Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas
A fast and healthier way to serve Chimichangas than the traditional deep-fried version. These are very good, and you may dress them up to your own preference. I like to serve with green chile sauce sometimes instead of the picante sauce.
A fast and healthier way to serve Chimichangas than the traditional deep-fried version. These are very good, and you may dress them up to your own preference. I like to serve with green chile sauce sometimes instead of the picante sauce.
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- cheddar cheese shredded
- green onion chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2/3 cup picante sauce or your favorite salsa
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves crushed
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 2 green onions chopped with some tops (about 1/4 cup)
- 6 flour tortillas (8 inch)
- 2 tablespoons margarine melted
- picante sauce
- Carbohydrate 147.677188971109 g
- Cholesterol 50.575 mg
- Fat 40.2961535956613 g
- Fiber 10.7131906708878 g
- Protein 37.6039348763052 g
- Saturated Fat 11.98457610857 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (406g)
- Sodium 2416.11186016581 mg
- Sugar 136.963998300221 g
- Trans Fat 2.16985881048497 g
- Calories 1114 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions.
- Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.
- Fold opposite sides over filling.
- Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
- Brush with melted margarine.
- Bake at 400F for 25 minutes or until golden.
- Garnish with additional cheese and green onion and serve salsa on the side.
Operating without a deep fryer demands relying on conductive heat from a baking sheet and a high oven temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit to render external crunch. Flour tortillas contain moisture that resists browning in dry heat, requiring careful lipid application to encourage crispiness rather than rubbery textures. Brushing the exterior surfaces uniformly with melted margarine provides the necessary fat transfer for browning without submerging the parcels in oil.
Avoiding Common Structural Failures
The primary error home cooks make involves overfilling the eight-inch flour tortillas. Restrict the filling to roughly one-fourth cup per tortilla to ensure the edges overlap securely. Excess moisture from picante sauce or salsa inside the chicken mixture will steam the interior and dissolve the wrapping if the proportions exceed the capacity of the binder. Drain exceptionally watery salsas through a mesh strainer for thirty seconds prior to mixing. Placing the rolled parcels directly seam-side down on the metal pan utilizes gravity and initial heat exposure to seal the bottom before expansion occurs.Achieving Optimal Texture
Baking demands a precise visual cue to signal doneness. Remove the pan from the oven only when the edges achieve a deep golden coloration and the surface feels rigid under light pressure, which typically requires twenty-five minutes of convection. Let the baked parcels rest on a wire rack for three minutes before plating to allow the internal starches to set and prevent structural collapse during service.
