Description
Homemade crispy chicken chimichangas on a regular dinner plate with store-bought salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, one cut open showing the melted cheese and chicken filling.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 1 can (about 15 oz) refried beans
- ½ cup salsa (your preferred type)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican cheese blend)
- 2 green onions, chopped
For Assembly:
- 6 large flour tortillas
- 3 tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)
Optional Toppings:
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
Instructions
If you’re starting with raw chicken, just cook it however. I usually throw it in a pan with some salt and cook it until it’s not pink anymore. Nothing fancy.
Most of the time I use rotisserie chicken because I’m lazy and it’s already cooked. Just pull the meat off and shred it up. The kids like bigger chunks so I don’t go crazy making it perfect.
Dump everything in your bowl. Chicken, beans, salsa, cheese, green onions, all the spices. Stir it around until it looks mixed.
I usually stick my finger in and taste it at this point. Sometimes it needs more salsa, sometimes more cheese. Depends on what kind of day I’m having.
The mixture should stick together but not be soupy. If it’s too wet, throw in more cheese. If it’s too dry, add more salsa. There’s no exact science here.
This is the annoying part but you’ll figure it out. Put maybe half a cup of filling right in the middle of each tortilla. Don’t go nuts with the filling or they’ll explode when you cook them. I learned this the messy way.
Fold the bottom up first, then the sides, then roll it up tight. Try to keep the seam on the bottom so it doesn’t unroll itself.
If your tortillas are being jerks and cracking, microwave them for like 20 seconds first. My mom taught me this and it actually works.
I usually bake them because frying makes my kitchen smell like oil for three days and I’m too old for that nonsense. But fried ones are crispier if you care about that.
Baked Version: Oven to 400 degrees. Put them on a cookie sheet seam-side down so they don’t fall apart. Brush oil all over them – don’t skip this part or they’ll be sad and not crispy.
Bake for maybe 25 minutes until they look golden. I check them at 20 minutes because my oven runs hot and burns everything.
Pan-Fried Version: Heat oil in your pan over medium heat. Not too hot or the outside burns before the inside heats up. Put them in seam-down first.
Don’t try to flip them right away or they’ll fall apart. Let them get golden on one side first, then turn them. Takes maybe 8 minutes total if you keep turning them.
Serve them while they’re hot. We put out bowls of salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. Sometimes I make rice if I’m feeling ambitious, but usually they’re filling enough by themselves.
Let them sit for a minute before biting into them unless you want to burn your tongue. The filling gets ridiculously hot and I always forget this.
Notes
Roll them tight but don’t hulk-smash them or the tortilla rips. It’s like wrapping a present – firm but gentle.
When you’re frying them, don’t flip too early. I know you want to peek but let them get golden first or they’ll stick to the pan and make a mess.
Don’t overstuff them. I know it’s tempting to use all the filling but less is more here. You want to actually be able to roll them up.
Make extra and freeze them. Wrap each one in plastic wrap and throw them in a freezer bag. Future you will thank present you when you’re staring at the fridge at 5 PM with no dinner plan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Pan-fried or Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican-American