"Leftover Chicken" Chimichangas

My family My husband and I love Tex-Mex food.  I wasn't always a huge Tex-Mex fan but when I met my husband I tried a little more and grew to love it.  One of the things he got me to try was a chimichanga.  I had never heard of this before but it was something that he always ordered.  It's really just a stuffed burrito, or a tortilla filled with cheese and meat, but it's fried -- which makes it so much better than just a burrito.

When we have chicken or beef leftovers, we regularly make a new meal out of it.  I love to make chimichangas because it never tastes like leftovers!  You can use all different types of meat and in different forms, from chopped, to shredded, to ground.  While it does take a bit of practice to get your tortillas folded right, it's not really hard.  You often just have to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't become unfolded during the frying process.

I am not a pro at making chimichangas.  I just do what works for me.  When I originally started making these I tried to follow a recipe the required using egg whites to "glue" the tortillas together and then deep frying them.  That did not work for me.  They popped open every time.  I even tried adding toothpicks.  The insides still oozed out.  Sometimes this method still messes up on me but it's a lot more mess proof for me than other methods I've tried.

"Leftover Chicken" Chimichangas

Printable Version
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Ingredients
Leftover chicken - chopped, shredded, or ground (approx 1 cup)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 burrito size tortillas
garlic salt
cayenne (optional)
Vegetable oil

1.  Pour your oil into a pan about 1 inch deep for frying.  While you're prepping your chimichangas, heat the oil on medium low heat.

2.  Lay out your tortilla and fill the center of it with about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.  Sprinkle it with your seasonings.  We always use garlic salt and cayenne but you can use your favorite seasonings.  Top the filling with about 1/4 cup of chicken.

3.  Bring the edges up on each side of the burrito to ensure the filling is completely in the center.  Then begin to fold the burrito.

4.  Once you've got your pocket of goodness, place it seam side down in the pan of hot oil.  It shouldn't be too hot or the outside will brown but the cheese inside won't melt.  Fry until the tortilla turns golden brown on the bottom and then flip it (about 5-8 minutes).  

It should have cooked long enough that the tortilla will stay folded up when you flip it but it doesn't always work that way.  You may have to keep tongs or your flipper pressed on the chimichanga to make sure it stays put.

5.  After it's golden brown on the other side, take it out of the oil and place on a plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

6.  Let it cool and then top with your favorite ingredients.  We like to put queso or melted cheese on them but tonight, we just had them plain with a little salsa on the side.

Seriously Easy All-Canned Salsa

My husband is a HUGE fan of salsa.  I make this at least once a week, sometimes two or three times.  I'm not exaggerating either.  I really should buy stock in the company that makes Ro-Tel.  The best thing about it is you can change up the degree of spice to your salsa.  Not only can you buy different "temperatures" of Ro-Tel but you can add as much or as little crushed red pepper as you like.  It really changes up the recipe.


This recipe was adapted from the very first recipe in the Salsa Lovers Cookbook, All-Canned Salsa. I think that's a pretty appealing name and it doesn't hurt that the first recipe is such a good one.

Seriously Easy Salsa

Printable Version
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2 cans Ro-Tel, (10 oz) drained
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp dried cilantro
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves if you use fresh)
1 tsp red wine vinegar

1.  Add all ingredients, except tomato sauce, to a bowl and blend.

I use a hand operated "processor" a lot like the Progressive International Manual Food Chopper and Salsa Maker shown to the right because I like it a bit chunky but not too chunky. 

If you don't want to purchase a food processor just for your salsa because your husband doesn't demand salsa daily, you can also use a food processor.  Pulse it to leave chunks or blend it to remove all of the chunks.

2. After you've used the food processor, add the tomato sauce and blend again.

Quick as can be, it is ready!

You can eat it immediately or let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors meld together.  I prefer it that way but sometimes my husband just can't wait!

This salsa can be frozen.  I'm honestly not sure how long it lasts in the refrigerator because it disappears within 2 days however because most or all of the ingredients are canned it would be good up to a week.

Enjoy!