Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Full of flavor but not too spicy. Texture: The very best part. The tortilla is perfectly crisp on the outside, slightly chewy inside while the filling is meaty and cheesy. Is there anything better?? Ease: It didn’t take as much time as I had expected but I will be honest – this recipe does dirty a few dishes and requires hands-on assembly and deep-frying. Appearance: Pretty boring to look at but mouthwatering all the same (I think that goes with most fried food). Pros: So dang delicious. I even reheated the leftovers in my toaster oven and they were fabulous. Cons: Like I said, this recipe is pretty involved and not healthy. So worth it for a special occasion, though. Would I make this again? Yes, but not anytime soon. I think my next fried adventure will be chicken. Mmmm.This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I don’t do a lot of deep-frying. But when I do, it’s pretty magical. There’s not much better in the world of food than perfectly crisp, crunchy, slightly flaky, fried goodness. Luckily, frying can be a bit of a hassle and if you don’t have a great kitchen vent (like me), your house might smell like KFC for the rest of the day. That’s all worth it, though, when you bite into something that makes you close your eyes to savor every taste and texture.
What do you fry on special occasions?
Mini Chicken Chimichangas
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1/2 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1/4 cup prepared salsa
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
- For assembling and frying:
- 16 (5-inch) flour tortillas
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
For the dipping sauce:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the filling:
- In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and poblano pepper and saute for 4-5 minutes, until fragrant and slightly softened. Add corn kernels and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove mixture from heat into a large bowl. Add shredded chicken, salsa, and cheese and mix gently to combine. Season again with salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
To assemble:
- Spoon a small amount of filling into the center of each tortilla. Fold edges towards each other then roll up to make a burrito shape. Place chimichangas on a baking sheet, seam side down.
To fry:
- Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees (measure temperature with a fry thermometer).
- Holding chimichanga together with a pair of heat-safe tongs, carefully place and hold together in the oil for 2 minutes. Gently release the chimichanga and continue to fry for 3-5 minutes more, or until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining chimichangas.
For the dipping sauce:
- Place sour cream, Sriracha, lime zest, lime juice, and salt in a small bowl and combine until completely incorporated. Serve with hot chimichangas.
Awesome recipe! My husband loved them!
My son brought this to school with him for a program. He made a lot of friends after that. Parents also asked for this recipe. This is wonderful and a sure hit. Thanks Tessa! 🙂
Could you bake these?
what is the nutritional value of your mini chimmies?
Love your dish! I cooked your recipe tonight and its awesome with tortilla soup on the side. Post more recipes gladly appreciated!
Made your recipe and it was a HIT. Everyone was raving about them. And the sauce is absolutely Devine. I doubled the recipe (sort of) and made some without the onions and peppers (for the kids). Also I added some refried beans in each mixture, because I felt like it Needed it. 🙂
You can prep them the night before, like I did, and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to deep fry. Thank you so much!
Wow! this is great , I remember the old days in the place where i use to live we have this kind of meal and we call it Empanada, pastry outside and chicken on the inside. we use to eat this during midnight.
VZ 58
What do you do with the rest of the oil? Seems like a ton of oil for just a couple of mini chimichangas – can you save it for another use?
You can definitely save it for another use or two! Just make sure you use a fine strainer or cheesecloth to remove all the bits and impurities out of the cooled oil before storing.
These look really good right now.
Love this recipe. I made it for a pot luck and it was a hit! We'll be having these for dinner next week!
Oh man, these look phenomenal Tessa! I rarely fry either, but will make an exception for things like this (or donuts) 🙂
I'm with you, I rarely deep fry! But these look totally worth it!