Cheyenne's Air Fryer Chimichangas
Yesterday was Day 5 of my #MonthOfMeatChallenge. It should come as no surprise that I'm focusing on BEEF, after all...it's what we raise! Yesterday was also Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday. What a great combo! I decided to step up my game of normal tacos though and make something that I've never made at home before...Chimichangas. I love these, but only ever order them at a Mexican restaurant because of the hassle and great involved in making them. Something about being home all this time has made me a bit more creative and willing to try new things with reckless abandon. Are you feeling that way too?
Maybe it's just me, but it feels good! I'm getting a bit more bold as I get older. My old rule of thumb with a recipe has always been to make it exactly as written and then do my own thing after that. Well, I didn't do that this time and it turned out better than I could have expected. I'm absolutely THRILLED with my Air Fryer. If you've been considering getting one...DO IT!! I'll blog another time about my story with the whole Air Fryer thing, but today let's focus on these Chimichangas.
I make my own seasoning for taco meat. I have for the past 10+ years. My dad refers to the boughten taco/Mexican seasoning to "Pack Burro". Haha....inside family joke. Anyway, I realized that I could create just about anything I wanted to by just being inventive and with a little practice. So, here's how I season ground beef to make anything Mexican related. Keep in mind....I don't measure. I sprinkle on my ingredients, stir, and taste. I've gotten it down to where I don't even taste anymore and I know about how much to use. I don't dirty measuring spoons though so for those of you who want exact measurements....sorry!
Mexican Seasoning - Tase Seasoning
Brown your ground beef with chopped onions and minced garlic (I use quite a bit of each in 1 1/2 pounds of burger).
Add to taste:
Salt
Pepper
Cilantro
Oregano
Cumin
Garlic Salt
Chili Powder
Let simmer for a bit. I usually add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water and continue simmering. This will depend though on how fatty your ground beef is. I don't drain ours because we raise lean, grass-fed beef. If you have an excess of grease after growing definitely drain it off. After simmering for about 15 minutes...it's ready to go. One special thing I did this time was to add 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese to this meat mixture. I stirred it up and let it sit for just a bit. This gave me the perfect thing I was looking for in a Chimichanga.
I used a large spoon and put several heaping spoonfuls into a large sized flour tortilla. I folded the tortilla with the sides in first and then rolled over, brushed with melted butter all over and placed it into the Air Fryer (on a grid at the bottom). The tortillas I use are big so only two fit comfortably in the Air Fryer. I fried them at 400 degrees for 6 minutes (turning over at 3 minutes). This recipe made 6 Chimichangas total. I was quite liberal with the meat so if you used smaller tortillas I'm sure it would make almost double that.
What emerged was the BEST thing ever! Seriously, better than in any restaurant I've ever had them in. They were light, crispy, and not oily whatsoever. My guys and I dug in and savored every bite. We put a little cheese, salsa, and sour cream on the top. You could go as extreme as you want to with your condiments. Simply said....there wasn't a morsel left. We absolutely loved these and my son told me these were 9 stars out of a 5 star rating! The things that make a mom feel fantastic! :)
One note: When you start frying your Chimichangas make sure the seem side is down. When you turn them you may want to stick them with a toothpick to hold them closed. I didn't do this the first round and the edges curled up and looked funny. It's fun to discovered things through trial and error in my opinion, but I want to share that to save you from a funny looking Chimi. :)
I hope you make these and love them like we did. I will definitely be making these for Taco Tuesday quite often. Enjoy! ~Cheyenne
PS. If you are wondering what Air Fryer I am using it is a Ninja Max XL. I love this thing and wish I wouldn't have waited so long to buy one!
