Baked Chicken Taquitos! They’re fun to say and eat, freeze well, and delight kids. These are stuffed with chicken, cheese and spices and then baked until crispy.
I didn’t like taquitos, which are tacos wrapped in a burrito and baked or fried, for years. Taquitos just seemed like too much work when you could just layer the same fillings between a couple of tortillas and make quesadillas a lot quicker.
How to Make Baked Chicken Taquitos
Baked Chicken Taquitos
My kids are used to tacos and quesadillas because we ate Tex-Mex. However, they didn’t have many taquitos, I could introduce them to similar flavours in a different way.
How to make the filling
These chicken taquitos use my normal kids’ filling. Mild and flexible. Shredded chicken, cream cheese, and mild green chiles make up my filling.
If there weren’t kids, I’d use spicier ones.
Extra veggies? Other protein? Expect success. Simply dice everything finely and mash with the cheese.
How to make the taquitos
Corn tortillas, which crisp up in the oven, produce my favourite taquitos. Yet corn tortillas rip when stuffed and rolled.
The solution I’ve found that works great is to wrap a few tortillas (I make four at a time in 2×2 stacks) in wet paper towels. Microwave HIGH for 20 seconds. Steaming tortillas makes them flexible.
Brush the rolled taquitos with vegetable oil and bake them immediately. This prevents drying and ripping. Taquitos may crack, but don’t worry. They’ll taste wonderful!
How to freeze the taquitos
Taquitos freeze nicely. Cool to room temperature after baking. Freeze them flat. Place in a freezer-safe bag and remove air. The last a month.
Heat frozen taquitos in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes. You can microwave three taquitos on high for 90 seconds, but they’ll be gooier than in the oven.
Father adds: Sour Cream Sriracha Dip Sauce
Since the taquitos are not very spicy, I like to quickly make a dipping sauce with sour cream and sriracha, which adds a lot of heat.
It pairs beautifully with crunchy, cheesy taquitos.
The children’s certificate
Whoa. My 2-year-old daughter’s photo triggers me. She didn’t like me this evening. She was furious that I removed her shirt. Dare I?!
My son loved these taquitos since he could eat them while playing with his fire trucks. Four?
My daughter barely ate that night. Since she prefers quesadillas, I made a taquito quesadilla on the spot. Shirt.
More popular Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes!
- chilaquiles
- Baked Sweet Potato Taquitos – Vegan!
- tortilla soup
- Arroz with chicken
- Red Chili Chicken Enchiladas
Baked Chicken Taquitos
Poach, pressure-cook, or use a rotisserie chicken for the shredded chicken.
ingredients
For the taquitos:
- 2 cups (approx 1 lb) crushed boiled chicken (see recipe note)
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup (4 ounces) grated cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces canned mild green chilies
- 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 18 to 20 (6 inch) Corn tortillas
- vegetable oil, for brushing
To serve:
- Fresh coriander
- sour cream
- Mild sauce
ADD DAD: Sriracha Cream Sauce
- 1/4 Cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce
method
Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.
Prepare the taquito mix: Mix shredded chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green chiles, and spices in a medium bowl. Well-mix.
Taste and customise the seasonings. This simple version is kid-friendly.
Wrap corn tortillas in moist kitchen towels in two stacks. To soften, microwave on high for 20 seconds.
Assemble the taquitos: Wrap each tortilla with 2 heaping tablespoons of chicken filling using a tiny cookie scoop like this one. Cigars.
Put corn tortillas seam-side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet and drizzle with vegetable oil to avoid tearing.
Repeat until filling is gone. 18–20 taquitos.
Bake the taquitos immediately to avoid tortilla explosions. Bake 20–25 minutes till crisp and golden.
Try again with a new tortilla and transfer the filling if they tear badly. The taquitos can still be eaten with a few crackers, and they’re still excellent!
Mix the sour cream and sriracha while the taquitos bake. You can experiment. This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.
Surcharge: Serve cream sauce quickly. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 576 | calories |
| 28g | Fat |
| 48g | carbohydrates |
| 36g | protein |
