These homemade Baked Chicken Taquitos are just as good as store-bought ones
These homemade Baked Chicken Taquitos are just as good as store-bought ones. They are very easy and tasty to make with shredded chicken, cream cheese, and flour tortillas. You can also freeze them, so you can make more and save some for later!
When you make something once and it goes right into your permanent recipe binder, you know it’s good. Then you make it a million more times, which proves your point. This is the case with these Chicken Taquitos! This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. Here’s why:
- You can eat them as an appetizer or as a meal with refried beans or salad. For two adults and two kids, 12 is enough.
- They can be used in a lot of ways. You can switch up the cheese or salsa you use to get a new taste every time.
- You don’t need any utensils to eat these, so you won’t have to clean up as much when you’re done. Finger food is our favorite!
- You can make a double (or even triple!) batch and freeze them for later. They freeze very well. (See below for freezer instructions.)
- You can bake as many or as few as you want because they are individual.
Taquitos with baked chicken
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook for: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
12 taquitos per serving
These homemade baked chicken taquitos are just as good as anything you can buy at the store. Very easy, tasty, and freezes well, so you can make more and have a meal later!
- 3 ounces of cream cheese that has been softened
- 1/4 cup of either red or green salsa
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley or cilantro
- 2 small scallions, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup of pepperjack cheese
- 12 flour tortillas that are 6 inches long (see note below for corn tortillas)
- spray for cooking
- salt that is kosher
Instructions
- Set your oven to 425 degrees F. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- In a big bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, and scallions until everything is well mixed and creamy. Mix in the cheese and cooked chicken until everything is well combined.
- Put a few tortillas in the microwave between two paper towels and heat them for about 10 seconds, or until they are soft enough to roll.
- Put three tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the bottom third of a tortilla. Wrap the tortilla tightly.
- Put the rolled-up tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Do the same with the rest of the tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos don’t touch each other.
- Lightly spray the tops with cooking spray and add a little kosher salt (don’t forget the salt!).
- Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the food is golden and crispy.
- You can serve it with guacamole, salsa, or sour cream.
Notes on Ingredients
- Shredded cooked chicken breast. You can make your own baked chicken breast, roast chicken, or buy a rotisserie chicken from the store.
- Cheese that has been shredded. I like pepper jack because it adds heat, but cheddar, monterey jack, or a mix of the two works well too!
- Salsa. You can use either red or green, mild or hot.
- Cilantro that is fresh. You can use parsley instead of cilantro if you really don’t like it.
- Tortillas made of flour or corn. These are best with 6-inch flour tortillas, which is what my family likes best, but corn tortillas will work too. If you’re using corn, make sure to get the best kind, use them right away, and put them in the microwave for a few seconds to make them easier to work with (only if you have to). You could also make your own corn tortillas! You might need more of them because they are usually smaller than flour tortillas. And they usually cook faster, so watch them in the oven.
- Spray for cooking. This helps the tortillas get crunchy while they bake. Don’t miss it.
Nutrition Facts
There are 241 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 46 milligrams of cholesterol, 343 milligrams of sodium, 156 milligrams of potassium, 1 gram of sugar, 270 IU of vitamin A, 0.9 milligrams of vitamin C, 115 milligrams of calcium, and 1.6 milligrams of iron.
The nutritional information is an automatic calculation that may change depending on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I suggest that you do the math yourself.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
You can make the filling a day ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the taquitos.
Is it possible to freeze chicken taquitos? Yes! They freeze very well. To freeze, roll up the taquitos and put them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put in a labeled freezer bag and freeze until solid. You can keep it for up to two months. Put the food on a lined baking sheet (no need to thaw it first), spray it with cooking spray, and sprinkle it with salt when you’re ready to cook. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 425°F until golden brown and crisp.
Serving Suggestions
You can’t go wrong with sour cream, homemade Pico de Gallo, homemade salsa, Chimichurri sauce, or guacamole as an appetizer with Chicken Taquitos. If you want to make them more filling, serve them with plain Spanish rice or cilantro lime rice.