Jerk Chicken Chimichangas with Avocado Sauce

A little bit of a fusion for you here with the chimichanga hailing from Tex Mex areas and jerk chicken firmly in the Caribbean - and its such a good mix! Chimichangas are basically a deep fried burrito, sealed at the sides keeping all the flavours in, although I have shallow fried these. You can bake them, of course, but they really are nicer shallow fried.

The jerk paste no doubt, you can buy pastes and powders, but I thoroughly recommend you make the paste yourself. I have a recipe for it here. With a food processor it takes minutes to make and tastes great. And keeps in the fridge for ages. Also, if you can, try and get the scotch bonnet chillies from an independent store - the large chain store chillies I have tried aren't as hot!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
4-5 tbsp. jerk paste
2 tbsps. salsa
2 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp. chopped spring onions
150g grated cheese (gruyere/mozzarella/cheddar)
Pack of 8 flour tortillas
Oil for frying

Put the chicken breasts into a zip lock bag with the jerk paste and massage briefly to ensure all coated. Pop in the fridge for an hour or so.

Set the oven to 200 C. Put the chicken breasts in a dish and cover with kitchen foil. Bake for 30 minutes and then leave to cool. When the chicken is cool, use two forks to shred the meat in its juices and add the salsa, coriander & spring onions. Stir well.

To make the chimichangas, firstly warm the tortillas in a microwave for 30 seconds (or a dry pan) just to make softer and more pliable. Place one on a board in front of you and put two or three heaped dessert spoons of the chicken mix into the middle, in a line. Top with a generous handful of cheese. Use a brush to put water around the edges for sealing. Fold over the flap nearest to you, then fold the sides and then roll up. Flatten a little to make a rectangle shape as you put it seam side down on a plate, while you complete the rest.

Pour enough vegetable oil in a sauté pan to come about 1 cm up the sides and heat until shimmering. Add a few of the chimichangas and turn with tongs so you can brown all sides. They go brown very quickly - about 1 minute - so work quickly. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a cooling sauce, like the one below and a squeeze of lime juice.

Avocado Sauce:

1 large avocado
2 tbsp. chopped coriander
juice 1 small lime
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. water
1/4 white onion

Put the avocado, coriander, lime juice, oil, water in a jug. Add a little salt & pepper and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Add the onion and blend until smooth. Serve immediately to keep the colour bright.

ENJOY!!