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Chicken Taquitos
While we do eat them for dinner, the convenience of them turns them into a quick snack or lunch most of the time. These taquitos are wonderful fresh out of the oven, but when I make a large batch, most head to the freezer.
We love having quick and easy lunches, snacks, and dinners that are still healthy and yummy! Try out these chicken taquitos, and I think you’ll agree that they meet all of the above. The taquitos go from frozen to hot and crispy in just a matter of minutes with our tips and tricks!
I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever made the same recipe twice when I’ve made these. Hold on, let me explain. The recipe is written for 3 cups of shredded chicken. I don’t know about you, but when I cook up chicken I throw in what I have, or what will fit. That being said, I always start with my chicken and adjust my sauce amounts according to how much chicken I have. In most cases, 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast comes out to 2 cups of shredded chicken. You can cook your chicken in the instant pot, crock pot, boil it, grab a rotisserie chicken or two, or even used canned or bottled. Just make sure it’s all shredded up and then set it aside. (I cook, shred and mix the mixture all in the instant pot insert).
In a separate bowl mix all of your sauce ingredients. Make sure your cream cheese is soft so it can mix easily and not end up lumpy. I love to use the Trader Joes Chili Lime seasoning, but regular chili powder will work too. Herdez Guacamole Salsa is also a favorite, but can be substituted with their Green Salsa Verde, or your favorite green enchilada or taco sauce. Cream it up well and combine with your shredded chicken. Lastly you’ll want to add in your grated cheese. I usually use a Monterey Jack because that’s what we always have in the fridge, but adding some pepper jack is great also.
The consistency of the filling should be just a little thicken than chicken or tuna salad. As it cooks the filling will thin down some as the cream cheese heats up.
Have you seen the selection of tortillas lately? There are as many choices there as flavors of ice cream. You really don’t need to stress over it, just pick your favorite and go with it. We prefer flour, but corn may be used also. If you go with corn, I suggest microwaving, or lightly frying the corn tortilla before filling so they don’t crack when rolling. A great thing about all of the different sizes of tortillas is you can make them in different sizes. Snacks may get a smaller tortilla, where lunch or dinner a little larger. We love the cook at home variety, but if there’s not time, precooked work great!
How much filling you’ll add will vary. The majority of our taquitos are eaten by growing teenage boys. (Tyson’s friends know they’re allowed to raid our fridge and freezer, in fact we encourage it)! A simple method I’ve found, is using an ice cream or cookie scoop for measuring and then spreading the mixture down the center. I stuff my taquitos with 1/2 – 3/4 cup of chicken filling so those eating them get filled up. If you’re making yours for smaller eaters, or for snacks, you will probably not want as much filling.
Simply fold one side of the tortilla over to cover the filling and keep rolling. In order to keep it rolled while baking place the seam side down on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Keep rolling until your filling runs out or the cookie sheet is full. Finish your prep by spraying or brushing with some olive oil, add a sprinkle of some kosher salt, and they’re ready for the oven.
While chicken taquitos are generally deep fried, I love that you still get all the crunch and flavor from these being baked! Whether you’re eating these straight from the oven, or they’ll be heading to the freezer, I recommend baking first. They’ll bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes, just til they start to brown. However, I recommend eating at least one now. Serve it up with a little guacamole, sour cream, or salsa and enjoy!
If they’re going in the freezer for later you’ll want to let them cool for 30 minutes. After they’ve cooled place cookie sheet in freezer for 12-24 hours. The chicken taquitos should be solid and ready to store. Depending on how long you’ll be storing can change your storage method. Storing for 1-2 months can be done in a freezer zipper bag.
If you’re planning on having them longer (up to 6 months) you’ll want to use a sealing machine that can remove all the air. This will keep them from getting freezer burnt.
One of our favorite things about these taquitos is how quickly they go from frozen to hot and crispy.
Simply place 1 or 2 taquitos an a paper towel in the microwave for 1 minute. Turn the taquitos over, microwave for 1 more minute. You can eat at this point, or if you’d like to crisp them up keep reading. Taking just an extra minute and placing the taquitos under the broiler for 30 seconds on each side makes a huge difference!
Okay and because I know I’m going to get comments and questions on this, are these taquitos or flautas? From everything I read, these are more of a flauta because it is made with flour tortilla and has a lot of filling. Taquitos are generally made from corn tortillas and have a small amount of filling. Although most information said the names are interchangeable.
Thanks for being here!
If you make these I’d love to see a picture by tagging me on social media
Mama Lisa 🙂
PrintCreamy filling, crispy shell, and full of flavor! These chicken taquitos are delicious fresh, and also freeze and reheat great! A staple that can always be found in our freezer
3 cups shredded chicken
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup Herdez guacamole salsa
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp Trader Joes chili lime seasoning (or chili powder)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
Set chicken and cheese aside
Cream remaining ingredients together
Add in shredded chicken and mix
Add grated cheese and mix
Scoop filing on flour tortilla and spread down the center. Amount of filling and size of tortilla can be adjusted to fit your needs. Roll tortilla and place seam side down on cookie sheet. Continue until all chicken mixture is gone.
Spray or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes till browned
For freezing let cool 30 minutes, freeze 12-24 hours, package.
8/11/2021
How do you reheat the frozen ones so that they stay crispy?
A couple options…you can bake them at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or for super quick, microwave for 1 min on each side, then throw it under the broiler to crisp it up!