If you love Mexican food, but don’t like the price of eating out, this week’s $10 Family Dinner post is for you! You can have all this food on the table in about 30 minutes (if your chicken is already cooked – this is a great way to use up leftover chicken!) –– and your whole family will love these baked chicken chimichangas!
If you don’t like cilantro, you can easily leave it out or swap it out for another flavor like garlic, lime, or parsley. You can also feel free to add other Mexican toppings like black olives and sour cream to the chimichangas (if you don’t mind going a little over $10).
These chimichangas reheat well the next day in the oven or toaster oven, so leftovers are a good thing, if you happen to have them!
Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice Dinner Menu:
- Chicken Chimichangas
- Cilantro Rice
This post is part of our $10 Dinner Ideas series, brought to you by Brigette on our team! Each week, she shares easy, delicious, and affordable dinner ideas that cost less than $10 to make, use everyday ingredients, and are super quick meals.
Ingredients for Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice:
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (Aldi – $2.49/lb) — $2
- 3/4 cup salsa (Aldi – $1.99 for 24oz) — $0.50
- 2 cans refried beans (Aldi) – $1.78
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Aldi – $3.29 for 3 cups) — $1.65
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bag of flour tortilla (I used 8 large ones, but you can use 10-12 smaller ones) (Publix) – $1.86
- 2 cups uncooked rice (or 6 cups cooked) (Aldi – 7.5 cups for $1.99) – $0.53
- Chopped cilantro, chopped green onion (Aldi) – $0.45
- 4 tablespoons of oil (Aldi – $2.89 for 96 tablespoons) — $0.12
Dinner Grand Total: $8.89 (Serves 6)
How to make Baked Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice:
1. Cook the rice following the directions on the bag.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine ground chicken, refried beans, 2 chopped green onions, salsa and spices. Add the chopped cheese and mix well.
4. Lay the tortillas out and evenly divide the filling between your tortillas, placing a scoop in the center of each tortilla.
5. Fold the opposite sides over the filling and roll like a burrito.
6. Place the rolled burritos on a cookie sheet and brush them with 3 tablespoons of oil.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees, until the filling is warm and the tortillas are red.
8. While the chimichangas are baking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add 2 chopped onions and chopped cilantro to taste. Fry until tender.
9. Add the cooked rice and heat. Add salt to taste.
10. Serve the rice next to the chimichangas. Top with additional salsa, cheese, cilantro, and green onion, as desired (or sour cream, black olives, etc).
Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice
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Ingredients
Ingredients for Chicken Chimichangas:
- 2 cups cooked minced chicken
- 3/4 cup the salsa
- 2 cans of refried beans
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 a teaspoon chili powder
- 1 a teaspoon cumin
- 1 a teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 chopped green onion
- Cilantro to taste
- 1 flour tortilla bag I used the largest 8, but you can use a smaller 10-12
Ingredients for Cilantro Rice:
- 2 cups uncooked rice or 6 cups cooked
- 1 A spoon fat
- 2 chopped green onion
- Cilantro to taste
Instructions
-
Cook the rice according to the directions on the bag.
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, refried beans, 2 chopped green onions, salsa and spices. Add the chopped cheese and mix well.
-
Lay the tortillas out and evenly divide the filling between your tortillas, placing a scoop in the center of each tortilla.
-
Fold the opposite sides over the filling and roll like a burrito.
-
Place the rolled burritos on a cookie sheet and brush them with 3 tablespoons of oil.
-
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees, until the filling is warm and the tortillas are brown.
-
While the chimichangas are baking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add 2 chopped onions and chopped cilantro to taste. Fry until tender.
-
Add the cooked rice and heat. Add salt to taste.
-
Serve the rice alongside the chimichangas. Top with additional salsa, cheese, cilantro, and green onions, as desired (or sour cream, black olives, etc.).
Notes
If you don’t like cilantro, you can easily leave it out or swap it out for another flavor like garlic, lime, or parsley. You can also feel free to add other Mexican toppings like black olives and sour cream to the chimichangas (if you don’t mind going a little over $10).
Nutritious food
Calories: 704kcal | Carbohydrates: 121g | Protein: 26g | Oil: 11g | Saturated Fats: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 3g | Trans Fats: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 715mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 534IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 230mg | Iron: 2mg
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Chimichanga FAQs:
These chicken chimichangas are filled with shredded chicken, refried beans, salsa, and typical Mexican spices. The perfect weeknight dinner.
After filling and wrapping, the burritos are served as-is, while the chimichangas are deep fried. Also, cold toppings go into the burrito, but more like chimichanga.
Typically, chimichangas are deep fried after filling, which makes them high in calories and saturated fat. Instead, you can bake them, like in this recipe.
Possible toppings for chimichanga include extra salsa, cheese, cilantro, green onions, black olives, sour cream, guacamole, queso sauce, lettuce, or tomatoes.
More Family Dinner Ideas Under $10:
Also, be sure to check out all of our easy dinner recipes here!
If you make this easy family dinner, we’d love for you to leave a review and let us know how it went!
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