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Home » Chicken Dishes » Copycat Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant Pollo Fundido

Copycat Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant Pollo Fundido

August 1, 2011 By Alli 24 Comments

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A Mexican restaurant favorite that tastes just like the original! Copycat Garcia’s Pollo Fundido is so easy to make and a meal the whole family will love.

Photos updated: August 7, 2018

If you're looking for an easy, homemade dish that tastes just like a restaurant favorite, Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is that dish! So easy and so good!

Every now and then I go to Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant with my family. I love starting a meal out with chips and salsa, then excitedly welcoming my dinner as it gets placed in front of me. Oh heavens, do I love Mexican food! One of my favorite dishes at Garcia’s is Pollo Fundido, so when I was able to successfully make a copycat version at home I was SO excited. I found the original recipe over at Recipe Addiction and we’ve been making it ever since.

A popular Mexican restaurant dish that starts in the crock pot! Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is the perfect meal to make for guests or for the family.

What is Pollo Fundido?

Pollo Fundido is a chimichanga-style dish that means exactly what it translates: “chicken molten”. Each one is loaded with a semi-spicy chicken mixture, rolled up and baked or fried, then topped with a jalapeno cream cheese. The last step of the molten goodness is a slab of cheddar cheese melted on top. This particular dish is one of the most popular dishes at Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant, and it’s easy to see why!

Normally this dish would be a little spicy inside, but I like to make it more mild so my kids will eat it and enjoy it. You can go mild, medium, or spicy.

Crispy tortillas are stuffed with a chicken and salsa blend, then topped with a jalapeno cream cheese and melted cheddar cheese. Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido will quickly become a family favorite!

Whenever I make this recipe I always have enough jalapeno cream cheese to make the dish again. We made it two Sundays in a row recently and my kids were in heaven. It was so easy being able to just make the chicken the second time around!

You can totally make the chicken ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you want to make up your Pollo Fundidos. All you’ll need to do is heat up the chicken before filling the tortillas. [insert high five emoji]

More Mexican Dinners

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Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido - This popular Mexican restaurant dish is so easy to make at home! And it's SO GOOD.

A Mexican restaurant favorite that tastes just like the original! Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is so easy to make and a meal the whole family will love.
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4 from 1 vote

Copycat Garcia's Mexican Restaurant Pollo Fundido

A Mexican restaurant favorite that tastes just like the original! Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is so easy to make and a meal the whole family will love.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time6 hrs
Total Time6 hrs 15 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken, dinner, fundido, mexican, pollo
Servings: 8 people

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
  • 2 c. salsa, any heat level you prefer
  • 2 cubes chicken bouillon
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • 2 Tbsp jalapeno, chopped
  • 1 tsp. chicken base paste
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
  • 8 flour tortillas, burrito size
  • 8 slices cheddar cheese
  • 16 slices jalapeno, optional garnish

Instructions

  • Place chicken inside a crock pot. Cover with salsa and drop chicken bouillon cubes on top. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
    Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido - First step
  • Prepare the jalapeno cream cheese while the chicken is cooking. Combine cream cheese, milk, chopped jalapeno, chicken base paste, and garlic salt in a chopper or food processor until smooth. Keep in the fridge until time to use.
  • Remove chicken from crock pot and place in a bowl. Use two forks to shred the chicken, then place back in the crock pot with the liquid and stir together. 
    Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido Step 2 - Remove chicken from the crock pot and shred with two forks.
  • Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place a tortilla on a plate and add 1/3 c. chicken to the center. Fold the sides in and roll the tortilla to form a chimichanga. If excess liquid starts to ooze out, pour it into the crock pot or a bowl.
    Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido Step 3 - Add chicken to tortillas and roll up to form a chimichanga.
  • Place chimichangas onto a greased cookie sheet seam side down and repeat to make eight. Lightly spray tops with cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Remove chimichangas from the oven and carefully spread jalapeno cream cheese over each one. Top with a slice of cheese and two jalapenos slices. Place back in the oven until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is so good served with black beans, rice, lettuce, and pico de gallo.
Recipe slightly altered from Recipe Addiction

Kitchen Tools and Gadgets Used for This Recipe

Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido - You're going to love how easy it is to make this Mexican restaurant favorite!

A popular Mexican restaurant dish that starts in the crock pot! Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is the perfect meal to make for guests or for the family.

A Mexican restaurant favorite that tastes just like the original! Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is so easy to make and a meal the whole family will love.

A Mexican restaurant favorite that tastes just like the original! Copycat Garcia's Pollo Fundido is so easy to make and a meal the whole family will love.

This post contains affiliate links. I include these links to help you find the products that I used in the recipe. If you purchase an item from the link, I will receive a small commission helping keep my recipes free for you. Thank you for your support!

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Alli is the food blogger and photographer behind Cupcake Diaries. Nestled in Northern Utah with her four young boys, hubby, and a full pantry, she loves baking all kinds of treats as well as quick and easy meals for her family. What started out as sharing a few recipes with family members here and there soon turned into a full-functioning recipe blog with readers from all around the world! Alli is a full-time mom who enjoys music, holidays, and spending time with her family.
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Filed Under: Chicken Dishes, Copycat Recipes, Entrees, Mexican Tagged With: chicken, copycat, copycat recipe, dinner, easy, family, family dinner, food, fundido, mexican, pollo, pollo fundido, recipe

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Comments

  1. The Allen Family says

    August 1, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Yum!! I can’t get enough cream cheese so I CANNOT wait to try these. Thanks. One question thought… what is ‘chicken base’?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 6, 2015 at 7:56 am

      Chicken base is usually a wetter version of chicken bouillon. It usually comes in a jar and you scoop it out with a spoon. It is very thick. Restaurants use it a lot. You can buy it at grocery stores in the same aisle you buy the buillion cubes usually.

  2. Hartman Fam says

    June 27, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    So excited I came across your blog with is recipe…as I eat my leftovers from the restuarant last night!). Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Emmah Hesch says

    August 24, 2013 at 5:54 pm

    I’ve made these multiple times now from this recipe, mostly for my boyfriend and I but also for my clients at an adult foster care home. All around it has been well-received and enjoyed! A Mexican resturant in our area used to be the go-to place to get these, but now that I can make them at home? Sweet!
    Thanks for providing an easy to follow and delicious recipe (:

    Reply
  4. Daisy Jane says

    September 9, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    This was my favorite thing at Garcia’s – my family and I loved the restaurant in Myrtle Beach, but it’s long gone now. I thought they were all out of business. Alli, thank you for printing that photo of pollo fundido! Brings back sweet memories (and cravings).

    Reply
  5. Paula says

    January 30, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    I used to get this at Garcias too. Only the cream cheese was inside, not outside and they dont roll the shells they make them like a ball. Im making these tonight. I have been craving it for years.

    Reply
  6. Bonnie Thomas says

    February 18, 2014 at 6:04 am

    For chicken base look on the bullion aisle for”Better than bullion”. It’s in a small glass jar. There are about 10 different flavor varieties including: chicken, beef, ham and vegetable. I would grab 1 of each as they are very flavorful without the over saltiness I hate in regular bullion.it’s a paste form which makes it much more easy to use instead of those rock hardsalty cubes!

    Reply
  7. Olivia says

    August 7, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    I loved this, they tasted great and really did remind me of garcias!

    Reply
    • Allison Miller says

      August 10, 2014 at 3:24 pm

      That’s great, Olivia! Thanks for the comment!

  8. Carol Day says

    August 27, 2014 at 10:09 pm

    is this from the original Garcia’s located at 35th Ave & Encanto in Phoenix? Or the receipt from one of the other corporate Garcias restaurants that the original Garcias sold some of their recipes to?

    Reply
    • Allison Miller says

      August 28, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      This recipe isn’t the original, but it was created based off the flavors from a Garcia’s in Idaho.

  9. Abigail says

    July 31, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    This sounds pretty good but I would leave out the cream cheese. The Mexican restaurant where I am from just melts a little white cheese on top so there is not a lot of cheese. It is very delish! I am trying it tonight but I used my home made salsa in the chicken. And I also uses some of the liquid from the crock pot to make my Spanish rice to go with it. Can’t wait.

    Reply
  10. Annie says

    June 12, 2016 at 11:20 am

    My husband made this last night for me for dinner. He used green Chile sauce w/ avacado and he oven fried them. Boy were they fantastic!!!! I’ll be making them more often. Thanks so much for the recipe!!!

    Reply
    • Alli says

      July 10, 2016 at 11:42 pm

      That sounds wonderful, Annie! Thanks so much for your comment!

  11. Lisa says

    January 28, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    These were fabulous!!!! All of my kids loved them and asked me to make them again. Totally a keeper!! I used store-bought jalapeño cream cheese as a time saver, but next time I’ll spend the extra time and use your cream cheese recipe. 🙂

    Reply
    • Alli says

      January 29, 2019 at 3:18 pm

      Lisa, I’m so glad your family loved this recipe! That makes me so happy! Also, there is such a thing as store-bought jalapeno cream cheese?! My eyes have been opened! haha Thanks so much for your comment!

  12. Chris says

    March 9, 2020 at 9:50 pm

    Does anyone have a more real recipe for Pollo fundido ive been looking everywhere. Cheddar cheese is not used in Mexican food it should be cotija cheese and some others. If anyone has one please let me know

    Reply
    • Alli says

      April 25, 2020 at 4:04 pm

      Hi Chris! Sorry you don’t approve of this recipe. This is just a copycat version of the recipe, which means it’s a version of the recipe but not THE recipe. Cheddar is a common household cheese and I used it for that reason. I like to make my recipes as easy as possible with ingredients that aren’t hard to find or unfamiliar. Feel free to search the web for something that fits your taste!

  13. Tara says

    May 30, 2020 at 6:26 pm

    It needs A LOT of tweaking!

    Reply
    • Alli says

      June 8, 2020 at 9:10 am

      I’m sorry you feel that way! The recipe isn’t meant to be exactly the same as the restaurant. It’s a copycat version that’s easy to make at home with common ingredients. But thank you for the feedback!

  14. Sonny says

    January 20, 2021 at 5:24 am

    Hi Alli great recipes, i love Garcia’s , do yoy by chance know their salsa recipe

    Reply
    • Alli says

      February 22, 2021 at 7:29 pm

      I don’t! But I have tried a few restaurant style salsas that are super good. This is one of my favorites! https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/restaurant-style-salsa-recipe-2109390

  15. Barbara says

    February 28, 2021 at 6:46 pm

    4 stars
    Garcia’s in Arizona deep fries their pollo fundido. And that’s what I intend to do.

    Reply
    • Alli says

      March 8, 2021 at 7:35 pm

      Ooh that is such a good idea! Our Garcia’s doesn’t do that but I really need to try it!

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