Jennie's Chicken Chimis

I have always loved Mexican food. From nachos to enchiladas and quesadillas to burritos, it’s just amazing. Of course, my weekly trips to Chipotle for a chicken fajita burrito speaks for itself … nope, still not sick of it! Anyway, the one thing they don’t have on the menu is a chimichanga. When I visited another local Mexican restaurant last fall, I simply fell in love with their chimichangas. They weren’t soggy and tasted phenomenal. Now, being the culinary whiz that I am, I decided to give my own homemade chimichangas a try. Best idea ever. While I did search the Internet for ideas, I decided to combine about three of them and came up with this tasty gem of a recipe. For the topping, I combined salsa and sour cream, which is also a tasty dip for tortilla chips. However, you can keep them separate or even switch it up and go with guacamole on top; the possibilities are endless.

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1/2 Tbsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1-1/2 lbs. cooked chicken, shredded

1 - 8-oz package cream cheese, softened

1 cup pepper Jack cheese, shredded

1 cup black bean & corn salsa, divided

1/2 cup onion, diced

8 flour tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together spices and use it to season chicken. Cook the chicken in the oven (or toaster oven) on broil for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, flipping once during cooking. Meanwhile, stir together cream cheese, pepper Jack cheese, 1/2 cup of the salsa and onion; set aside. When chicken is done cooking, shred it with a fork (works best while still warm). Fold the chicken into cream cheese and salsa mixture. Divide the filling among flour tortillas. Tuck in sides, and roll up each tortilla. Lay seam side down in a sprayed 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray. Bake in oven 15-20 minutes. Switch the oven setting to broil and broil for 2-3 minutes. Turn the chimichangas over and let broil an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and remaining salsa. Serve over chimichangas and garnish with cheese.