Slow Cooker Jalapeño Popper Chicken Taquitos
Try this Slow Cooker Jalapeño Popper Chicken Taquitos recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Slow Cooker Jalapeño Popper Chicken Taquitos recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3-4 chicken breasts frozen or thawed
- 1/3 up jarred whole or sliced jalapeã±os roughly chopped (or more, to taste)
- 16 taco-sized tortillas (i prefer flour but corn tortillas also
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (colby jack monterey jack, mexican blend, mozzarella - use your favorite!)
- optional toppings: fresh cilantro additional jalapeã±os, dipping sauces such as ranch, salsa, green goddess dressing, or click here for my cafe rio tomatillo ranch dressing recipe (this is the green dressing you see in the pictures)
- Carbohydrate 2.94355284700667 g
- Cholesterol 62.36895082 mg
- Fat 19.4780755022133 g
- Fiber 0.101279163996379 g
- Protein 3.52842968966 g
- Saturated Fat 10.9435177012373 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (58g)
- Sodium 182.634271635333 mg
- Sugar 2.84227368301029 g
- Trans Fat 2.78375068297533 g
- Calories 197 calories
Step-by-step
- Add chicken, ½ cup water, cream cheese, jalapeños, garlic powder, salt, and cumin to crockpot.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. (lesser times are for thawed chicken, greater times for frozen chicken)
- minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Use two forks to shred chicken and stir it in with the other contents of the crockpot.
- Heat tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up, this will make them easier to work with.
- Sprinkle cheese in the middle of each tortilla (just divide the cheese evenly between all of the tortillas).
- Top cheese with 2-3 tablespoons of shredded chicken mixture.
- Roll tortillas tightly into a log-shape taquito.
- Place taquitos on baking sheet and spray heavily with cooking spray.
- Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melty and tortillas begin to brown. (For crispier taquitos, switch the oven to broil for 2-3 minutes - watch carefully so they don't burn!)
- Serve warm with dipping sauces and toppings if desired.
Standard rolled tacos are typically filled with pre-cooked shredded meats and fried immediately, but this slow cooker method builds flavor directly into the poultry during a four-to-eight-hour simmer. Raw chicken breasts release significant moisture as they break down in the ceramic insert, meaning the cream cheese will initially separate into a watery sauce before the starches and fats recombine during the final shredding phase. To prevent soggy cylinders, keep a close eye on the liquid levels when combining the cooked meat with the melted dairy elements.
Microwaving the tortillas for twenty to thirty seconds creates the necessary pliable elasticity for tight rolling without tearing the edges. Flour tortillas accept high oven heat efficiently, but corn alternatives require a light brush of neutral oil to prevent cracking during the final fifteen-minute bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Arranging the rolled logs seam-side down on the greased baking sheet ensures they hold their structural shape without requiring toothpicks.
Crisping the exterior properly relies on maximizing surface fat through a heavy application of cooking spray just prior to baking. Switching the oven to broil for the final two to three minutes yields a deeply browned crunch, though poultry fillings retain heat aggressively and demand a brief cooling rest before consumption.
Assembled taquitos freeze raw on a parchment-lined tray for up to two months, allowing direct transfer to a hot oven without intermediate thawing steps.
