Chi Chi's Copycat Recipes

[Julie]

All recipes are from old BBS Public Domain Recipes downloaded from 1992-1996, boxtops, magazines, newspapers and public domain files.

[Julie]

Chi-Chi's Baked Chicken Chimichangas
Servings : 8

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbls. minced garlic
2 Tbls. olive oil
1/2 Tbls. chili powder
16 oz. salsa
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken - shredded
8 flour tortilla
1 cup canned refried beans
olive oil - for brushing

In large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in chili powder, salsa, cumin, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in shredded chicken. Let cool. Grease rimmed 15" X 10" X 1" baking pan. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of beans down center of each tortilla. Top with a scant 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Fold up the bottom, top and sides of tortilla. Secure with wooden toothpicks if necessary. Place chimichangas in greased baking pan, seam side down. Brush all sides with the oil. Bake in 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning every 5 minutes.

[Julie]

Chi-Chi's Sweet Spanish Corn Cake
Serves : 8

1/2 cup butter OR margarine - softened
1/3 cup masa harina - see notes
1/4 cup water
10 oz. package frozen corn - thawed, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp. whipping cream
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
sliced chili peppers - for garnish, optional
chopped parsley - for garnish, optional

Beat butter or margarine with an electric mixer until fluffy. radually beat in masa harina. Beat in water. Stir in corn. In a small bowl, stir together sugar, cornmeal, cream, baking powder, and salt. Stir into corn mixture. Spread in a greased, 8" square baking pan. Cover with foil. Place in a larger pan and pour boiling water half way up the side of the smaller pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until set. Remove smaller pan from water, uncover, and let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chilies and parsley, if desired.

[Julie]

Chi Chi's Mild Salsa

1 can stewed tomatoes (14 Oz.) -- sliced
1 large green onions -- snipped*
1 large ripe tomato -- cored and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash Tabasco Sauce -- or to taste

Cut up stewed tomatoes and combine in saucepan with onions, fresh tomato, salt and pepper. Bring just to a boil. Boil hard 1 minute and remove at once from heat. Put half of mixture through blender just to mince fine but not to puree. Return to remaining half of mixture. Cool and refrigerate in tightly covered container to use with a few weeks. Freezes well to use within 6 months.

NOTE-For hot salsa, add 1 ts canned green chopped chilis or to taste, freezing unused chilis to use in other recipes.

[Lisa40]

1 (8 oz.) jar taco sauce (your favorite)
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C. crushed cornflakes
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. oregano
Dash ground cloves
Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)
2 1/2 lb. chicken thighs
6 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a shallow dish, whisk together taco sauce, egg and garlic.

In a plastic or paper bag, combine cornflakes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, ground cloves and crushed red pepper if using.

Dip chicken pieces in sauce; toss in cornflakes mixture; place on a greased shallow baking pan. Drizzle with butter; bake 45 minutes or until golden and tender, and juices run clear.

[Lisa40]

Use with two pounds pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, beef tenderloin or flank steak

1 (10 oz.) can Chi Chi's diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
1/4 C. orange juice
1/4 C. Tequila
1/4 C. vegetable oil
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. honey
1 tsp. fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp. grated lime peel

In large recloseable plastic food bag, combine all ingredients except meat. Mix well. Add meat, seal the bag and turn over several times to coat meat thoroughly. Place bag in refrigerator, turning bag occasionally, 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat broiler. Remove meat from marinade; reserve marinade. Place meat on broiler pan. Broil 7 to 8 inches from heat source until desired doneness.

In a small saucepan, bring marinade to a boil, then boil one minute. Serve marinade with the meat.

[Lisa40]

1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C. onions, chopped
8 oz. crab (real or imitation), chopped
1 3/4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 (5 to 6-inch) flour tortillas
1 C. milk
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of pepper

In mixing bowl, stir together soup, onion, nutmeg and black pepper.

In another bowl, place half of the soup mixture, crab and 1 cup of the jack cheese; set aside.

Wrap the tortillas in paper towels, microwave on HIGH for 30 to 60 seconds.

Place 1/3 cup mixture on each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in greased 12 x 7 1/2-inch dish.

Stir milk into the reserved soup mixture. Pour over enchiladas. Microwave, covered, on HIGH for 12 to 14 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Add a dash of hot pepper sauce to soup mix if desired.