Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
I LOVE taquitos They are seriously so delicious When I saw this recipe for homemade BAKED taquitos I knew it would be on the dinner menu ASAP My family gobbled these up When my husband saw them he couldnt believe I made them Best part they are SO EASY to make Seriously they whip up so fast and are devoured almost just as quickly Another awesome thing about this recipe is you can freeze them instead of baking for a dinner at a later date I love freezer make ahead meals
I LOVE taquitos They are seriously so delicious When I saw this recipe for homemade BAKED taquitos I knew it would be on the dinner menu ASAP My family gobbled these up When my husband saw them he couldnt believe I made them Best part they are SO EASY to make Seriously they whip up so fast and are devoured almost just as quickly Another awesome thing about this recipe is you can freeze them instead of baking for a dinner at a later date I love freezer make ahead meals
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- kosher salt
- cooking spray
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup green salsa
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded mexican flavored cheese
- small flour or corn tortillas
- Carbohydrate 11.8136178645209 g
- Cholesterol 35.8295833333333 mg
- Fat 8.644088124999 g
- Fiber 1.68105577715688 g
- Protein 10.0708817708228 g
- Saturated Fat 3.87627015104127 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (70g)
- Sodium 154.09739166661 mg
- Sugar 10.1325620873641 g
- Trans Fat 1.52336234895807 g
- Calories 164 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat your oven to 425?F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
- (If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.) Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 ? 30 seconds).
- Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
- Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake for 15 ? 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
- **To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425?F and bake for 20 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).
- Enjoy!
Microwave tortillas for twenty to thirty seconds between damp paper towels before rolling; cold tortillas will crack along the fold. High oven heat at 425 degrees Fahrenheit is necessary to crisp the exterior starches before the interior dairy breaks down and leaks.
- Softening tortillas is mandatory; corn tortillas require extra caution and moisture to prevent tearing during rolling.
- Place rolled taquitos seam-side down on parchment paper so the weight of the filling holds the cylinder closed without toothpicks.
- Keep individual taquitos separated on the baking sheet by at least half an inch to circulate dry oven air around every surface.
- Flash-freeze unbaked rolled taquitos on a sheet pan for fifteen to twenty minutes before transferring them to a bag.
- Bake frozen taquitos directly from the freezer at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, adding just a few minutes to the standard twenty-minute timer.
Cream cheese provides a high-fat emulsion that coats the shredded meat, preventing the chicken proteins from drying out during dry-heat baking. Acid from fresh lime juice cuts through that dairy fat, balancing the savory cumin and chili powder blend.
