If you love Mexican food, but don’t love the price of eating out, this week’s $10 Family Dinner post is for you! You can have this entire meal on the table in around 30 minutes (if your chicken is already cooked — this is a great way to use up leftover chicken!) –– and your entire family will love these baked chicken chimichangas!
If you don’t love cilantro, you can easily leave it out or swap it 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 bit over $10).
These chimichangas also reheat nicely the next day in the oven or toaster oven, so leftovers are a good thing, if you happen to have any!
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 family-friendly 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 diced 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 flour tortillas (I used 8 extra large, but you could 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 onions (Aldi) — $0.45
- 4 Tablespoons oil (Aldi – $2.89 for 96 tablespoons) — $0.12
Grand Total for Dinner: $8.89 (Serves 6)
How to Make Baked Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice:
1. Cook the rice according to directions on the bag.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the diced chicken, refried beans, 2 chopped green onions, salsa and spices. Add the shredded 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 opposite sides over the filling and then roll up like a burrito.
6. Place rolled up 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 browned.
8. While chimichangas are baking, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Stir in 2 chopped onions and chopped cilantro to taste. Sauté until tender.
9. Add in the cooked rice and heat through. Add salt to taste.
10. Serve the rice alongside the chimichangas. Top with additional salsa, cheese, cilantro, and greens onions, as desired (or sour cream, black olives, etc).
Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice
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Ingredients
Ingredients for Chicken Chimichangas:
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 2 cans refried beans
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 chopped green onions
- Cilantro to taste
- 1 bag flour tortillas I used 8 extra large, but you could use 10-12 smaller ones
Ingredients for Cilantro Rice:
- 2 cups uncooked rice or 6 cups cooked
- 1 Tablespoon oil
- 2 chopped green onions
- Cilantro to taste
Instructions
-
Cook the rice according to directions on the bag.
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-
In a mixing bowl, stir together the diced chicken, refried beans, 2 chopped green onions, salsa and spices. Add the shredded 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 opposite sides over the filling and then roll up like a burrito.
-
Place rolled up 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 browned.
-
While chimichangas are baking, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Stir in 2 chopped onions and chopped cilantro to taste. Sauté until tender.
-
Add in the cooked rice and heat through. Add salt to taste.
-
Serve the rice alongside the chimichangas. Top with additional salsa, cheese, cilantro, and greens onions, as desired (or sour cream, black olives, etc).
Notes
Nutrition
Chimichanga FAQs:
These chicken chimichangas are filled with shredded chicken, refried beans, salsa, and typical Mexican spices. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner.
After filling and folding, burritos are served as-is, while chimichangas are then deep-fried. Also, cold toppings go in a burrito, but they top a chimichanga.
Typically, chimichangas are deep-fried after filling them, making them high in calories and saturated fat. Instead, you can bake them, like in this recipe.
Potential chimichanga toppings include additional salsa, cheese, cilantro, green onions, black olives, sour cream, guacamole, queso sauce, lettuce, or tomatoes.
More Ideas for Family Dinners Under $10:
- Baked Potato Bar
- Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Chicken Alfredo and Roasted Carrots
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Chicken Alfredo Soup and World’s Easiest Biscuits
- Lazy Lasagna Casserole
- Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup with Easy 30 Minute Dinner Rolls
- Meat and Potato Crust Quiche with Flax Muffins
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Creamy Tortellini Soup and Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
And, be sure to check out all 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 turned out!
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