Oven Baked Chimichangas

These were absolutely yummy! They are loaded with wonderful things and are healthy! 
Now the recipes called for the big tortillas, I used the medium sized tortillas since I bought them from fresh from Rosa's Cafe. I would recommend using the bigger tortillas. The medium size are very hard to fold as you can tell from my picture. I also think next time I make them I would make them with a little bit more heat to them. 
The filling reminded me of Cafe Rio back home in Utah. Obviously it's not even close to what they do, sure it has rice and beans and chicken but it just wasn't the same. Oh how I miss their salads! The filling is good though, very good. In fact with the left over filling from these chimichangas I ended up putting it in a salad, it was great. Feel free to add what you like to these chimichangas or leave the chicken out, I am sure they would make a great vegetarian meal also.


Oven Baked Chimichangas


*Makes 6 chimis

*Note: this recipe makes use of already cooked rice and chicken so plan ahead!

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice
2-3 cups diced, cooked chicken
1-2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (use the lesser amount for less heat, greater amount for a bigger kick)
1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese (or a combination of both)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and Pepper
6 large burrito-size flour tortillas

Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is heating, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat until the oil is shimmering. Cook the onion until it is just softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, rice, chicken and chipotle and cook until the mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cheese and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 teaspoon each).

Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave the tortillas until they are warm and pliable, about 1 minute. Top each warm tortilla with some of the chicken mixture, leaving about a 2-inch border at the bottom of the tortilla. Fold in the sides and roll up the tortilla tightly. Brush the wrapped tortillas with the remaining oil and arrange them seam side down on the hot baking sheet that has been preheating in the oven. Bake until the chimis are golden brown and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes.