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
My sister made these when she was visiting a couple of weeks ago and my kids came home from Grandma’s raving about the ‘mini tacos’ that aunt sadie made!! I had to give them a try and they are wonderful!! Thanks so much!!!
I have had this recipe bookmarked for a year!!! Finally, I made them, they are the BEST homemade taquitos I’ve ever had! So yummy, the entire family loved them. I even craved them for breakfast the next morning!! Hahaha! Thanks for yet another wonderful recipe!!
Thanks so much! We had these for dinner with salad tonight and my kids LOVED them – even the fussy ones, AND the 2 year old! The older ones liked them so much they want them in their school lunches. A definite winner! Thanks again 🙂
I’m making these in a crock pot today.
We make “salsa chicken” on a regular basis for the days I don’t have time to cook – throw chicken and salsa in the crockpot and head out the door. I shred it right in the crockpot when dinners ready and serve with rice or in tortillas with cheese & sour cream.
This recipe is going to take it up quite a few notches! I didn’t add the cream cheese, cilantro or green onion yet. I’ll add that at the end and assemble the taquitos. The house smells great! Can’t wait for dinner:)
I’m always happy to see a recipe that calls for green salsa! If I can’t get fresh regular salsa, jarred green salsa is what I go for 🙂 My husband decided to try out being a vegetarian a couple of weeks ago so when I made these tonight, I used 2 cans of drained black beans. I added about 1/2 cup extra pepperjack because 2 cans of beans equals more like 3 cups rather than the 2 cups of chicken the recipe says. The taquitos turned out great! I will definitely make them again and may mash the beans some first to prevent them from falling out as much. So if anyone’s wondering if this recipe is good with beans instead of meat, the answer is a resounding yes.
OMGosh, these were *DELICIOUS*! I have to admit I’d never made Mexican food fancier than a taco seasoning packet, so I had to buy most of these seasonings. But these taquitos are AMAZING and it was so easy! I made some for the freezer too because the family LOVED them! Thank you!
Also, thanks for the tip about the green salsa ‘hotness’. I am hot sauce wuss so the La Costena was plenty for me!
I just made these tongight and my whole family LOVED them. I tried them with white corn tortilla’s and flour tortilla’s but I prefered the white corn the best. I just found your website a few weeks ago, so this is the first recipe I have tried. There are so many recipes that I want to try but was wondering what are some of your favorite or the most popular recipes.
We made these last night and they were a HUGE hit! Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Sara,
I know this is by no means newly posted but o can’t wait to make this next week for dinner. I know you made some suggestions as what to have on the side, but was wondering if you think having the cilantro lime rice as well would be overkill? Lol I just can’t wait to try it all!
My family loves these so much we have lovingly changed the name to “Jimmers”. We have these every time we watch BYU play! We’ve even added these to our Laurel recipe collection.
My husband loves these! I say taquitos are for dinner and he’s home early! These are so good and so quick and easy to make. Love them!
I really enjoyed these, and served them with your lime-cilantro dressing. Perfect!
Oh. My. Yumminess! Made these tonight with the sweet and savory coconut rice! Would it be naughty to admit I licked the bowl that I mixed the filling in?
These are so good! I freeze them, so my fam can eat them anytime!
made these for my family (15 year old boy, 18 year old girl and 20 year old son) and they were a hit. I made a batch and a half because as I said I am feeding 15 and 20 year old boys. I made the tortillas and my oldest helped by shredding the chicken. I love that you state they can be made with flour totillas because I can’t eat corn so I always have to find a way to substitute. I used fat free cream cheese and fat free milk, regular jack cheese and just added a small can of mild diced greeen chilis. And the lime cilantro dressing to go with is great! This is definitely a new favorite in my home.
These were DELICIOUS!
I will definitely be making these again.
Demarcus fam- nope, I don't have it- sorry!
I just made your cilantro dressing and it is as good as cafe rio! yay!!! These taquitos are getting ready to go into the oven as I type this but I was wondering if you had any nutritional information for these? calories most importantly. Thanks!!
Went to Nutritiondata.com and was able to get apx nutritional values per taquito (if you make 8).
Made with flour tortillas – about 285 caleries in each taquito
Made with flour tortillas and fat free cream cheese – 263 calories in each
Made with corn tortillas – about 231 calories in each
made with corn tortillas and fat free cream cheese – about 207 calories in each
When I make them, I get 17-20, and I buy tortillas that for some reason are only 85 calories per, rather than 110 like the rest seems to be. With cilantro-lime ranch dressing, mine turn out to be 202 per with 1 T. dressing
I made these this evening– Well, I say I made THESE, but it's more accurate to say that I used your recipe as a starting point.
I didn't have any cream cheese, so I substituted vanilla yogurt and added extra cayenne (I coat my chicken liberally in hot sauce, cayenne and chili powder before browning it in a pan) and cilantro to counteract the sweetness. We ran out of salsa verde, but I added a chopped tomato and roasted red pepper to add a little bit of veggies to my meaty-cheesy mixture (I'm incapable of stopping at a "sprinkle" when cheese is involved). It was still delicious even after I was done messing with it!!! I'm making a wimpy (non-spicy) version for my mom tomorrow.
I love your site and I LOVE this recipe <3
Just thought I would let you know that I made these last night for my husband and he said it was one of the best things I've made!!! YAY!! It's a favorite!! Thanks ladies:) I have to admit, they are very tasty… lots of flavor!!
These were AMAZING! I can't wait to make them again. Thank you!
Made these tonight… AWESOME! I used fat free cream cheese and forgot to put the jack cheese in, but they were still packed with flavor and SO GOOD! Thanks for sharing!
Yum these look de-lish!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I blogged about it and linked it at this site:
http://tylerandkrista.blogspot.com/2011/02/need-something-tasty-for-dinner.html
We absolutely loved it! They were so easy to make and I love it when my finished product actually looks like yours! These were a HUGE hit!! Thanks again!
So I just finished making these for my husband and I and they are delicious!!!! I'm eating one as I type. Anywho Chris, my husband, is such a picky eater YOU HAVE NO IDEA! He devoured them. I topped it off with my famous spanish rice and salsa and wow what a yummo and easy dinner! Thanks for sharing!
These are wonderful! Made 'em last night for dinner and then I had them for lunch AND dinner today! 🙂 I heated them up in the toaster oven and they were still crispy and delicious. Great recipe! Thank you!
Mmmmm, these were awesome! Definitely going into the regular rotation. Thank you so much!
I made these yesterday and they ROCK! My husband couldn't stop saying how delicious they were. I took them to work for lunch today, and again they were excellent! I think this will be my next dinner with friends. It's perfect because it makes a lot for a little. THANK YOU so much!
Kate & Sara –
I just found out about your site last month. I have already spent HOURS perusing your recipes (I love to cook and am such a foodie), have ordered your cookbook and am counting the days until it is released and just tonight made this recipe. My husband and 7-year-old loved the taquitos. Next time I'm making at least a double batch and will freeze some. Thanks so much for making cooking even more fun and sharing your tried and true recipes! I live in Logan so if I hear of any book signings I'm comin' over!
These have become standard football snacking fare around our house! We love them with shredded pork (that I slow cook with a spice rub in the crock pot) the best. And I even tried a vegetarian version for company. I kept everything else the same, but instead of meat used 1 cup black beans, 1 cup roasted corn and a handful of roasted red peppers. They were awesome and I loved being able to make one thing that pleased my entire family- meat eaters and vegetarians alike. Thanks for a terrific recipe!