We describe in detail the solution of the extension of the chiral Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (chGUE) into the complex plane. The correlation functions of the model are first calculated for a finite number of N complex eigenvalues, where we exploit the existence of orthogonal Laguerre polynomials in the complex plane. When taking the large-N limit we derive new correlation functions in the case of weak and strong non-Hermiticity, thus describing the transition from the chGUE to a generalized Ginibre ensemble. Applications to the Dirac operator eigenvalue spectrum in QCD with non-vanishing chemical potential are briefly discussed. This is an extended version of arXiv:hep-th/0204068.