Baked Chicken Chimichangas – we love chimichangas!  The deep fried ones with the crispy crust are really wonderful, but I feel so guilty eating all that deep fried tortilla.  Plus, drowning that delectable crispness in salsa and sour cream just makes the tortilla soggy anyway…right?…So it’s not that great…right?  Ok that is what I am telling myself –  so let’s just go with it – baked is better!

My son loves it when I make chimichangas because that means there is a quick meal for him  in the freezer for at least a week.  They never last long at my house – they are that good!

This recipe will make 10- 12 chimichangas, depending on how full you fill them!

1.5 lbs cooked and cubed chicken breast
1 tbs taco seasoning
2 cups salsa
3/4 lb freshly grated cheese ( I use a mixture of cheddar and jack cheeses)
1 can roasted diced green chiles
1 can refried beans

10-12 10″ tortillas

In a large bowl flavor the chicken with the taco seasoning and mix well.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until uniform.  Place  approximately 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of your tortilla.  Starting at one end roll the tortilla over the mixture, fold in the sides and then finish rolling it up.  If the tortillas crack upon rolling, heat the tortilla slightly on a griddle before using them.

Now you have options!

Hungry now – Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap each chimichanga in aluminum foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, unwrap the chimichanga and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to crisp the outside!

Hungry later – place chimichangas on a cookie sheet, keeping them separate.  Place the chimichangas in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Remove from the freezer and place your chimichangas in freezer ziplock bags.  Because you have taken the time to freeze the tortilla, they will not stick together in the bag.  The other option is to wrap each one in aluminum foil then immediately freeze.

To prepare frozen chimichangas, remove from freezer, microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.  If you want the outside crispy, toast the chimichanga in an oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  My toaster oven works well for this!

Helpful tips:  Taco Seasoning – I make my own!  It is so much better than the packets I used to purchase before I knew better. I use the recipe from allrecipes.com!