If you love chicken chimichangas, but hate the extra calories of a deep-fry, you’ll love my Baked Chicken Chimichangas. Easy to make, great for the freezer. They’re perfect for your next Mexican dinner night.
Chicken chimichangas are my all-time favorite Mexican meal. I literally order that every stinkin’ time I go to a Mexican restaurant…without fail. It’s a sickness, really! The problem is, they’re always deep-fried. And, while delicious, they’re also loaded with calories. I set out to make my own with the intention of reducing calories, and tried my hand at a baked version. Could I get that same wonderful crunchy exterior as a fried chimi? The answer is YES! Bonus…no messy fry oil spattering all over the kitchen!
Now, I’m going to stack you up with two additional recipes that really make this dish. First is my Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken, made in a slow cooker and packed with amazing flavor. The other is my Mexican White Sauce, perfectly delicious both inside and on top. Truth be told, the white sauce isn’t exactly diet friendly because of the cheeses involved. But, even just a drizzle goes a long way toward an additional flavor boost and I figure what I save on frying I can make up with sauce! How’s that for a “diet rationale”!
The Tortilla
I typically use a 12″ corn tortilla because I like the flavor of corn over flour. But, use what you like or what’s available. Key to being able to make a good wrap without tearing the tortilla is to heat it. Now, I know you’ve seen recipes that call for heating them in a skillet on the stovetop, or on a grill or even just holding over a gas cooktop flame. Don’t do it! What you’re doing is actually drying it out with those dry heat sources, which makes them more prone to tearing. Instead, wet two sheets of paper towel (or enough that you can totally cover your tortilla stack). The paper towels should feel wet, but not be dripping wet. Wrap your tortilla stack inside, and microwave 1 minute. The moisture from the paper towel will moisten the tortillas and make them more pliable for folding.
Making the Chimi
Lay one tortilla out on your countertop or cutting board. Place a generous scoop of chicken in the bottom 1/3 of the tortilla (see picture). Top with shredded cheese of your choice (Mexican blend, Co-Jack, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, etc), and a generous drizzle of Mexican White Sauce.
Filling in the bottom 1/3 of the tortilla.
Time to Fold
Essentially, your folding is going to look a lot like an envelope. Fold the bottom up first, then the sides, then fold over. You’re going to want it laying on the flat, not the rounded side so that it stays closed.
The folded chimichanga
Baking the Chimi
Preheat your oven to 400°. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Place your folded chimis on your baking sheet, then brush top and sides with melted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until your chimi begins to turn golden brown and starts to crisp. I tap the chimis with the tines of a long fork. If they make a “knocking” sound, I know they’re getting crisp!
Making the Plate
You certainly can serve your chimichangas however you like, whether plated individually or on a pretty serving platter for guests and family to help themselves. Top with a bit more shredded cheese and another drizzle of Mexican White Sauce. As far as what to serve with it, as much as I love a nice big scoop of refried beans and a good dirty rice, I much prefer to save some calories and to add some bright freshness to the meal. In the photo above, you can see a tomato salad and guacamole. The tomato salad is simply chopped Roma tomatoes, a bit of salt and pepper and fresh chopped cilantro. That’s it. Nothing fancy, but delicious. Shredded lettuce might be another nice accompaniment for you, too.
The Secret to GREAT Authentic Guacamole
For years, I made guacamole with all kinds of “stuff” in it – tomatoes, garlic, pickled jalapenos, shallot, green onion…you name it, I’ve tried it. While it was delicious…usually, sometimes all the other “stuff” just overpowered the freshness of the avocado. And, if you love avocados like I do, you really want to taste avocado. Enter my dear friend of Mexican descent who said, “Don’t put all that stuff in. Real guacamole is just avocado, lots of lime juice and salt and pepper.” Ding Ding!! Lightbulb moment. I will tell you, if you do just that – mash an avocado, squeeze in 1/2 a lime’s worth of juice, sprinkle in salt and fresh cracked pepper, then stir well, you’ll never go back to loading all the “stuff” into it! It’s bright, clean, a delicious hint of lime…you’ll want to eat it by the bucket load!
So there you have it. My Baked Chicken Chimichanga. Know that you could substitute your favorite ground or shredded beef filling in lieu of chicken, and you won’t need to change anything in the recipe or process.
For the Freezer
These chimis freeze terrifically for a couple months. I use these handy sandwich foil wraps because I find they protect my food a bit better when I’m freezing. Simply wrap each chimi separately, place into a freezer-safe bag or use a food sealer (the food sealer I use), and pop into the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, remove the foil wrap, and bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes, or until tortilla is crispy. You can microwave (be sure to remove the foil!!) once thawed, but you won’t get the crispy tortilla shell. It’ll be a bit more like a burrito…which is delicious too.
Now…it happens to be Super Bowl weekend coming up and I think you can guess what we’ll be eating! If you’ll excuse me, I can smell my Cilantro Lime Shredded Chicken in the slow cooker and it’s killing me! It’s almost done, so it’s time to make the Mexican White Sauce!
