Baked chicken chimichangas are flour tortillas rolled around a cheesy, salsa-seasoned chicken filling, brushed with melted butter and baked crisp and golden, with no deep fryer in sight. They are a quick weeknight dinner and a smart way to use up leftover chicken.
How to make baked chicken chimichangas: Mix cooked chicken with salsa, cumin, oregano, cheddar cheese and green onions. Put about 1/3 cup in the center of each flour tortilla, fold in the sides and roll up. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet, brush with melted butter and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
Why You’ll Love It
- Baked, not fried. A brush of melted butter crisps the tortillas in the oven.
- Uses cooked chicken. Leftover or rotisserie chicken goes straight into the bowl.
- Ten minutes of prep. Stir, roll and bake.
- Freezer friendly. Assemble a batch and freeze it unbaked for later.
Ingredient Notes
Cooked chicken. Two cups, chopped or shredded.
Salsa. One cup of your favorite, plus more for serving.
Ground cumin and dried oregano. One teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano leaves, crushed.
Cheddar cheese. One cup, shredded.
Green onions. Two, chopped, which is about 1/4 cup.
Flour tortillas. Six, 8 inches across.
Butter. Two tablespoons, melted, for brushing.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 green onions, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 6 flour tortillas, 8-inch
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
How to Make Baked Chicken Chimichangas
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Mix the filling. Mix the cooked chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheddar cheese and green onions.
3. Fill and roll. Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over the filling, then roll up from the bottom.
4. Butter and bake. Place the chimichangas seam-side down on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Because the chicken was cooked earlier, check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.
5. Serve. Add the toppings you like and serve with salsa on the side.
How to Reheat Chicken Chimichangas So They Crisp Again
A chimichanga that has spent a night in the refrigerator loses its crunch. The tortilla softens. The oven or an air fryer can bring some of that crispness back. A microwave will heat it but leave it soft.
Crisp is only half the job. Leftovers also have to be hot all the way through, and “warmed through” is not a temperature. Push a food thermometer into the center of the filling and look for 165°F.
| Goal | What to do |
|---|---|
| A crisp tortilla again | Reheat in a hot oven or in an air fryer |
| A safely hot center | Check for 165°F with a food thermometer |
| Even heating | Cover the food while it reheats, then uncover to crisp |
| What to avoid | Stopping when the outside feels hot, or reheating in a slow cooker |
I am not giving a reheating time or oven setting here, because the recipe does not supply one and I do not want to guess. Go by the thermometer.
Tips for Success
How do I roll a chimichanga so it stays closed?
Put the filling in the center, fold two opposite sides over it, then roll up from the bottom. Set it on the baking sheet with the seam facing down.
How much filling goes in each one?
About 1/3 cup. That fills six 8-inch tortillas.
How do I know they are done?
They are golden brown and crispy after about 25 minutes, and the center reads 165°F.
Should I cover them while they bake?
No. The recipe bakes them uncovered on a baking sheet, brushed with butter.
What toppings go on chicken chimichangas?
Diced tomato, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and shredded cheddar cheese are the usual choices.
What Goes in a Chicken Chimichanga?
The filling is simple: cooked chicken and salsa with shredded cheddar and chopped green onion, seasoned with cumin and oregano. There is nothing to brown and nothing to simmer. You stir it together in one bowl. Everything is already cooked, so the oven only has to heat the middle and brown the outside. Chop or shred the chicken into small pieces so each tortilla rolls up neatly.
Can You Freeze Chimichangas Before Baking?
Yes. Assembled, unbaked chimichangas can be wrapped and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator, not on the counter, then brush with butter and bake.
How Long Does It Take?
About 35 minutes: 10 minutes to mix and roll and 25 minutes in the oven. The recipe makes 6 chimichangas.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in covered, shallow containers and to use them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat them to 165°F, measured with a food thermometer, and use dry heat, not the microwave, if you want the tortilla crisp. Do not reheat them in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
For more easy chicken dinners from the oven, try oven baked 3-ingredient creamy chicken, Ritz cracker chicken casserole or the chicken broccoli Alfredo pasta bake. To cook chicken ahead for this recipe, make 4-ingredient slow cooker chicken. Other family chicken nights: 4-ingredient French onion chicken and chicken and dumplings with biscuits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I reheat chicken chimichangas so they crisp up and reach 165°F?
Use the oven or an air fryer for crispness, and check the center with a food thermometer for 165°F.
What goes in a chicken chimichanga?
In this recipe: cooked chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheddar cheese and green onions, rolled in a flour tortilla.
Can chimichangas be baked in the oven?
Yes. These bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, brushed with melted butter, and come out crisp.
Can I assemble and freeze them before baking?
Yes, for up to 3 months, wrapped. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
I roll these seam-side down and brush the butter right to the edges, because the buttered parts are the ones that crisp. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Baked Chicken Chimichangas
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Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken chopped or shredded
- 1 cup salsa your favorite
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves crushed
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 green onions chopped; about 1/4 cup
- 6 flour tortillas 8-inch
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix the cooked chicken, salsa, cumin, oregano, cheddar cheese and green onions.
- Place about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla. Fold opposite sides over the filling, then roll up from the bottom.
- Place the chimichangas seam-side down on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Because the chicken was cooked earlier, check that the center reaches 165°F with a food thermometer.
- Add the toppings you like and serve with salsa on the side.
