Instant Pot Chimichangas are a beloved family dinner: tender shredded beef, perfectly seasoned, wrapped in tortillas and finished by frying, pan-cooking, or baking.
If you don’t already own an Instant Pot, it’s worth getting one. Pressure cooking significantly reduces time for braises and roasts. I adapted an old family chimichanga recipe for the Instant Pot and cut the cooking time in half while keeping the same rich flavor and tender texture.
This is an Instant Pot version of a recipe I originally published in 2013. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, the original post includes oven instructions. Either method yields delicious chimichangas—perfect for a festive meal like Cinco de Mayo.
My mother made these chimichangas only once a year because the beef required long, slow cooking—about 4 hours in the oven or up to 10 hours in a slow cooker for large roasts. A chuck roast is a tough cut but becomes meltingly tender and yields a lot of meat, which made it a special birthday request in our family.
For this batch I cooked two roasts together in the Instant Pot for about two hours. If you halve the recipe and use a single 2–3 lb roast, reduce the pressure-cook time accordingly. The goal is fall-apart tender beef—and the Instant Pot delivers.
The flavor profile is simple and satisfying. After the meat is cooked and shredded, you finish it with a savory green-chile and salsa verde mixture. The chimichangas can be deep-fried for a classic crisp exterior, pan-cooked on a hot griddle for a lighter crisp, or baked for an easier finish. This recipe makes a lot of filling, so freezing half for another meal is a handy option.
Instant Pot Chimichangas
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Ingredients
- 5 lbs beef chuck roast (the flat kind — I had to buy 2 roasts to get 5 lbs)
- salt and pepper (coarse preferred)
- 1-2 Tbsp oil (canola or vegetable)
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 3 Tbsp shortening or coconut oil
- 3 medium onions, chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 oz canned diced green chiles
- 14-16 oz green chili salsa (salsa verde)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 20 taco-size flour tortillas
- 2 cups oil for frying (canola or vegetable)
Instructions
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Season both sides of the roast(s) generously with salt and pepper. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and add 1 Tbsp oil. Sear both sides of one roast until browned, then set aside. Repeat with the second roast.
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Pour the beef broth into the pot to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Return the roasts to the pot, cancel Sauté, and cook on Meat/Stew or Manual (high pressure) for 120 minutes.
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When the cook time finishes, quick-release the pressure by opening the vent until steam stops and the float valve drops.
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Remove the meat and shred with two forks, discarding excess fat. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, skim fat, and return about 1 cup of the juices (or just enough to keep the meat moist) to the shredded beef.
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Set the Instant Pot to Sauté again and melt the shortening or coconut oil. Add the chopped onions and cook about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
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Stir in the flour and cook one minute with the onions. Add the diced green chiles, salsa verde, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Cook until the mixture thickens, then stir the shredded beef into the onion mixture and heat through.
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Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling into each tortilla and fold like a burrito.
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To deep-fry: heat about 2 cups oil in a large pot to medium-high and carefully place chimichangas seam-side down. Fry until golden, about 45 seconds per side, then drain on paper towels. For pan-cooking or baking, see notes below.
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Serve hot with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, cheese, or your favorite toppings.
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Notes
- TO FREEZE: Freeze half the cooked meat in an airtight freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat thoroughly, add broth or water if needed, then fill and finish the chimichangas.
- PAN COOK: Preheat a griddle to 350°F or use a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and cook chimichangas 3–6 minutes per side until brown and crisp; timing varies by pan temperature.
- OVEN BAKE: Place chimichangas seam-side down on a sprayed baking sheet, spray the tops with cooking spray, and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
- NO INSTANT POT: Use the original oven method for long, slow roasting.
- TO CUT THE RECIPE IN HALF: Use a 2–3 lb roast and pressure-cook for 60–80 minutes. Follow remaining steps as written.
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