Chimichanga appears as a signature dish in 2 United States cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Chimichanga · Phoenix
A deep-fried burro: a flour tortilla wrapped around shredded beef or chicken and beans, fried until golden and blistered, then smothered with cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
Arizona claims the chimichanga as its own, with Tucson's El Charro and Phoenix family kitchens both telling tales of a burro that slipped into the deep fryer mid-century. Whoever dropped the first one, the dish became an Arizona-Mexican signature, distinct from Tex-Mex, and spread across Valley Mexican rooms through the late 20th century. The canonical version is crisp outside, juicy inside, and buried under toppings.
Where to eat in Phoenix:
- Rosita's Place
- Los Sombreros
- Comedor Guadalajara
Chimichanga · Tucson
The chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito stuffed with shredded beef or chicken, beans, rice and cheese, topped with sour cream, guacamole, salsa and lettuce.
El Charro Cafe founder Monica Flin is said to have invented the chimichanga in 1922 by accident at her Court Avenue kitchen in El Presidio. According to family lore, she dropped a burrito into the deep fryer and shouted 'chingada' (a Spanish curse), softening it to chimichanga in front of the children. El Charro has run the dish ever since. The chimichanga is now standard at Tucson Mexican-American restaurants and across Arizona, with regional variations in Phoenix, Flagstaff and the Sonora border.
Where to eat in Tucson:
- El Charro Cafe
- El Charro Cafe Ventana