Baked Chicken Chimichangas
Baked Chicken Chimichangas are a healthier twist on the old Mexican classic chimichanga recipe. You won’t even miss this chimichanga being fried because they get nice and crispy in this oven-fried version! These chicken chimichangas can easily be made at home for dinner so keep this chicken recipe in your keeper file.
BAKED CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS
Coming back from Hawaii was hard to do. Sunset dinners on the beach, live music, and Chocolate Souffle for dessert.
So this Monday has been exceptionally jarring. Early mornings are not something I easily snap back into.
I’m originally from Mesa, Arizona where phenomenal Mexican restaurants are on every corner. The love for Mexican food is in my blood.
Moving to Florida with the prominent Latin culture I thought I would have the same luxury but good Mexican is surprisingly hard to find.
The closest decent Mexican joint is about a half hour away so I end up making it at home most of the time.
WHAT IS A CHIMICHANGA?
Chimichanga is a Mexican entree that traditionally is a tortilla filled with meat or beans. Chimichangas are basically a burrito that is deep fried.
So when we call these Oven Baked Chicken Chimichangas I guess we should really be calling them Oven Baked Burritos because that’s all it is.
I love chimichangas but they’re usually dripping with grease. Every time I would go to a restaurant as a child I would order a chimichanga.
These oven fried chicken chimichangas were just the taste I was craving and had plenty of crisp that you look for in a chimichanga.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHIMICHANGA AND AN ENCHILADA?
What’s the difference between a chicken chimichanga and an enchilada? Enchiladas are smothered in sauce then baked whereas chimichangas are usually served dry. However, the best chimichanga is fully dressed so make sure you have some fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream to top yours.
BAKED VS. FRIED CHIMICHANGAS
Baking chimichangas is not only so much heart healthier but it saves calories!! Sure, when you fry tortillas they get that crunchy flaky texture, but if you brush these chicken chimichangas with butter and bake at a high heat they will get nice and crispy with half of the calories.
HOW TO MAKE BAKED CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.
- Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
- Brush with melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Garnish with desired toppings and serve with salsa on the side.
OTHER MEXICAN RECIPES:
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Homemade Tortillas
- Pico de Gallo
- Easy Beef Burrito Skillet
- Mexican Stuffed Shells
- Mini Chicken Chimichangas
- Classic Chicken Fajitas
- One-Pan Mexican Chicken and Rice
- One-Pan Chicken Fajita Rice
Baked Chicken Chimichangas
These Baked Chicken Chimichangas are a healthier twist on the old classic chimichanga.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- diced tomato, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and shredded cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.
- Fold opposite sides over filling. Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.
- Brush with melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Garnish with desired toppings and serve with salsa on the side.
Recipe Notes
adapted from Food
These Baked Chicken Chimichangas are healthy!
Absolutely delicious! Adding this to my library !
Looking forward to try this. When you say prominent Latin culture, are you referring to Italian? I hear the word Latin thrown around frequently here in the States but people don’t seem to know the history of it. The Latins were an Italic tribe whose language gave rise to the Romance languages, of which Italian but also Spanish and French are part of.
I plan on trying these tomorrow evening. Could I make them early in the morning?
I made these tonight and the only substitution was sauteed yellow onion for the green. It was a hit!
Awesome!
Tried this last night. Really good. I didn’t have 8 inch flour tortillas so I used what I had and made it about 9.
Added a cheese sauce that I made: 1 can rotel, 1/4 cup velveeta, 2 tablespoons milk (about) and 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheddar. I melted it on the stove.
That sauce sounds good
Sounds delicious!
My 10 year old and I made these last night, they came out excellent! They are a lot easier to make then I thought and had lots of flavor. My family has requested to put this in the weekly dinner rotation .
Awesome! These are one of my favorites.
These were so good! I added 1/2 tsp of onion powder and garlic salt. I debated adding some cream cheese to the filling too, but didn’t have any on hand. I may try that next time to see what it adds. Definitely saving this recipe though.
Awesome! So glad you like it!
For the chicken part of the recipe. It says canned roasted tomatoes but under instructions it says sundried tomatoes. Which is correct, canned roasted or sundried (not talking about the noodle part, I know that’s sundried)?
Regards
Ross Alisha
These were AMAZING!!! My family & I are pescatarian so I use veggie crumbles as a substitute but they were still great. I’m actually in the kitchen now making them again
These sound good and easy. I am wondering…Where is all the sodium coming from in this recipe?
My husband, son, and I loved the chimichangas! Thank you for the great recipe! I will be making them often!
Aww thank you Renae!
This really is a 5 star recipe. Good!
Thank you so much!
I am from Mesa also and I add roasted red peppers instead of salsa to my chicken, the cumin, onions, oregano and no cheese. I use the same for tacos.
You can use corn tortillas for tacos and enchiladas — just warm the tortillas in the oven with a damp cloth over the top. Also the tortillas can be warmed with a light spray of avocado or canola oil.
Put the cheese, guacamole and sour cream with salsa or pico de gallo on top. YUM!
Sounds delicious! Mesa has great Mexican food.
Is the nutritional information listed for 1 or 2 chimichungas?
These were so good! I kinda did my own thing flavoring the chicken, but they cooked up perfectly following the recipe.
These were so good! I wish I didn’t halve the recipe. So much regret. Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome!
could these be made ahead of time and frozen then baked later
Yes, totally.
This is so delicious! Excellent recipe and so filling! Thank you!
Thank you!