Doesn't chicken chimichangas sound delicious? Well, they are. This dish has been around forever, but it's recently gained popularity because of its ease and simplicity. You'll love this dish if you've craved Mexican food but don't want to spend too much time or effort preparing it.
While they are typically served fried, you can also cook them air fryer style. If you want to make your version, check out our recipes below.
Chile Chicken Chimichanga:
Chimichangas are delicious Mexican food items that originated in New Mexico. The term comes from "Cimitarra" (meaning frying pan). They consist of a flour tortilla stuffed with meat and topped with cheese.
How to Cook Chile Chicken Chimichanga in an Air Fryer?
To cook Chile Chicken Chimichangas in Air Fryer, cut chicken into small pieces and mix with some spices such as pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf. Then place all ingredients inside the air fryer basket and cook for about 10 minutes at 350°F. Serve hot.
Tools You’ll Need:
The pieces of equipment you will need to cook a chimichanga include an air fryer, a pan, a pizza cutter, a spatula, a plate, two bowls, a cutting board, a knife, and a stovetop.
How Long It Takes to Cook:
The average cooking time for one chimichanga in an Air Fryer is about 10 minutes. It means that you could probably cook 4-5 chimichangas at once. However, I recommend doing 2-3 batches per batch size.
Recipe 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-8 minutes
Servings: 3 Servings
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces shredded leftover or rotisserie chicken breast
- Juice of 1/2 navel orange
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- One large garlic clove, minced
- One teaspoon of ground cumin
- One can (4 oz) of mild diced green chiles, drained
- Four low-carb whole wheat tortillas (I used La Tortilla Factory, 7- to 8-inches each
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese, 2 oz total
- Olive oil spray
- 3 cups shredded lettuce
- Four tablespoons of sour cream
- 4 ounces avocado
Directions
- Mix the tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste in a small bowl to make Pico de Gallo.
- Mix the chicken, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and chiles that you have drained in a large bowl for the chimichangas. Mix everything well.
- Put one-quarter of the chicken mixture (almost 3/4 cup) on a work surface's bottom third of a tortilla. Each one gets two tablespoons of cheese. The edge closest to you should be lifted and wrapped around the filling. Next, fold the left and right sides toward the middle and keep rolling until you have a tight cylinder. Put the seam side down and set it aside. Do the same with the rest of the tortillas and filling.
- Set the air fryer's temperature to 400°F.
- Oil all sides of the chimichangas with a light spray. Put two chimichangas' seam side down in the air fryer basket. (Make sure each chimichanga is tightly wrapped and placed seam side down in the basket, or it will open while cooking.) Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, flipping until golden and crisp. (For an air fryer that looks like a toaster oven, cook at 350°F; the time stays the same.) Do the same thing with the rest of the chimichangas.
- Serve right away.
Nutrition Information
- 270Calories,
- 14gTotal Fat,
- 16gProtein,
- 19gTotal Carbohydrate,
- 2gSugars
Recipe 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3 Servings
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- One tablespoon of vegetable oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- ½ (8 ounces) package of cheese, softened
- 1 (4 ounces) of green chiles
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons chicken taco seasoning mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Avocado oil cooking spray
Directions
- Preheat a fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and cook for 4 to 6 minutes until they are soft and transparent. Next, add the chicken, Neufchâtel cheese, green chiles, broth, taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until the ingredients are well mixed and the Neufchâtel is evenly mixed in.
- Heat tortillas in a large pan or right on the grates of a gas stove until they are soft and easy to work. Put 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture and a heaping tablespoon of Mexican cheese in the middle of each tortilla. To make a burrito, fold the top and bottom of the tortilla over the filling and roll it up. Spray cooking spray on the food and put it in the basket of an air fryer.
- Cook in the air for 4 to 6 minutes. Turn each chimichanga over, spray it with cooking spray, and air-fry for another 2 to 4 minutes until it is lightly browned.
Nutrition Information (per serving)
- 455 Calories
- 21g Fat
- 41g Carbs
- 25g Protein
Recipe 3
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3 Servings
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Chicken Breast
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Cream Cheese
- 4 Ounces Green Chilies
- 1/2 Cup Spring Onions
- One teaspoon of Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
- 3 Flour Tortillas
- Cooking Spray
Directions
- Shred a cooked chicken breast (use leftover Roasted Chicken or Rotisserie Chicken)
- Mix the chicken, cumin, and oregano.
- Put the green peppers into the chicken.
- Add spring onions and Cheddar cheese to the chicken.
- Chicken with Cream Cheese
- Stir to mix the chicken mixture all the way through.
- Put the flour tortilla on a flat surface and put 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture on it.
- Fold the flour tortilla's edge over the chicken mixture.
- Fold the tortilla's sides.
- Roll tortilla
- Fold one side of the tortilla and roll it up.
- Prepared to air-fry
- Spray cooking spray on the bottom of the Air Fryer (I like to use Butter Spray)
- Chimichangas should be put in the Air Fryer, and the tops of the tortillas should be sprayed.
- Cook for 8 minutes at 400° Air-fry Chimichangas for two more minutes at 400°.
- Enjoy. It tastes great with red or green enchilada sauce, salsa, cilantro, onions, jalapenos, and cheese.
Nutrition Information:
- Calories: 336
- Total Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Cholesterol: 103mg
Storage:
Please put them in a container with dry ice or ice packs. The dish will stay fresh longer if kept in a cool place. If you don't have any containers, individually wrap each one in plastic wrap.
Variations:
- If you want to add more flavor to your dish, try adding spices such as paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic salt, oregano, black pepper, etc.
- To make it healthier, try using lower fat versions of the ingredients like reduced fat cheddar cheese and light sour cream.
- Use whole wheat flour tortillas instead of white flour ones.
You Should Read More: Best Air Fryer Reviews
Why should You Choose This Recipe?
The best thing about cooking chili chicken chimichangas in an air fryer is that you don't need any oil. It means you save money and reduce health risks from frying foods. Plus, they taste great.
What did Everyone Say?
Everyone says that cooking chimichanga in an air fryer is easy, fast, and cheap. The best part is that you don't need any oil. I've tried cooking chili chicken chimichangas in my air fryer, and they were delicious. The best part was that the air fryer simultaneously made them crispy and juicy. They also taste great reheated for lunch.
Why this Recipe is My Favorite:
This recipe for Chile chicken chimichanga is one of my favorites to cook in the air fryer because it's straightforward to prepare and makes a delicious meal.
Common Mistakes:
The first mistake when cooking Chile Chicken Chimichanga is not adding enough oil into the pan. Secondly, cook the chicken until golden brown, then add the cheese and onions.
Some Extra Tips:
- You need to remove the lid from the chimichanga after about 20 minutes and flip it over.
- Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
How to make the World's BEST Chimichanga!
Statistics/Analysis:
Cart for Total Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Total Carbohydrate 41g 15% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Total Sugars 3g
Source: allrecipes.com
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. How do you roll a chimichanga?
A chimichanga is rolled with two hands, one holding the dough while the other flatten it into an even circle. Then you stuff the chimichanga with cheese, sour cream, beans, rice, and meat. You then fold the edges and pinch them together before rolling up the dough again. The final step is to fry the chimichanga.
2. Of what is Mexican white sauce made?
The main ingredients of this delicious sauce are tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice.
3. What’s the difference between a chimichanga and a burrito?
A chimichanga is a Mexican food dish consisting of meat or cheese wrapped inside a flour tortilla. At the same time, a burrito is a traditional Mexican food dish consisting of ground beef or chicken stuffed into a soft cornmeal shell with other ingredients such as lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, salsa, rice, beans, and sometimes even sour cream.
4. What’s the difference between an enchilada and a chimichanga?
An Enchilada is made with ground beef, cheese, corn tortillas, and chili sauce. A Chimichanga is a stuffed flour tortilla filled with meat.
5. Can you put frozen burritos in an air fryer?
You can put frozen burritos in an Air Fryer; they will be crispy and delicious.
Conclusion:
Chile Chicken Chimichanga is usually served at parties or special occasions because its simplicity and deliciousness allow everyone to enjoy it regardless of their culinary skills. In addition, the air frying technique brings new flavors to the dish without adding too much time or effort. So, don't waste any more time and start cooking. We hope our article seems informative to you.
Chester’s expertise in air fryer cooking stems from her belief that air frying is one of the healthiest and most convenient cooking methods. Her recipes are designed to make the most of the air fryer’s unique cooking properties, producing crispy and delicious meals without excessive oil.
