I used to love having chimichangas after school when I was younger!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. I purchased this product with my own money and the opinions in this review are strictly my own. I am not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. I am just a fan of the company. I write these reviews to help my fellow shoppers.
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The Costco freezer section is full of convenient meals that I often find hard to pass up – especially when they’re on sale! Today, I’m reviewing the El Monterey Signature Chimichangas with Chicken & Monterey Jack Cheese.
Taste
The El Monterey Signature Chimichangas consist of a filling made of chicken, cheese, green chilies, tomatoes and spices stuffed inside of a fried flour tortilla. The chimichangas have a slightly smoky flavor and they’re mildly spicy. The two main flavors I noticed when eating them were tomato and cheese. The chicken was noticeable, but less so. I didn’t really taste the green chillies. The cheese becomes stringy and gooey when baked, and some of my chimichangas actually exploded with the filling spilling out. I wished there was more chicken in these – there wasn’t enough in my opinion. In terms of preparation options, you can either bake or microwave the chimichangas. I always choose my oven over the microwave when I can, since I find the end result is usually tastier that way (especially where there’s a crispy element to the dish, like the tortilla shell on these chimichangas). Unfortunately when I baked these according to package instructions, they came out a little too crisp; the tortilla shells were very hard and difficult to cut or bite into. We ate our chimichangas with sour cream, salsa and avocado. I felt like the sides were needed to add some flavor; without the sour cream and salsa, the chimichangas tasted like they were missed something. Overall, I’d say they aren’t bad, but they’re nothing special.
Cost
I purchased a bag of 18 individually wrapped chimichangas for $13.49 Canadian on sale. The regular price is $17.49 Canadian.
Convenience
The El Monterey Signature Chimichangas are very convenient for a quick meal or snack. Whether you bake them or microwave, them they’re very easy to cook! Each chimichanga is individually wrapped, so it would be easy to bring one to work for lunch. The chimichangas need to be kept frozen and the best before date is .
Nutrition
The El Monterey Signature Chimichangas aren’t absolutely horrible for you, but they’re definitely not the healthiest meal option; they’re pretty high in calories and fat, and I could easily eat two for dinner. One chimichanga contains 290 calories, 10 grams of fat, 440 milligrams of sodium, two grams of fibre, one gram of sugar, 13 grams of protein and 37 grams of carbohydrates. Somewhat surprisingly though, the ingredients list didn’t have many ingredients that I’m not familiar with, so that’s a bonus!
Foods like this don’t taste as good to me as they did when I was a teenager. Back then, I would’ve absolutely loved to come home from school and heat one of these up for a snack! Now I see them as a moderately-tasty option for a quick and convenient dinner that doesn’t require a lot of clean up!
Taste: 7/10
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 10/10
Nutrition: 5/10
What’s your favorite quick and convenient freezer section item from Costco?
Please bring these back! These and pot stickers are the reason for my family getting a membership in the first place. Calgary, AB
I can’t find these in Manitoba anymore, are they discontinued at Costco?
Can’t find ghem at Port Coquitlam Costco anymore are they bringing ghem in
I found the best way to prepare them, was to partially thaw in the microwave for 30 seconds, then crisp them in a sandwich grill.
Bake them wrapped in aluminum foil, saves them from getting too crispy. I could never bring myself to make them inside the plastic package like the instructions say.
Good morning. I always buy 2 package when on sales. My children love it