Chicken Chimichangas Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes

These chicken chimichangas are crisp on the outside and full of creamy and flavorful shredded chicken, beans, and cheese!

Prep Time15

Cook Time12

Total Time27

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: people

Calories: 412kcal

Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until golden and tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Then add in the tomato sauce, chicken broth, salsa, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
vegetable oil, ½ cup diced yellow onion, ½ cup diced red bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup tomato sauce, ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth, ¼ cup salsa, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground paprika, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, ground black pepper
Bring mixture to a low boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes; stirring frequently until sauce has thickened and reduced by half. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Stir in the sour cream.
2 tablespoons sour cream
Then stir in the cooked chicken, and corn. Mix well and remove from heat, then allow to cool slightly.
3½ cups shredded cooked chicken, ½ cup frozen corn

Spread a heaping ¼ cup of refried beans onto the center of each tortilla.
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas, 1¾ cups refried beans
Then top with ½ cup of the chicken mixture. Flatten the filling into a rectangle shape with the back of a spoon.
Next, top with 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese.
1½ cups shredded Mexican cheese
Fold the bottom of the tortilla snugly over the filling, then fold in the sides. Roll the chimichanga up to the top edge, forming a tight cylinder, and secure the ends with wooden toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Fill a pot or heavy skillet with about 1 inch of vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat to 365℉. Place 2 chimichangas flap side down in the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Remove and drain on paper towels, and remove toothpicks. Repeat frying with remaining chimichangas.

Serve warm topped with sour cream, avocado, salsa, cilantro, cotija cheese and/or queso sauce.

*You can either make your own or buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to save some time.

**Corn tortillas won't hold up well to frying and anything smaller than a burrito-sized tortilla won't be big enough.

Tips:

Stir your sauce until it thickens. You’ll need to stir it while it’s simmering for at least five minutes.
Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.

Storage: Store chicken chimichangas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days, or freeze for 3 months.