The Best Chicken Chimichangas (Air Fryer Recipe)

Enjoying a chicken chimichanga used to be a guilty pleasure, but no longer! With this air fryer recipe, we can indulge in this Mexican restaurant favorite without the guilt.

This easy recipe has everything we love about Mexican food, all wrapped up in a crispy, golden brown package. It’s loaded with flavorful chicken, rice, beans and cheese that get melty and yummy in the air fryer, and you can top it with anything you like.

I promise, it’ll be a family favorite in your house just like mine. 

What is a Chimichanga?

Simply stated, chimichangas are deep-fried burritos. Chimichangas traditionally start with a flour tortilla and consist of fillings like rice, beans, cheese and a protein like shredded chicken or ground beef. 

Then, the entire thing is dropped into hot oil, resulting in a crispy shell with warm, gooey insides. 

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this chicken chimichanga recipe:

• Shredded chicken breasts. Make things easy and grab a rotisserie chicken. This is also a great way to use up leftover chicken!
• Mexican rice. Also known as Spanish rice, it’s typically red or orange in color. You can use a boxed mix or whip up my easy Mexican rice recipe. 
• Refried beans. You can find them canned in the Latin aisle of the grocery store. 
• Cheddar cheese. I like to use sharp cheddar for the most flavor.
• Taco Sauce. This is the liquid stuff, not dry taco seasoning. A little goes a long way to infuse lots of great flavor into our chimichanga filling. 
• Flour tortillas. Look for a large tortilla, often labeled “burrito size”.

How to Make Chicken Chimichangas

Combine your Ingredients

Grab a large mixing bowl and put in your shredded chicken, rice, beans, grated cheese and taco sauce. You don’t need to heat anything up, the air fryer will take care of that.

Mix everything together until you have a cohesive mixture. 

Assemble the Chimichanga

Now, spread about 1/4 of your filling onto a large flour tortilla. Be sure to leave space between the filling and the edges of the tortilla so you can fold it. 

Then, fold one half of the tortilla over the filling and tuck it under a little with your fingers. Take the two edges and fold them over the filling as well.

Now, continue folding until your tortilla is seam side down on your work surface. 

Air Fry the Chimichangas

Now, just follow the air frying instructions in the recipe card below and you’ll have crispy, golden brown chimichangas without any of the frying! 

Watch how to make Chicken Chimichangas!

Serving Suggestions

Garnish your chimichangas with your favorite toppings like salsa, pico de gallo, chopped green onion and cilantro, sour cream, hot sauce and guacamole. 

Variations

1. The protein. Experiment with ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef or even shrimp in this recipe. For a vegetarian version, try using plant-based crumbles or strips of seitan. 

2. The cheese. Instead of cheddar, you might like Monterey jack cheese or a Mexican cheese blend. 

3. The beans. Not a refried beans fan? Try black beans instead. 

Storage Instructions

The best way to store leftover chimichangas is in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil.

Reheat them in the air fryer or a warm oven to help restore their crispy texture.

FAQs

When you make this chicken chimichanga recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a rating or leave a comment below. Enjoy! 

For more Mexican favorites, try these:

• Crispy Baked Tacos with Ground Turkey
• Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burritos
• Chicken Chalupa Supreme Recipe