Many, many, years ago, in Tucson, Arizona, a cook accidentally dropped a burrito into a deep fryer. Since it was too late to save, she let it fry, and decided to have it for lunch. When one of the other cooks asked her what it was, she called it a "thing-a-ma-jig," which in Spanish translates to chimichanga. Yes, with one serendipitous splash into the fryer, the chimichanga was born. While traditionally deep-fried, this home version uses the oven for a much easier and lower-fat variation.The great thing about chimichangas is that they can be filled with almost anything – even vegetables if you must. After seeing the video, I hope you give this fun thingamajig a try. If you do, I'd also love to hear what kind of fillings you used. Enjoy!
Click here for ingredients and transcript
Many, many, years ago, in 
21 comments:
Very interesting... That looks sooooooooo good!
Will definately give it a go... but putting jalapenos in there, as well as some finely diced chilly italian sausage!!!! YUM!
What a great video! I love the baking touch. I'll definitely try these, probably filling them with pinto beans, grilled corn, roasted chilis and tomatoes, cheddar, and onions. And plenty of guacamole on top. :)
Chimichangas are one the foods I miss most since leaving northern CA for NYC, crispy on the outside, melty, fatty and spicy on the inside, pure yum.
When you prepare chicken for a filing like this how do you approach it?
The chicken is just leftover roast chicken. Any cooked chicken will work.
thanks! im gonna try one with salmon and peas. mmmm
Sounds great Chef John...Just a question about the size of the tortillas. They come in many sizes now.
get the largest size u can. these were 12"
If you wanted to make a lot of small ones for hors d'ouerves, can you buy smaller tortillas or would you have to cut down the big ones?
Thanks
yes, u can use smaller ones. they are just a bit harder to fold.
I made some last night with homemade flour tortillas, and practically the same recipe, except chipotle peppers in adobo sauce pureed instead of salsa in the mix, and cheddar in place of monterey-jack (I only buy fat free cheeses of late - it's what I had on hand). Turned out very well. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Chef,
I must say thatI love this recipe...
I change few little things, I didn't have left over chicken, so I chopped up and cooked with garlic&onions.I used a tortilla sun dried oven - fried it a bit till little brown, and follow the recipe - and pop thm in the oven for 15 minutes. They were so deliousious. My 5 year old said to me " wow mommy you cook really good." Thanks to your wounderful recipe.... =)
Genie
This is the famous Chimichanga from the movie "Meet the Fockers". My husband love the film, and will be thrilled and happy if I'll make on of these for him :) Thank you, CHef John! This is the best blog ever!
Hi Chef John :)
Thanks for this video :) I belive this is similar to the Southwest Eggrolls from Chilis Restaurant and I found this copycat recipe video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFVpQMchgww . I've tried it and its sooo delicious :)
Also I've been meaning to find out what is the closest similar substitute for Monterey Jack Cheese? I used Havarti and Edam but i'm not sure.
yes havarti is close!
Just made these with tequila-lime chicken tenders--recipe from the good things catered blog. These are lovely and the results are true to the video. I am very new to cooking, but I will only obey Chef John. My passion for movies--my ode to julia chicken breasts--led me to this wonderful blog. Your videos are superb because of the clear instructions, so far recognizable ingredients, and filling, non-overwelming flavors. The pie is next...will report back afterwards. My family thanks you Chef John.
thanks!!!
EGG WHITES!!!!!!! That's what I've been doing wrong...Thanks!
Martin in Ottawa Can
I totally made this tonight but instead of chicken I used pork tenderloin, It came out great!
And i liked that I didn't have to use a ton of oil too!
I wonder how these would do stuffed with cream cheese...
I´ve tasted here in Mexico with a layer of cream cheese and roasted shreded beef. It´s served in a layer of black beans sauce and garnished with guacamole. Yummy!!!
Going to try, it seems very easy, and tasty..
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