Ingredients
- 1 to 2 cups vegetable oil, divided
- Monterey Jack cheese shredded
Chicken Filling
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken (a rotisserie chicken works perfect for this) or use seasoned chicken thighs boiled for 2 hours with the skin on the remove and debone.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chilies
- 8 regular sized flour tortillas, warmed
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Toppings
- salsa, sour cream, guacamole, pico, lettuce, etc.
Instructions
Fried Version
- In a large, cast iron OR heavy-bottom skillet, pour in enough vegetable oil to fill it 2 inches full of oil. Heat oil over low heat. (This will be the oil you fry the chimichangas in. The oil needs to slowly reach about 375 degrees F.)
Baked Version
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Chicken Filling
- In a separate large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until slightly softened. Add in garlic, chili powder, oregano and cumin. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shredded, cooked chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the green chilies and continue to stir and cook mixture for another 5 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Add Monterey Jack cheese to the filling and Set aside.
- Warm tortillas in the microwave. On each tortilla, add about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture into the center. Top with 3 tablespoons of the shredded Monterey jack cheese. Fold sides over the mixture, then fold bottom over the sides and roll up. Place folded chimichangas, seam side down on a large plate/platter, and repeat with remaining tortillas. Do not over stuff
Fried Version
- Using tongs, lower one chimichanga at a time, into the hot oil, seam side down. (*It is helpful to hold them with the tongs while they are in the oil to prevent them from opening.*) Carefully fry chimichanga until golden brown on both sides; about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the fried chimichangas onto a paper towel lined plate to soak up grease.
Baked Version
- Place the wrapped chimichangas onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray the tops with non-stick spray. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Serve chimichangas warm with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 /4 cup of vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water heated to boiling in microwave or stove
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
Instructions
- Start by heating a cup of water to boiling. The easiest way to do this is by microwaving it for 2 1/2 minutes. Or you can use the stove and a small pan.
- Then coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with vegetable oil. Heat to medium high. You can use any oil
- Mix together water, sugar, salt, and melted butter,baking powder and cornmeal in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Wait for the oil to start sizzling (about 3 minutes), then you are ready to cook the cornbread. The batter will be a bit thicker at this point.
- Use a spoon to drop about 1/4 cup of batter into small pancake shapes in the skillet. This recipe will make about 6 pieces of cornbread.
- Cook until bottom is golden brown (about 5 minutes), then flip the cornbread to the other side. Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until both sides are lightly browned.
- Turn off the heat and carefully remove the cornbread from the frying pan.
- Place on a serving plate and allow to cool for 5 minutes before enjoying.
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- 5 medium/large apples Granny Smith & Macoun
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼-1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Homemade pie crust or biscuit dough
Instructions
Apple Pie Filling
- Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces. Melt the butter in a 10-12 inch skillet or Dutch oven. Cook the apples over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle with brown sugar, sugar, and lemon juice while they cook.
- Stir with a wooden spoon occasionally, making sure they do not burn.
- Dissolve the cornstarch in about ¼ cup of cold water. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the cornstarch mixture once they are almost done and let cook to thicken the apples and juice. The pie filling will need to bubble up around the edges for the cornstarch to properly thicken.
- Remove from the heat and add the cinnamon, nutmeg and stir to combine. Let the pie filling cool completely.
Apple Hand Pies
- Roll out your biscuit dough or pie crust on a lightly floured surface, into 4-6 inch ovals, about ⅛-1/4-inch thick.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon or so of the cooled pie filing in the center of each round.
- Fold over, lightly press down on the filling and the edges. (Lightly wet edges with water, using your fingertip if needed) Crimp the edges of the dough with a floured fork.
- Or cover the sheet pan loosely with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for later use. Overlap them slightly on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer. Cover the tray loosely with plastic wrap.
- Place uncooked pies on a half-sheet pan which is lined with parchment paper. Place the entire tray into the refrigerator while the oil heats.
- Fill a fry pan with about 2-3 inches of canola oil. Heat the oil until very hot (about 370 to 375 degrees F).
- Place only a few hand pies in the hot oil at a time, as to not overcrowd the pan or let the oil cool. Fry until they are brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the hot oil and let drain on paper towels on a half-sheet pan. Sprinkle with granulated sugar or dust with powdered sugar while they are still warm.
- Or drizzle each hand pie with a simple glaze. Let dry slightly before handling.
- These are best served warm. Delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with warm caramel sauce. Or Cinnamon sugar
