This Chicken Taquito recipe is one of the all-time most popular recipes on Our Best Bites. The story behind it is interesting, too. I was actually making something entirely different that I planned on entering into a recipe contest. That recipe was somewhat of a flop, but the filling I came up with was amazing and I thought it would make an incredible filling for a crispy taquito. So I said forget-it to the recipe contest, and re-worked the filling in these crispy oven-baked taquitos, and turns out it was one of the best decisions ever, as this recipe has become a beloved family favorite all over the country.
These come together fairly quickly, and an awesome bonus is that these freeze (unbaked) beautifully so you can make extra and have a meal for later.
You’ll need some cooked, shredded or diced chicken for this recipe. You can use a mix of dark and/or white meat, or whatever is easiest. For me, easiest is often a rotisserie chicken from Costco.
The “creamy” component in this recipe comes from a couple of things. For starters, I use a little bit of cream cheese. It melts together with the shredded jack cheese to make an awesome creamy texture that coats the chicken.
You can use either plain Jack cheese, or pepper jack if you’d like a little more heat.
Some other things go in there for tons of flavor, like some green salsa,
green onions, fresh lime juice, and plenty of seasonings.
Just mix it all up and your filling is done.
You’ll place a few tablespoons on small flour, or corn tortillas and roll them up tight. You’ll want to keep your filling about an inch away from both ends because it will leak out the ends. Another trick is to roll them tight. Don’t be loosey-goosey or they’ll fall apart.
Once you get them all rolled up, you can either bake them immediately, OR
save them for later. I’ve taken these to friends in a bag like this one below. They’re great in the fridge for a few days and you can bake them up as needed. Or you can freeze them and bake them straight from the freezer. It’s totally worth it to make a double batch so you can pop one in the freezer!
To bake them immediately, lightly spray a foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick spray, or brush lightly with oil. Place the taquitos in a single layer, not touching each other, and then lightly brush the tops with olive oil, or give them a quick spray of non-stick spray and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.
Bake them in the oven until they turn golden brown, especially on the edges.
You can see how the bottoms totally crisp up
and while that outside tortilla is perfectly crisp, the inside layers are soft and awesome.
These are seriously amazing.
It is absolutely mandatory to serve them with our Creamy Lime-Cilantro dressing for dipping, but they’re also good with good ol’ salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
If you’ve seriously never tried these, today is your day. Put them on your menu plan!
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup 3 oz cream cheese (low fat is fine, avoid fat free)
- 1/4 cup green salsa
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoon sliced green onions
- 2 C shredded cooked chicken for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!
- 1 C grated pepperjack or plain jack cheese
- small flour or corn tortillas
- kosher salt
- cooking spray or olive oil
Instructions
For the filling
- Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir.
- Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic.
- Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions.
- Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
- (You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.)
For the taquitos
- Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- If using corn tortillas, work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave, wrapped in damp paper towels until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If using flour tortillas straight from the fridge, it helps to warm them in the microwave so they're easier to roll.
- Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1 inch from the edges. Roll up tortillas and place seam down on a baking sheet, not touching one another. Spray lightly with cooking spray, or lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Dip in sour cream, or our favorite: Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch.
For the freezer instructions
- Prepare the taquitos through rolling them out and placing them on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 and place the taquitos on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Wanna make it a meal?
Serve with a side of Black Beans and a simple green salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing. Wash it down with some Brazilian Lemonade!
Looking for the beef version? It’s right here!
Lastly, recently this recipe was noted in an article in the Chicago Sun-Times where the author noted that they were “some of the best taquitos I’ve ever had”
I’ll take it!
Questions & Reviews
Yum these have been a staple in our home for years
I’m making this tonight! I just whipped up the ranch and its sooo good. I’m very excited about this meal!
I love your recipes , we had Thanksgiving turkey cooked your way and it was great!
I wonder if I can use chives instead of cilantro , lemon instead of line and add some ricotta cheese?
Any thoughts?
I have a little bit of a zucchini problem…do you see any reason NOT to put a bit of shredded zucchini in these taquitos?
They might add too much moisture and make them watery. I would probably either press the water out after letting it sit in a strainer for a few minutes, or lightly saute it first.
OBSESSED with this recipe!! They are so delicious my family can’t stop eating these! We crave them literally every day. And that cilantro lime ranch is to die for! SO GOOD!! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
I have made these MANY times for my family and they LOVE it!! I was wanting to try to make them a little healthier and was wondering if I can substitute the cream cheese with plain Greek yogurt. I love your blog, I tell everyone about it. Every recipe has been a hit! Thank you!
Any thoughts whether or not the crock pot taco chicken would be a good option in this or if it would be too heavily spiced?
It would be delish!
I just made these this evening and they were OUTSTANDING!! Have some in the freezer for a quick meal next time we want them. (Which probably won’t be very long)!!
I like to make my own tortillas or use the unbaked ones from the store. Do you know if I would need to cook the tortillas before filling them, or would they cook sufficiently when baked?
We use uncooked tortillas, too. What did you discover about needing to cook them before filing them?
yes, I’d cook the raw tortillas first.
These look wonderful and easy. Thanks for the great recipe!
I live in Iceland so I can’t get jack cheese. What can I use instead??
Seriously my fave. About a year ago, I had an affair with chipotle (this blog may have contributed to that) and had to use chipotle chili powder in everything-this recipe included. Best chipotle decision ever made! The only way I ever make them, now! YUM!
These are a staple at my house! And I’ve shared this recipe (and your website!) with my ward several times. This is also my favorite freezer meal to share with friends that have just had babies. It’s because of wonderful recipes like this that people actually think I’m a good cook!! Thank you ladies!!
While my dad and brother are out to go see a movie tonight, I figured Id check out OBB to see what I would make because I havent made anything off of the site recently, and everything I have made in the past was AMAZING, and I came across these. I am a long time reader and remember when these came out on the blog. I never had all of the ingredients so I had forgotten about them. Lets just say theyre in the oven now, and Im super excited. Thanks for sticking around ladies:)
Wow! This is absolutely mouth watering..can’t wait to try this 🙂
This recipe is one of my all-time faves! I make a big batch and freeze the leftovers individually wrapped in foil (post-baking!). I actually like them even more frozen and reheated.
We *love* these taquitos. Whenever my little brother comes over he wants me to make a batch with him to take home to his college apartment. We also recently took a batch to a family who had lost their son and they raved about how awesome they are. Seriously, these are rightly a favorite on your site 🙂
Just FYI though, the link to the old post is now broken. I fully understand wanting people to come to this new post but you should probably set up a redirect so that anyone who has pinned the old link (me!) can get to the new post easily. I’m sure your web developer can help you out with that, but if not feel free to contact me and I’d be happy to help you out as well.
Again, thanks for the awesome recipe! My friends and family are always impressed with what a great cook I am, but I’m not really a great cook – I just have great sources for recipes 🙂
I have all of the ingredients except the green sauce. I do have a can of diced green chilis. Will that work?
Quick question. I’ve made this recipe a ton of times. It is an all time favorite in our house. Every time I do, the taquitos split while baking. I’ve tried rolling them tighter, looser, not filling them so full, lots of varieties. Any idea why this is happening and how to solve for it? I use corn tortillas and I use your little trick with heating damp paper towels in between each tortilla so they don’t crack while rolling. Thanks for any ideas.
This was the first OBB recipe I ever made. It is a staple at our house during football season! I’m glad you reposted it!
These are my favorite! I especially love them dipped in Cholula hot sauce- sooo good!
These were fantastic! My husband wouldn’t stop raving about them. I did your trick where I used rotisserie chicken, and it made it even easier. Thanks!
Made these last night and they were fabulous. I knew to make a double batch so we could freeze half of them. Made them with the yummy copycat Rio dressing. Way to go OBB.
Just am eating these now. My husband said, why haven’t we had these before? They were marvelous.
Followed it to a tee…. almost. I used the Victoria Green Salsa with Jalopenas. So used just shy of your measurement.
Did your taco chicken, but used two large chicken breasts and roasted it it @400° for 35 min.
Did the green goddess dressing. Oh my. It was a big hit with my husband. Will use the leftovers and freeze as suggested. Wow!
Next time I will prep the day before. It is 7:00PM and just finishing now.
Thanks so much.
Could use these as an appetizer and cut in thirds.
One of our family faves. But I just can’t make them unless I use your Taco Chicken too. I always make extra Taco Chicken so I can use it to make these taquitos, taco salad, chicken tacos, enchiladas or any other mexican kind of dish.
One of my favorite recipes! Everyone loves these and they make a great after school snack for the kids.
Thanks again for teaching this recipe to our Young Women! It was a fabulous night,
and these really are a huge hit!
Ha! I went on to the site to look these up, and there they were on the home page! You totally read my mind. These are my favorite recipe out of everything on your website, which is really saying a lot.
ps Don’t worry, I gave your credit in our little homemade cookbook…I referenced your website when I printed that recipe!
Wow! I can’t believe that so many didn’t know of this recipe! This has been a family favorite for some years now! And yes, you must serve with the dressing! Yummo! I was recently gathering favorite recipes from sisters in our ward for a ward cookbook and two of the girls submitted this recipe! It’s always a hit!