A chimichanga can be filled with anything from the green chili chicken I use here, to carnitas, carne asada, al pastor pork, shredded beef, rice, beans, and cheese.  But I would caution against overfilling the tortilla both from the standpoint of it making it harder to roll and keep together while frying, and from the perspective that an authentic chimichanga is litle more than just a fried tortilla with meat inside.  The fixings, like with tacos, are served on top or on the side along with Mexican rice and refried beans.

It’s the ratio of meat to shell creating a meaty, crispy packet that is my favorite feature of a good chimichanga and one reason why I prefer them homemade rather than ordered from a Tex-Mex chain.  The chimichangas I often get at Mexican restaurants are often stuffed with rice and beans and much less meat, and I find them much less satisfying.

Regardless of what you decide to put into a chimichanga, be sure that the filling is already hot since the time it takes to fry up the exterior of a batch of chimichangas isn’t long enough to heat it all the way through if the filling goes in cold.

How to make chimichangas

1. Start by cooking the meat for the filling.  Any shredded chicken can be used – even a rotisserie chicken or leftovers from a previous meal.  But I typically start from scratch and just bake 4 chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper in the oven on a sheet pan at 375 degrees F. for about 20-25 minutes until they are 165 degrees F. when tested with an instant-read meat thermometer.  Shred with a couple of forks after they have had a chance to cool for a few minutes.  They don’t really need any extra seasoning since that all happens when they get added to the green chili filling.
2. Saute the chopped onions in two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat until they just start to soften.
3. Add the diced green chilies and cook for another minute.
4. Sprinkle the flour, cumin, and garlic powder over the onions and green chilies and stir in, cooking for about 30 seconds more before adding the green chili salsa or salsa verde, shredded chicken, and chicken broth and stirring to combine.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened and the shredded chicken has absorbed the juices, then remove from the heat and begin to fill the tortillas.
6. Warm the tortillas in a microwave under a damp paper towel until pliable, about 60 seconds.
7. Scoop a generous amount (about 1/2 cup) of the green chili chicken filling onto each tortilla, then fold in both sides and the bottom, rolling it up just like you would a burrito and tucking in the sides to create a tight packet.  Secure with toothpicks.
8. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  You can deep fry the chicken chimichangas if you want, but I find that about 1 cup of oil is more than enough to pan-fry all of my chimichangas this way.
9. Carefully place 3-4 chimichangas, seam side down, into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy, then use tongs to carefully flip and fry on the other side until crispy and brown as well.
10. Remove the cooked chimichangas from the pan and set on a paper towel-lined plate while you cook the remaining chimichangas.
11. Remove the toothpicks that were used to secure each chimichanga, then serve the warm chimichangas with all of the fixings.
12. You can store leftovers in the fridge, although they won’t be as good the next day.  I prefer to only make as many chimichangas as I think we will eat, then keep any leftover filling in a container in the fridge or freezer until I am ready to make more, then reheat it before adding it to the tortillas and frying them fresh.

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