Yield: 4 servings
Chicken Chimichangas
This golden, crispy chicken chimichangas recipe is loaded with a spicy green-salsa chicken, refried beans, and melty cheese for a quick and easy Tex-Mex dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
- ¼ cup green chile sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or Mexican blend cheese
- oil, for frying
Optional toppings:
- Mexican crema, or sour cream
- Guacamole, or avocado
- Pico de Gallo, or diced tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Cilantro
- Limes
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Instructions
- In a medium sized skillet, stir to combine the chicken, green chilis, green sauce, cumin and salt together. Heat over medium-heat until hot, stirring as needed, about 4 minutes.
- Cover the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Spread some beans down the middle of a tortilla, add a couple tablespoons of the chicken mixture, top with cheese. Fold the sides of the tortilla in and roll up into a burrito. Repeat with the remaining chimichangas.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Gently place the chimichanga, seam side down into the hot oil. Cook until browned, about 1 minute, then turn and cook on all sides.
- Repeat with the remaining chimichangas. Serve with your favorite toppings!
Notes
Store Leftovers: Let the chimichangas cool completely before storing. Wrap cooled chimichangas with foil or plastic wrap, or store in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Wrap each chimichanga in plastic wrap once. Transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat them straight from frozen.
Reheat: Microwave them in 30-second increments until warm. If you're microwaving them straight from frozen, do it 2 minutes at a time until thawed and hot.
Swap the Protein: For chicken, try this crockpot salsa chicken or chicken Tinga. For beef, I love using chopped carne asada or this easy and spicy taco meat. You also can’t go wrong with juicy carnitas!
Add More Veggies: Sauté 1/2 cup peas, diced carrots, or sweet corn and add them to the filling for more texture and flavor.
Don’t Over-Fill: Avoid adding too much filling to the chimichangas, otherwise they’ll open-up as they fry. If you can’t roll them up easily, you need to remove a few tablespoons of filling.
Breakfast-Style: Made scrambled eggs and mix them into the filling for breakfast chimichangas. Or use these huevos a la Mexicana for even more flavor!
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 234kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 530mg, Potassium: 191mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 318IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 213mg, Iron: 1mg