with a bit of water and the seasonings. You could also easily substitute ground beef for the chicken.