Chimichangas With Mexican Style Rice

I was born and raised in Southern California before moving here to Oklahoma, which means that I am a major lover of Mexican food. Any chance I get, I make it at home. Up until recently I had never tried making a chimichanga, but I’m so glad I did! These turned out delicious! They are also very fast and easy to prepare. They can also be made more than one way – with shredded chicken, or with ground beef. I’ve now tried both varieties and while the chicken version is my personal favorite, both are incredibly good. Serve them up with Mexican style rice, chips and salsa, guacamole or queso, and you have a yummy, easy meal that will satisfy any Mexican food craving!

Ingredients:

For the chimichanga-

1 pound cooked shredded chicken breast (or ground beef).

1/2 cup of your favorite salsa

1 can refried beans, or a batch of homemade refried beans

Shredded cheese of your choice

Large flour tortillas

2 tbsp taco seasoning

Oil for frying

For the rice-

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup salsa

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

For the chimichanga-

Start by making the filling. Cook and shred the chicken, or if using ground beef, brown the beef in a pan.

In a large pan add your meat of choice, add the salsa and taco seasoning and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lay out the tortillas and spread with a couple spoonfuls of refried beans. Add 1/2 cup of chicken or beef. Sprinkle a good amount of shredded cheese over the filling.

Roll up the tortillas by tucking in first the ends to prevent the filling from leaking out, then roll up the sides tightly.
Place seam side down in hot oil, fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes, flip and fry the other side another 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite taco toppings like shredded lettuce, tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, sour cream etc..

For the rice-

In a 2 quart saucepan bring all ingredients to a boil.

Stir, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice has absorbed all liquid and is tender.