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I’ve mentioned before that my husband Jack used to work at a popular Mexican Restaurant called The Edgewater Café, in a small, out-of-the-way coastal town about an hour north of Boston. These Chicken Chimichangas were one of the most popular dishes on the menu.
To continue the story – whenever I went to that same restaurant (not knowing years ago that my future husband was working back in the kitchen!), the two things I ALWAYS ordered off the menu were the chile con queso appetizer and these chicken chimichangas. So can you imagine how thrilled I am that Jack now makes these for me at home?!?
These chicken chimichangas are filled with moist and delicious Mexican pulled chicken and a blend of cheeses, then deep fried until perfectly crisp and golden on the outside. Then the chimi’s are smothered in a white cream sauce that has the perfect amount of heat and seasonings – this is my idea of Mexican comfort food!
We’re also sharing a restaurant tip with you today! The best way to hold the folded tortilla shells together when frying these chicken chimichangas is to use a stainless steel bulldog or binder clip (see example here
) on each end! Just be sure to buy the stainless steel versions and not the clips that are painted black because the paint will come off when you are frying the chimichangas in the oil.
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Chicken Chimichangas
Bulldog Clips (mentioned above) are preferred over binder clips for this recipe because they have a flat surface that would pinch the tortilla end without leaving an impression in the tortilla. But binder clips will work in a ‘pinch’ (ha ha)! We couldn’t find the correct size bulldog clips so we used the binder clips in our version picture here. Either way, it doesn’t affect the taste of the finished chimichanga and both kinds of clips do a great job holding the tortilla closed during the frying process.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter (4 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken stock, heated
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 4 ounce can chopped green chilies, drained
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
- 1 teaspoon or more of Rocket Fuel, or your favorite hot sauce
- 4 flour tortillas
- 8 ounces Mexican Pulled Chicken
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 4 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- Vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 1/2 to 2 inch Stainless steel bull dog clips or binder clips (available in any office supply store)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the raw flour smell is gone.
- Add heated chicken stock 1/3 at a time stirring with a wire whip for each third. This step will ensure no lumps.
- Add sour cream, chilies, cayenne and Rocket Fuel and stir. If you like it spicy, use more Rocket Fuel. Remove from heat or keep sauce on low heat until ready for service.
- Fill the center of each tortilla with warmed Mexican Pulled Chicken and both cheeses.
- Start rolling away from you in a tight roll until you reach the end, then flip the roll back to have seam side up. Now fold each end up and over about an inch or so and bind with stainless steel clips.
- Heat enough oil in a heavy bottomed pot to 350 degrees using a thermometer to get to the correct temperature.
- Place two chimichangas in the hot oil making sure they are completely covered by the oil and cook until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. (Hold down with a metal strainer if necessary). Remove to paper towels and drain, then hold in warm oven. Heat oil back to 350 degrees and cook the other two chimichangas.
- With a pot holder or towel, gently remove hot binder clip.
- Place on serving platter and cover with the sauce.
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You may also like:
Rocket Fuel (Homemade Hot Sauce)
Chicken Enchiladas with White Sauce
OMG, these look incredible! I am really hungry now. 🙂
Thanks Sara!
I have been many times to the restaurant. When I moved to Arizona my husband a native took me to a Mexican restaurant. To my surprise no white sauce and there was no hamburger. Green and red sauce and shredded beef what?……oh I want to go home…. Thanks for the recipe. My husband is laughing right now.
Thanks Reece!! If you try our recipe I hope it’s as good as you remember!
The green and red sauce is chile and of course shredded beef! It’s what your suppose to make it with! (I’m a native too)
Thanks – We have a beef version on our site too! 🙂
These look and sound so delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Rosie!
These sound SOOOOOO good!
Thanks Dorothy!
Can you make this in the oven? I would love to try these but am trying to get away from deep frying things if I can.
Hi Andrea! You can bake these but it would be more like a burrito than a chimichanga! We would recommend that you put sauce over it before baking. Let us know if you have any other questions! Martha
Next time you have Mexican night, please make these and please invite me over! Everything looks sooo delicious!
Will do Tanya!! Thanks for stopping by!
I am loving the wonderful mexican dishes you have brought over the past few posts! Each one is more enticing than the one before! Thanks for sharing these fabulous recipes!!!
Thanks Carol!!
yumm. everything about these have my mouth watering. love that white sauce, too!
Thanks Katie!
or just use toothpicks to hold it together.
Anyway, they look amazing! I love chimichangas.
oh how I adore Mexican food! Thank you a million times, to both you and your husband 😉
What a TREAT to have such deliciousness prepared for you! I think I may need to try this 🙂
What do you use the oven for?
Hi – See step 8 – we have you put the first chimichangas warm in the oven to stay warm while you fry the remainder. You can of course, serve them immediately if you’d prefer or if you aren’t worried about serving all of them at the same time.
Thanks! It was so good! I’m 12 and I could make it! It was so easy!