Good Food First, Safety Second | Teen Ink

Good Food First, Safety Second

February 12, 2024
By Anonymous

Alex Basquez started cooking in 2019.  He learned how to cook Chimichangas from one of the two chefs at a Senor Tomas Restaurant in Hartland, Wisconsin.  

The ingredients that you need to prepare for these Chimichangas are as follows:


Two pounds of Chicken breasts 
Cooking oil (½ cup)
American Butter (¼ stick)
Spices: Cilantro, thyme, Red Cayenne, pepper. Any taco seasoning (1 tbsp of each) 
Mexican Cheese (16 oz package)
Flour Tortillas (6 or more) 
 

To start, heat a pan with a lid to medium to high.  
Cut the chicken breasts into pieces and place them into the frying pan.  Add a quarter stick of butter. 
Mix the Cilantro: thyme, Red cayenne, pepper, and taco seasoning. Then dump the mixed seasoning into the pan.  Place the lid on the pan and let it sit on medium to high heat for 7-10 minutes.  After placing the heat on low.  
On a cutting board, use tongs to take the chicken breasts and place them evenly on the board. With one hand, hold the slab of chicken still, and begin cutting it into 1-inch or smaller pieces. Repeat this process till everything is cut.  
On another cutting board, place 1-3 flour tortillas flat.  With tongs, distribute the chicken amongst the tortillas.  Add some Mexican shredded Cheese so that it covers the chicken.

 Mr.Basquez likes to add about 3-4 oz of cheese per Chimichangas.  


Start folding tortillas. First Get all of the ingredients on one side of the tortilla.  Roll all the ingredients so that they are covered and can't be seen and fold up the opened ends of the tortillas.  Start rolling up the rest of the tortillas.  
Add one-half cup of cooking oil to the pan with a lid.  Heat the pan to high, till boil. 

One tip that Basquez had was “If the oil begins boiling, use the lid as a shield as you retrieve the Chimichangas from the pan with the tongs and lower the heat of the pan to medium”


Place the uncooked Chimichangas in the oil with tongs.  After about 15-30 seconds or the tortillas are golden brown, flip the chimichanga and repeat for the next side.  Remove when both sides have been flipped.  

A saying that Mr.Basquez uses when he is cooking any delicious meal is;  “Good food first, Safety second!”  



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