2 Chili Chimichangas on a plate, covered in Colby Jack Cheese, Sour Cream, chopped Cilantro and Green onion.

The Best Chimichangas

Why is it that everything gets better when it’s fried? A Chimichanga is just a fried burrito and you can put anything you want in them; beef, chicken, carnitas or, in this case, chili. My chili recipe is incredible, too. That’s why it’s called Amazing Chili. And you’re going to need this recipe or one you like well enough to make these Chimi’s. Technically, you can use canned chili but I would only do it as a last resort.

My cold left over “Amazing Chili” in a round Tupperware container.

Tricks to make Great Chimichangas

It’s all about the filling. You can stuff a chimichanga with beans and cheese, beef, pork, chicken or whatever your little heart desires, practically. That’s why it’s genius to use chili to fill your burritos before they’re fried because chili can be made with any of those meats I just mentioned. So just imagine the possibilities.

One of the tricks is to use a thick chili recipe. Refrigerating my chili over night thickens it even more and it makes it easier to fill the tortilla’s before you roll them.

One package of fresh Flour Tortilla’s from my local Mexican Market.

It’s also important to use a good tortilla. If you’re buying the Mission tortillas or something else at you’re grocery store, you’re chimichangas aren’t going to turn out nearly as good as they could be. Go to your local Tortilleria or Mexican Market, where they stock fresh Flour tortilla’s. They’re just as cheap but 10x the quality.

One crispy fried Chili Chimichanga on a paper towel, sitting on the counter top.

Making, Storing and Frying Chimi’s

Burritos are easy to make. You just add all of the ingredients to the center of a flat flour tortilla, fold the left and right sides, then roll the tortilla from the back to the front. If done right, these burritos can be placed in zip lock or vacuum sealed bag and stored in the freezer.

Frying the burritos can be done in shallow oil or deep fried, which ever your preference. In the video tutorial I use a medium sized pan with 3/4 of an inch of canola oil in the bottom. I heat the pan over medium low heat and fry the burritos for about a minute on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Once the burritos are fried, you now have a Chimichanga.

Chili Chimichanga video tutorial by PoorMansGourmet.

chili Chimichangas Ingredients:

1 doz Flour Tortillas
1 qt. Thick Chili, homemade or canned
1 cup Canola Oil

Toppings Optional
1 lbs Cheese, grated
1 cup Sour Cream
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
2 Green Onions, chopped

Sometimes I like to add my Chili Verde or red Enchilada sauce, right over the top of the Chimichangas before I add the toppings. You can also place the chimichangas in the oven, under a broiler, to melt the cheese before you add the other toppings. Be sure to watch the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make these Chili Chimichangas.

Taco Time Crisp Chicken Burritos

If you’ve never had fried Crisp Chicken Burritos, you’re really missing out. Most folks would just call these Chicken Chimichanga’s, and they wouldn’t be wrong either, but Taco Time likes to call them Crisp Burrito’s. I filmed and posted Taco Time’s Fried Crisp Bean Burrito recipe a while back, which is their original recipe, and those are phenomenal but they introduced these a few years later, with their beef recipe, and they quickly became one of my new favorite burritos. I order these every time I hit the drive through. You can make the Beef Crisp Burritos, using this same concept, by referring to my Chili No Beans recipe, if you’re interested.

Crisp Chicken Burritos Filling

The filling recipe for these Crisp Chicken Burritos is very simple and easy to make. It consists of four parts; cooked ground chicken, chopped onion, chopped green chili’s and cream cheese. Technically you could get away with using canned chicken, if you want to make it even easier, but I find that cooking my own chicken tastes better and it reduces the sodium content drastically. Now all you have to do is salt and pepper to taste.

Frying Crisp Chicken Burritos

The secret to Frying an open end Crisp Chicken Burrito is simple. Place about 4 ounces of the chicken and cream cheese mix in the center of a flour tortilla and spread it thin in the middle, leaving about a half inch of space on each end of the tortilla. Rolling the burrito tight is very important and sealing the end of the tortilla with a flour paste will insure that the burrito won’t unroll or unravel while frying. I can use a tooth pic to keep them together, if you prefer, but this is the professional way to do it.

Crisp Chicken Burritos Ingredients:

16 Flour Tortillas

2 lbs Ground Chicken, Breast, Thighs or both
8 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 Onion, chopped
4 oz Green Chilies, chopped
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika, (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Flour Paste
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 cup of water

Oil for frying

Follow the directions in my Crisp Chicken Burritos video tutorial and deep fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Tag: chicken chimichanga

Chili Chimichangas