What Chimichanga means
Chimichanga is a Mexican antojito name of Spanish origin meaning "trinket, thingamajig". It comes from Mexican Spanish chimichanga (trinket, whatsit). It is pronounced chee-mee-CHAHN-gah, and it is most associated with Sonora.
Origin unknown. Wiktionary records the sense trinket or thingamajig but calls the original meaning disputed and obscure, and the competing Tucson and Phoenix restaurant anecdotes cannot be checked.
About this origin. The etymology is uncertain, disputed, or the name is a modern brand rather than an old word. The reading above is the best-supported one; food writing repeats stories that the dictionaries do not confirm.
This is a site about what Mexican words mean, so there is no recipe here. For the name itself: Antojito means "little craving". These are the masa-based street foods named for their shape more often than their filling: a sope is a small mound, a huarache is a sandal, a gordita is a fat little one, a tlacoyo is an oval patty.
