I've been making variations of this chicken chimichangas recipe for years and we never get sick of it. We've passed the basic recipe around to many of our friends and its become a favorite for everyone. Not surprising though because these chimichangas are DELICIOUS! I love how simple they are to make, and how adaptable they are.
What is a chimichanga?
Chimichanga is a Mexican appetizer or entre that includes a tortilla filled with a meat or bean mixture, typically deep fried to make it crispy on the outside. Chimichangas are basically deep-fried burritos. They're usually served topped with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole, and a side of Mexican rice.
When I make chimichangas, I prefer to bake them or pan fry them in a little bit of oil, because it's healthier, and I don't usually have time to go through the effort and mess it takes to deep fry them.
What is the difference between a burrito and a chimichanga?
Both burritos and chimichangas are popular Mexican recipes, and both are wrapped in a large flour tortilla. The biggest difference between the two dishes is that chimichangas are fried and burritos are not! Burritos also vary widely in terms of what is placed inside where chimichangas are usually filled with meat, beans, and cheese!
How to make Chimichangas:
Add cooked chicken, refried beans, salsa, cheese and spices to a large mixing bowl and combine until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
Divide the filling between the tortillas, placing a big spoonful on top of each. Fold it tightly, pulling the sides in, like a burrito.
At this point you can choose to bake them, toast them in a skillet, or deep fry them. Each of those methods will allow them to get a little crispy on the outside, just like we want them.
Substitution ideas:
In place of the chicken you could substitute one pound cooked ground beef or ground turkey, steak, or add rice, corn or sautéed veggies to make them vegetarian.
Consider trying these popular Mexican recipes:
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Recipe
Chicken Chimichangas
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken , chopped or shredded
- 1 can refried beans
- 1/2 cup salsa , your favorite kind
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano , crushed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup shredded cheese , cheddar or Mexican blend
- 2 green onions , chopped
- 3 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 6 large flour tortillas
For topping:
- Salsa, sour cream and guacamole , optional
Instructions
- Cook chicken breasts in frying pan until tender and no longer pink. Allow to rest for a few minutes before chopping.
- Add refried beans, chicken, cheese, salsa, spices, and green onions to a mix bowl and mix to combine.
- Place about ½ cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.
- Fold opposite sides over filling and roll up like a burrito.
- For baked chimichangas, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush chimichangas lightly with oil and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- For pan fried chimichangas, heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil to skillet and place chimichangas seam side down. Turn lightly every 2-30 seconds until lightly golden on all sides.
- Serve warm, topped with salsa and sour cream and a side of Authentic Mexican Rice .
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I first shared this recipe March 2013. Updated May 2018.
This post contains affiliate links.
Real good
Lauren, these were amazing! I’m a senior and not generally successful with Mexican type food, but, your instructions and suggestions were so helpful that I mad a double batch for my son’s family & every one of them asked me to make them again soon!. Good Job!
We loved these! I cooked some and froze the others (wrapped individually in foil and put into a plastic freezer bag). They were delicious. Just let them thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
My Grandson had been asking for these. Found your post. He had no problem eating them it was gone in seconds. He gave it five stars.
Read all the reviews. Sharon get a life.
Great meal for the kids.
Made these today except with homemade tortillas, and they were amazing 🤩 thank you for sharing your recipe.
We made a few changes – lowered the amount of refried beans, cumin and chili powder, just because of our famiy’s preferences… but they were great! My son had a great idea to also use this to make almost like a taquito – roll them up tightly in the tortillas… we are going to try that next time.
We LOVE this recipe! Have even shared it with friends and they commented that it tastes even better than a restaurant.
Made today I found them very tasty 😋
I added a little more oregano,chilli powder
Will definitely make again.
Not one person in my house liked this recipe. I think it would have been okay if you added 1/4 can of beans or left them out completely. It was refried bean chimichanga with a hint of chicken. Yes, we used more chicken than the recipe said.
Why didn’t you customize it?
I use chicken diced fresh jalapeños, mild Rotel and mexican shredded cheese. No beans. Brush with butter and bake. Top with sour cream fresh tomatoes and guacamole. VERY GOOD