The true origin of the chimichanga — one of Arizona’s most iconic dishes — is still hotly debated. Tucson’s El Charro Café and Phoenix’s Macayo’s both lay claim to inventing the deep-fried burrito, though El Charro’s version, allegedly created in the early 1920s, has become the more widely accepted story. But no matter who did it first, one thing’s clear: the chimichanga tastes like pure Arizona.
While it may not be traditional in the regional Mexican sense, the chimichanga is a cornerstone of Arizona-Mex cooking, especially at long-running spots that predate the city’s wave of regional Mexican restaurants. Typically, its composition consists of a large flour tortilla filled with shredded beef or chicken, folded and deep-fried until golden, then served either naked or smothered in sauce (depending on your stance in one of the dish’s eternal debates). Chimis rarely show up on modern menus, but they’re still going strong at the old-school spots that never stopped making them. Deep-fried and overstuffed, the dish captures the spirit of the Southwest — and few things feel more American than throwing a burrito in the fryer. There’s no reinvention here, just a quiet competition to see who does it best…