Homemade Chicken Chimichangas Recipe - Easy And Delicious!
These chicken chimichangas are stuffed with flavor - literally! They are easy to make with my in-depth tutorial and only use simple, easy-to-find ingredients. And, while the process is labor-intensive, it still doesn't take a ton of time.
Ingredients
For the chicken filling
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp chili powder, optional
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the refried beans
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fine salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 cups canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
For the chimichangas
- 4 large flour tortillas
- 2 cups queso fresco, shredded
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 4 spring onions (green onions), diced
- Frying oil
Optional Garnishes or sides
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Fresh salsa
- Fresh cilantro or parsley
Instructions
Make the chicken filling
- Make sure your chicken is shredded before you start making the filling.
- Warm a bit of olive oil in a skillet on a medium flame. Add the onion and saute it for roughly 5 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic and tomato paste. Fry them for a minute while stirring well.
- Once they have cooked for a minute or so, add the ground spices. Remember, you can add more or less if you'd like. Simply mix them in well.
- When your ingredients are mixed well, add the tomato sauce and chicken broth.
- Bring the filling sauce to a rolling boil. Upon reaching a boil, lower the heat and permit the sauce to simmer for roughly 5-10 minutes. It should reduce to about half, and the sauce should be nice and thick.
- Adjust the seasoning to your liking. But keep in mind that there are other elements as well, so don't over-season the filling.
- Fold in the shredded chicken and let the filling rest until you are prepared to use it.
Make the refried beans
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and leave them to saute until they become translucent. It will take about 5 minutes.
- When the onions are soft and tender, add the garlic and spices. Stir them in well and let them cook for a minute or two. Your entire kitchen will fill with a mouth-watering fragrance! That's when they are ready.
- Finally, stir in the pinto beans using a fork. This will help mash the beans and blend the flavors together.
- Once mashed, let the beans cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. This should just help heat the beans properly.
- Set the beans aside until you need them later.
Make the chimichangas
- Place a large tortilla on a flat surface. Add a generous amount of beans, chicken filling, shredded cheese, chopped tomato, red onion, and green onions.
- Fold over the opposite sides of the tortilla over the filling. Then, roll the ingredients up like a burrito. Secure it with toothpicks if you want to (I recommend it).
- Fill a large pot with about 2 inches of frying oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 360ºF (180ºC).
- Add the burrito to the hot oil. Place the "open side" down first. This will cook it into place so it doesn't fall apart.
- Leave the chimichanga to fry until it becomes golden brown. Keep turning it until the entire burrito has been fried.
- Once cooked, remove it from the oil and drain it on paper towel. Remove the toothpicks.
- Serve these immediately with your favorite accompaniments.
Nutrition
Calories: 356kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 43gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 772mgPotassium: 222mgFiber: 9gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 343IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 982mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!