• Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil. Then add in the vegan chicken, along with the 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook the chicken for around 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly golden brown, stirring occasionally. *You may have to cut the ingredients in half and then do this step twice if you do not have a large enough saute pan to fit all of the chicken.
• Turn the heat off, remove the chicken from the pan, and cut it into small bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken back into the saute pan.
• Move on and make the chicken filling sauce.

Chicken Sauce

• In a small saucepot, add the ancho chiles and just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat off, and cover the pan. Let the ancho chiles soak, covered, for 15 minutes. If they are floating, flip them over and push them down halfway through.
• Remove and discard the stems from the ancho chiles. Add the peppers into a blender along with the rest of the chicken filling sauce ingredients. Blend on high until extremely smooth.
• Pour the sauce into the pan of vegan chicken and turn the heat on to medium. Stir and bring the mixture up to a simmer.
• As soon as it is simmering, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

Creamy Cheese Sauce

• Whisk a can of unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk. Then place 1 cup of it into a small saucepot along with the rest of the creamy cheese sauce ingredients. Stir well.
• Place the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture up to a low boil, frequently stirring to ensure the cheese doesn't stick to the pot's bottom.
• As soon as it begins boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest setting, cover it with a lid, and cook it for around 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Cook the sauce until it's at your desired thickness. The cooking time depends on the brand of vegan cheese you use, but typically I find myself cooking the sauce for about 12 minutes.

How to Assemble & Deep-Fry 1 Chimichanga

• First, add the vegetable oil to a large pot and bring it up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Please use a thermometer to properly check the temperature; this is VERY important when deep-frying anything!
• Now, place down the tortilla. *The tortilla is most comfortable to work with if it's room temperature or evenly slightly warmed in the microwave for a few seconds.
• Spread the refried beans across the bottom third of the tortilla, leaving 1 inch of the outer part of the tortilla clean.
• Spread the chicken filling over the refried beans. Then sprinkle the cheese blend over the chicken filling.
• For the slurry, simply stir together the flour and water in a small bowl until smooth. Take your finger and wet the entire top half outer 1-inch edge of your tortilla with the slurry. The slurry will seal your burrito together, so it doesn't bust open while deep-frying.
• Now, you are going to wrap the chimichanga like a burrito. Tightly, but gently, pull the bottom half of the tortilla with the filling over and pull it back. Fold one side of the tortilla over to meet the center. Then fold the other side over to meet the center. Lastly, with both sides folded into the center, tightly roll your tortilla forwards up until you have a perfect burrito! Press down to seal the edge with the slurry.
• Once the oil has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit, gently place the "burrito" seal side down into the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, flip it over with a pair of tongs, and fry for 1 to 2 more minutes or just until perfectly golden brown and crispy all around.
• Gently lift the chimichanga out of the oil, allow the excess oil to drip off, and place it on a wire rack.
• You can dress the chimichanga however you would like, but this is how I prepare mine. I first top half of it with the creamy cheese sauce. Then I drizzle over vegan sour cream, top it with a dollop of guacamole and pico de gallo, and garnish it with sliced jalapenos and fresh cilantro leaves.