Sunday, February 17, 2013

Oven Baked Chicken Chimichangas

My husband's friend asked if I had a recipe for chimichangas, which I didn't. I'm always open to creating or trying new recipes, so I took it as a challenge to create a homemade chimichanga. His friend requested to make it with chicken, which I would've chosen myself if he hadn't specified. Then he asked if I could bake it instead of frying it. At first I told him that would make it a burrito, because technically, a chimi is a deep-fried burrito. After thinking about it, I realized that if I simply brushed the tortillas with butter or olive oil before putting them in the oven, they would crisp up beautifully. I also chose to cook the chicken in my Crock Pot because the results of slow-cooking are by far the best when you need tender, moist, shredded meat. So here you have my version of oven baked chicken chimis! Enjoy!

Oven Baked Chicken Chimichangas



What You'll Need:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup your favorite salsa
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
  • 1/4 cup diced green onions
  • 6 flour tortillas (burrito size)
  • Refried Beans (if desired)
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
    (or olive oil)

    For garnish:
  • 1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
  • 1/4 cup diced green onions

Directions:

Place chicken breast into bottom of slow cooker.
Slice onion into thin slivers and mince garlic. Add to chicken.

Add broth, 1/2 cup salsa, cumin and oregano to slow cooker.
Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours.

When chicken is done, it will shred easily with a fork. 

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove chicken from crock pot and reserve 1/2-2/3 cup of liquid.
Shred the chicken and return to crock pot with reserved liquid. Add 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese and 1/4 cup diced green onions. Mix well.

Lay tortilla flat and add a heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture to center. 
You could also put beans (or rice) in it if you'd like. I decided last minute to serve the beans on the side.

Fold top and bottom towards center, roll up from the side and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet.

Brush tortillas with melted butter and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

While hot out of the oven, garnish with remaining shredded cheese and green onions.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole and your favorite hot sauce. 




1 comment:

  1. I made these tonight! They were so yummy! The chicken stayed very tender and juicy while the outside was crispy. Absolutely perfect!

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