Delicious 'Santa Fe Mini Chimis' Recipe for Cinco de Mayo!
Friday, May 2, 2014
I'd like to thank Mom It Forward for having me as a guest poster! I wrote this post to be published on their site originally, and now I'm sharing it here, just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
They are crunchy rolls of savory spiced chicken, beans, corn, spinach, onions, and bell peppers with melty, gooey cheese. They're fabulous as an appetizer or party food and you will be asked to make them again and again! You can even leave out the chicken for a meatless option.
This is a Copycat recipe from a Diner-type restaurant & bakery. Whenever we ate here, my husband would always order these as an appetizer, without fail. It doesn't matter if we were there for breakfast, he would always have these first.
Welp, they discontinued them from their menu, so my husband asked if I could make them for his birthday. I searched around the webs and tried a few recipes I found but none lived up to the original, so I found a menu description of the dish and went from there. These aren't 100% true, but they're so good my son asked for them for his birthday too. They're easier to whip up than they sound, and make for an awesome special-occasion treat or a great party food.
There are a few cheats to this recipe; I've done them the long and short ways and both are just as good. #1 is using an already-roasted deli chicken from your grocer and shredding the meat. Look for one with no seasoning or southwest seasonings. #2 is using a jar of roasted red bell peppers instead of fresh. If using jarred, just slice and add to the mix instead of cooking with the onions. Fresh is awesome, but if you're looking to shave some time off, there are options. And if you don't eat chicken, you can leave it out and they're just as good. Hope you like them!
This is a Copycat recipe from a Diner-type restaurant & bakery. Whenever we ate here, my husband would always order these as an appetizer, without fail. It doesn't matter if we were there for breakfast, he would always have these first.
Welp, they discontinued them from their menu, so my husband asked if I could make them for his birthday. I searched around the webs and tried a few recipes I found but none lived up to the original, so I found a menu description of the dish and went from there. These aren't 100% true, but they're so good my son asked for them for his birthday too. They're easier to whip up than they sound, and make for an awesome special-occasion treat or a great party food.
There are a few cheats to this recipe; I've done them the long and short ways and both are just as good. #1 is using an already-roasted deli chicken from your grocer and shredding the meat. Look for one with no seasoning or southwest seasonings. #2 is using a jar of roasted red bell peppers instead of fresh. If using jarred, just slice and add to the mix instead of cooking with the onions. Fresh is awesome, but if you're looking to shave some time off, there are options. And if you don't eat chicken, you can leave it out and they're just as good. Hope you like them!
Santa Fe Mini Chimis
Source: Holly at Southern Mom Loves
Servings: 10 (2 each)
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
Servings: 10 (2 each)
Prep time: 40 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 Chicken Breasts OR 1/2 roasted deli chicken
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced small
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced OR 1 jar of roasted red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of frozen Corn
- 12 oz. package of frozen Spinach (thawed with all water squeezed out)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. white pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 16 oz. Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
- 1 package of Egg Roll Wrappers (refrigerated section)
- Optional: 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced
- Ranch, for dipping
Directions:
- Rinse and dry your chicken breasts and place on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Fold and seal it into a packet. Bake on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, then shred.
- Saute the onion and fresh Bell Pepper in the olive oil until softened.
- In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, spinach, onions, bell pepper, chicken, spices, and cheese. Also add in the jalapeno if using. Stir until the spinach is well distributed.
- Start pre-heating a large skillet filled with 1" of cooking oil at Medium-High (about 5). If you have a deep-fryer, heat to about 360 degrees.
- On a large area of counter, lay out the egg roll wrappers. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush water over the edges of all the wrappers.
- Spoon about 4 Tbsp. of the mixture in the center of each wrapper. I usually do them all at once and divide it as evenly as I can, but it's about 4 heaping Tablespoons each.
- Starting in one corner, flip the wrapper over the filling and use that edge to help compress and distribute the filling width-wise. Roll up a little and bring the next 2 corners in and roll up the rest of the way. Make sure your final corner is sticking; If it's dried, brush with a little more water.
- Do a test Chimi first: carefully place one of the Chimis in your oil and fry for about 5 minutes, flipping it over, carefully, halfway through. It should be a dark golden brown and the wrapper will have bubbled up all over. If not, your oil is not hot enough.
- Once everything is set, start frying your Chimis, transferring them to a pan layered with paper towels. If you want to keep them warm until you serve, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and keep your paper towel-lined pan full of Chimis in it.
- To serve, slice them in half diagonally and plate them with a dipping cup full of your favorite Ranch dressing. Also good: sour cream and salsa.
Yield: 20
Santa Fe Mini Chimis
This is a Copycat recipe from a Diner-type restaurant & bakery. These aren't 100% true, but they're so good my son asked for them for his birthday. They're easier to whip up than they sound and make for an awesome special-occasion treat or a great party food.
ingredients:
- 2 Chicken Breasts OR 1/2 roasted deli chicken
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion, diced small
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced OR 1 jar of roasted red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of frozen Corn
- 12 oz. package of frozen Spinach (thawed with all water squeezed out)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. white pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 16 oz. Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
- 1 package of Egg Roll Wrappers (refrigerated section)
- (Optional) 1 Jalapeno, seeded and diced
- Ranch, for dipping
instructions:
How to cook Santa Fe Mini Chimis
- Rinse and dry your chicken breasts and place on a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Fold and seal it into a packet. Bake on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, then shred.
- Saute the onion and fresh Bell Pepper in the olive oil until softened.
- In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, spinach, onions, bell pepper, chicken, spices, and cheese. Also add in the jalapeno if using. Stir until the spinach is well distributed.
- Start pre-heating a large skillet filled with 1" of cooking oil at Medium-High (about 5). If you have a deep-fryer, heat to about 360 degrees.
- On a large area of counter, lay out the egg roll wrappers. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush water over the edges of all the wrappers.
- Spoon about 4 Tbsp. of the mixture in the center of each wrapper. I usually do them all at once and divide it as evenly as I can, but it's about 4 heaping Tablespoons each.
- Starting in one corner, flip the wrapper over the filling and use that edge to help compress and distribute the filling width-wise. Roll up a little and bring the next 2 corners in and roll up the rest of the way. Make sure your final corner is sticking; If it's dried, brush with a little more water.
- Do a test Chimi first: carefully place one of the Chimis in your oil and fry for about 5 minutes, flipping it over, carefully, halfway through. It should be a dark golden brown and the wrapper will have bubbled up all over. If not, your oil is not hot enough.
- Once everything is set, start frying your Chimis, transferring them to a pan layered with paper towels. If you want to keep them warm until you serve, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and keep your paper towel-lined pan full of Chimis in it.
- To serve, slice them in half diagonally and plate them with a dipping cup full of your favorite Ranch dressing. Also good: sour cream and salsa.
Calories
234.01
234.01
Fat (grams)
8.79
8.79
Sat. Fat (grams)
4.68
4.68
Carbs (grams)
24.64
24.64
Fiber (grams)
2.44
2.44
Net carbs
22.19
22.19
Sugar (grams)
1.06
1.06
Protein (grams)
14.31
14.31
Sodium (milligrams)
465.70
465.70
Cholesterol (grams)
33.27
33.27
This nutritional information is automatically pulled from a database and may not be correct. Please use the Nutrition Information on the products/brands that you use.
©2015 Southern Mom Loves. All rights reserved.
What is your favorite appetizer recipe? I'd love to try some tasty new dishes!
0 comments