Chinandega (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃinanˈdeɣa]) is a department in Nicaragua, located on the border with Honduras.

It covers an area of 4,822 km2 (1,862 sq mi) and has a population of 441,897 (2021 estimate).

The indigenous inhabitants of Chinandega are the Chorotegas and the Nahuas, and was the location of the pre-Columbian Nahua kingdom of Teswatlan.

Largely agricultural, it produces rum from sugar cane; other products are bananas, peanuts, shrimp and salt.

The port of Corinto, in Chinandega, is the most important in Western Nicaragua.