Get ready for Chimichangas! Flour tortillas bursting with a mouthwatering, perfectly seasoned chicken and bean filling, then fried to crispy, golden perfection. These deep fried burritos make for a perfect freezer meal!
The word “chimichangas” always brings back memories of all the times we went to Mexican Town in Detroit and all the great margaritas I had there! This inspired me to make some chimichangas myself. It’s one of my favorite dishes, along with enchiladas.
Easy Chicken Chimichangas
- Delicious & Customizable
- Can Be Made In Advance – Great Freezer Meal
- Perfect For A Variety Of Different Meals
When looking at all the ingredients, you might think that they’re quite a lot of work to make. But if you think about it, all you have to do is make the filling, fill them and fold them, then fry them.
Another thing to keep in mind is that chimichangas make for an awesome freezer meal, therefore you could make these in advance and save yourself the hassle on busy weeknights! These tasty fried burritos make for a great snack, a great party food, great appetizer, and a great lunch or dinner.
Ingredient Notes
Chimichangas
- Seasoning – I used chili powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper!
- Flour – all purpose flour which is used to thicken the filling a bit. Cornstarch could be used instead.
- Vegetable Oil – Substitute a light oil like canola. We need this to fry the chimichangas in.
- Chicken Breast – I used boneless, skinless, cut in cubes.
- Onion And Garlic – Essential flavor enhancers for the filling.
- Jalapeños – Seeded and minced, for a little heat.
- Chicken Broth – I always opt for low sodium to control the salt levels.
- Red Wine Vinegar – White wine vinegar can be used instead.
- Beans – I used a 15-ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed.
- Lime Juice – I recommend using fresh lime juice for this one!
- Cilantro – Chopped fresh cilantro.
- Tortillas – Flour tortillas, steamed.
- Cheese – I used shredded pepper jack cheese.
Serving
- Lettuce – Shredded iceberg lettuce for serving.
- Salsa – Use your favorite, or make your own using my salsa recipe!
- Sour Cream – For topping the chimichangas!
- Tomatoes – Seeded and diced tomatoes.
How To Make Chimichangas
Prep
- Cook the chicken: Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink and starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the onions, garlic, jalapeños and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion softens.
- Add spices and simmer: To the same skillet, add the chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, flour and toss everything together, so the chicken is fully coated in the spices.Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Deglaze the bottom of the skillet with chicken broth and red wine vinegar. Stir well to combine, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates.
- Finish the filling: Stir in the pinto beans, lime juice and half the cilantro. Cook for another 3 minutes until beans are heated through.
Cook
- Prep the oil: In a large, deep skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to 325 F degrees. While oil is heating, prepare chimichangas.
- Assemble chimichangas: Fill the center of a tortilla with 3/4 cup of the chicken/bean mixture and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Lift the edge of the tortilla and roll it over the filling to secure it. Fold in both sides and continue rolling until you reach the opposite end. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Fry: Slowly lower chimichangas into the hot oil and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You can cook 4 chimichangas per batch. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven until all are cooked.
- Finish & Serve: To serve, place a bed of shredded lettuce on each plate, then a spoonful of salsa. Place chimichangas on top and add a dollop of sour cream, salsa. Sprinkle with diced tomatoes, and remaining cilantro to garnish. Serve immediately.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
A chimichanga is essentially a deep-fried burrito! Most common in Tex-Mex and other Southwestern U.S. cuisines, this fried burrito is typically filled with rice, cheese, beans and meat.
You can! Here’s how:
Preheat Oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush each chimichanga with melted butter, and bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Feel free to add or remove any of the ingredients listed above to make these to your liking. Play around with your favorite seasoning, mix up the protein, add some rice into the mix, the world is your oyster! Or in this case.. chimichanga.
As noted, I served these on a plate of fresh shredded iceberg lettuce with diced tomatoes for a little freshness and added crunch. I always top these off with a dollop of sour cream and salsa, but again – the choice is yours!
Absolutely! Follow the steps up until frying, then wrap them in aluminum foil and seal in a plastic bag in the freezer – this will keep them moist! Thaw uncooked chimichangas in the bag in the refrigerator before frying. Scroll down to “freezing section” for more info.
Tips
- If your chicken and bean mixture still has a little too much liquid, use a slotted spoon to scoop it out. You don’t want your filling to be too wet because it will cause the chimichangas to become soggy.
- Make sure to taste your filling before wrapping your chimichangas to ensure they are seasoned to your liking!
- You can fill these babies with any ingredients of your choosing! Mix up the protein, add some spice.
- Just make sure you don’t get too crazy and overfill your rolls, because they WILL tear or explode.
Storing Leftover Chimichangas
To keep your chimichangas crisp, drain as much oil as you can from them! Store them in an airtight container on a paper towel to help soak up any excess oil that could potentially make them soggy. Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Note: Do not place them in the refrigerator before they are completely cooled, because the condensation will make them soggy!
Freezing
If you want to go ahead and make these chimichangas and freeze your leftovers, you can! Let them cool completely, then wrap individually in a layer of plastic wrap and foil or in a sealable freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
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Chimichangas
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Filling
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 lb chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut in cubes
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium jalapeno seeded and chopped
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth plus extra if necessary
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 15 oz pinto beans drained and rinsed (1 can)
- 2 tbsp lime juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Chimichangas and toppings
- ½ cups vegetable oil or more if needed
- 12 large flour tortillas warmed
- 1½ cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce chopped
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup tomatoes diced
Instructions
- Cook the chicken: Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink and starts to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeños and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion softens.
- Add spices and simmer: Add the chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, flour and toss everything together, so the chicken is fully coated in the spices.Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Deglaze the bottom of the skillet with chicken broth and red wine vinegar. Stir well to combine, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates.
- Finish the filling: Stir in the pinto beans, lime juice and half the cilantro. Cook for another 3 minutes until beans are heated through.
- Prep the oil: In a large, deep skillet, heat about ½ inch of vegetable oil to 325°F. While oil is heating, prepare chimichangas.
- Assemble chimichangas: Fill the center of a tortilla with ¾ cup of the chicken/bean mixture and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Lift the edge of the tortilla and roll it over the filling to secure it. Fold in both sides and continue rolling until you reach the opposite end. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Fry: Slowly lower chimichangas into the hot oil and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You can cook 4 chimichangas per batch. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven until all are cooked.
- Finish & Serve: To serve, place a bed of shredded lettuce on each plate, then a spoonful of salsa. Place chimichangas on top and add a dollop of sour cream, salsa. Sprinkle with diced tomatoes, and remaining cilantro to garnish. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
- Serving size: 2 chimichangas per person.
- If your chicken and bean mixture still has a little too much liquid, use a slotted spoon to scoop it out. You don’t want your filling to be too wet because it will cause the chimichangas to become soggy.
- Make sure to taste your filling before wrapping your chimichangas to ensure they are seasoned to your liking!
- You can fill these babies with any ingredients of your choosing! Mix up the protein, add some spice.
- Just make sure you don’t get too crazy and overfill your rolls, because they WILL tear or explode.
- To keep your chimichangas crisp, drain as much oil as you can from them! Store them in an airtight container on a paper towel to help soak up any excess oil that could potentially make them soggy. Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Do not place them in the refrigerator before they are completely cooled, because the condensation will make them soggy!
- If you want to go ahead and make these chimichangas and freeze your leftovers, you can! Let them cool completely, then wrap individually in a layer of plastic wrap and foil or in a sealable freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Made this last night for dinner and we both loved it! Thanks for the recipe (you’re the best.) Next time I’ll make extras and freeze them for a night I’m pressed for time.
That’s a great idea. We are so glad you enjoyed it!!
These were delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Made it! I replaced the chicken for rice (vegetarian), didn’t have pinto. beans so used black-eyed peas and black beans. Flavours where great, love the lime! Side of avocado Yum.
You read my mind, I was just looking for a chimichanga recipe! Do you think it would be possible to air fry these? Any tips?
Thanks! 🙂
I’ve just noticed someone asked the same thing below, didn’t see it before posting! Ignore me haha one of those days! 🙂
haha! No worries! Enjoy 🙂
Do you think these would do well in an air fryer?
Absolutely! Cook filling as instructed, assembled chimichangas and then Mist with cooking spray and place in the basket of an air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 4 to 6 minutes. Flip each chimichanga over, mist with cooking spray, and air fry until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes more.
What size flour tortilla do you use?
We used just a standard size. About 6-7 inches. You could use any size tortilla, just don’t overfill them or they’ll break open!
Could I do these in my air fryer?
Absolutely! Cook filling as instructed, assembled chimichangas and then Mist with cooking spray and place in the basket of an air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 4 to 6 minutes. Flip each chimichanga over, mist with cooking spray, and air fry until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes more.
This sounds delicious! Could I cook them in an air fryer?
Absolutely! Cook filling as instructed, assembled chimichangas and then Mist with cooking spray and place in the basket of an air fryer. Air fry at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 4 to 6 minutes. Flip each chimichanga over, mist with cooking spray, and air fry until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes more.
Have you tried baking these instead of frying them?
No, I haven’t, but you sure can. I would bake them at 400 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Can these be cooked in an air fryer?
Sure, you could do them for 10 min at 400F, turning them half way through. I’d also spray them with a bit of cooking spray.
I can always guarantee that if I can find what I’m looking for on Jo Cooks that I’ll have a successful meal at the other end! This is no exception. I made the recipe as written and also followed the flavour profile to make roasted veg version for myself. Many thanks for another reliable, straightforward and most of all, delicious result!
Thanks Barbara, really appreciate your commenting and liking our recipes. Thanks for being a part of our Jo Cooks community
My husband and I made these for dinner last night. They were a bit of work, but they were well worth the time. Delicious! We would definitely make them again.
My mouth is watering right now!! 🙂