This post contains affiliate links.
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:
You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
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.
For me this is more like a burrito because of the refried beans included in the filling… in my experience in Mexican restaurant, beans aren’t included in chicken enchiladas. I chose this recipe because of the ease of putting it all together. I gave it only gave it only three stars because it’s good….but NOT the “Best” by far and certainly is not my preference. Will find a different chicken enchilada recipe without refried beans.
My favorite meal to make the night after roasting a whole chicken. Its quick, easy, and most importantly delicious! I go for the oven baked cooking method and then use the filling for quesadillas for my kids. Family/ busy parent friendly (:
Have you tried freezing leftovers? I wonder if freezing some before cooking would work better?
Turned out amazing!! Smothered mine in melted quesooo <3
We had some chicken fajita meat left over from our cookout, and we used this for our base. This is a simple recipe that is nothing short of fool proof. We topped ours with queso dip made from Velveeta and Ro-Tel, and they were certainly a hit at our house. We used the baking method, and the chimichangas were perfect. Thank you for contributing.
Kids loved it, my whole-wheat tortillas came out a bit dry but contents were scrumptious! I used yoghurt with lemon instead of sour cream and was great!
I’ve been making this for about 10 years. Always a hit. I boil the chicken opposed to pan frying. Thank you!
This was easy to make and so delicious!! This will be made a lot!!
You say 1 can of refried beans. There are multiple sizes of cans. What size?
You’ll use a 16 oz. can!
My girlfriend is gluten sensitive so I used wheat free tortillas. Did everything else as you called it and it was good. Thank you!