Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos


I've been lacking a bit in inspiration for menu planning lately.  It's not that I haven't been cooking, but I've been making old favorites instead of trying out new recipes.  Last week I'd had enough, so I started browsing some of my favorite blogs for ideas for my weekly menu.  I love any and all Mexican food, so when I saw these taquitos, I immediately added them to my weekly menu.

We loved loved loved this dinner.  The filling was bright, fresh, and flavorful, and the salt sprinkled on top was a really nice touch.  We dipped them into what I call "tomatillo guacamole," which is just mashed avocado mixed with tomatillo salsa.  I highly recommend it for these taquitos, as well as just snacking with chips.  If you have your chicken cooked and salsa ready, this comes together quite quickly.  The filling can be prepped in advance, which would make for an even faster meal.  Or, they can be assembled and then frozen for later.  Next time I make these, I definitely plan to make a double batch and freeze half.

One Year Ago:  Caesar Salad Tartlets with Roasted Garlic Crusts


Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally from Our Best Bites
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is fine)
  • 1/3 cup salsa verde
  • juice of 1/2 a lime
  • 1 tsp chile powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 Tbs chopped scallions
  • 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken *
  • 1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese
  • 8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • cooking spray
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.  Fold in the chicken and cheeses.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap.  Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable. 

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly.  Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole.


*This is how I prepare my chicken if I don't have leftover chicken to use:  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spread a piece of aluminum foil across a baking sheet, and arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in the center.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and season as you wish.  Fold the aluminum foil over the chicken breasts, and enclose them to form a "packet."  Bake the chicken (on the baking sheet) 35-45 minutes, or until it is cooked through.


**To freeze, prepare the taquitos, but before baking, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the taquitos are completely cold.  Wrap each taquito in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and freeze.  To bake, unwrap the taquitos and cook  in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes (no need to thaw first).


43 comments:

Anonymous said...

OMG they look really good - I'll definitely have to give them at try :-)

My best,
Birthe from Denmark

Nicole, RD said...

Must-make!

ashley said...

ohhhhh these look so good!!

kylee said...

Oooh, these look really nice!

Nikki (Pennies on a Platter) said...

LOVE these!! It's such a nice and easy meal to keep in the freezer for those nights you don't feel like cooking, or for a quick lunch. Glad you tried them and love them just as much! :)

(Also love your photo!)

Sandy said...

These look great! I will make them very soon. Job well done.

Sandy said...

These look great! I will make them very soon. Job well done.

Charlie Bakes said...

Thanks for the recipe. I have always wanted to eat taquitos, but the store-bought kind are usually deep fried and have fake ingredients. Again, Thanks for the recipe.
Charlie, 12 year old food blogger

Laurel {Make and Takes} said...

My kids would love these! I will definitely have to try to make them...I love eating them but have never made them myself! I'd love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight: http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight

Sara said...

These look delicious. I love the idea about freezing half to eat later!

Anonymous said...

Yum! DH has an unfortunate obsession w/ Costco frozen taquitos (probably leftover from college days). I bet if I made these I could put an end to that (especially since they can be frozen!)

Jenn said...

I love taquitos and pepperjack cheese. I always pan fry mine in a little oil, because I like them nice and crispy. However, yours look like they got plenty crispy in the oven. I will have to try this recipe and save myself those added calories from the oil.

Unknown said...

Ok, I made these....Yummmy! They crisped up. Kids loved them. They asked for them to be put in the rotation. Served with salad and mexican broth soup.

Anonymous said...

I made these last night and they were DELICIOUS!!! Hubby and I got full after just 3-4 of these each. You rock!

Jessica Shivers said...

These look so good! My husband is always asking if I will make taquitos, but I've never figured out how. We will definitely be trying this recipe soon!

Jessica
www.dinnerwiththeshivers.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I made these tonight for dinner and they were really good! Thanks so much for the recipe.

Rebecca said...

Do you think shredded meat would taste as good instead of chicken? I'm dealing with some picky eaters and these looks delish!

Erin said...

Made them and loved them!

Anonymous said...

Made these last night for my boyfriend and I. We LOVED them!I think I could eat the filling by the spoonful...so delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!

Debbie said...

These look fantastic! YUM!

Life Is Crazy Beautiful said...

Came over from The Pioneer Woman's blog today. I just love finding recipes I can adapt...as I L♥VE mexican food, but am allergic to onions and garlic. So, no eating in mexican restaurants or heating tacquitos from a box or opening a jar of salsa for me - EVERYTHING must be made from scratch. Haven't decided what we're having for Cinco de Mayo dinner tonight, but just maybe it will include these. Thanks!! Lisa

GirlyGirlCooks said...

I found you from Pioneer Woman (congrats on being featured!) and I am making this for dinner tonight! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Sarah said...

These look great! My family is vegetarian though, do you think I could use beans instead of chicken?

Josie said...

Sarah,
I don't see why not - I'd probably use 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans or pinto. Let me know how they turn out!

Ana said...

These were delicious - thanks! :)

GirlyGirlCooks said...

My boyfriend and I just finished having these for dinner and they were fantastic! That filling you could eat by itself! So glad I found you from PW!

Nicci @ Changing the Universe said...

Just thought I'd let you know, we made these last night and they were a HIT! So, so yummy! Thanks for the recipe, and congrats on being featured on PW!

Jess said...

Ditto what these last few reviewers said- made these tonight and they were FANTASTIC! My husband, who is rarely so passionate about food, insisted this become a regular on our menu. Love love love! So glad I found you through PW!

Mona said...

Just made these. Didn't have chili powder or cayenne; added a pinch of red pepper flakes. Used canned & drained tomatillos for the salsa verde. Used shredded seasoned pork loin instead of chicken. Assembled half the mixture as taquitos and the rest as quesadillas ( spread on the inside of one flour tortilla, while the other was topped with pepper jack and leftover pork.) Oh my YUM! A huge hit with the family, will def make again.

Slice of Southern said...

This is jut what I want for dinner tomorrow night! Thanks for the great recipe. They look delishhh!

JP said...

Made these without any changes for dinner tonight and loved them! Also, ridiculously easy since I nabbed a rotisserie chicken on my way home. Thanks!

Unknown said...

I made these last night and we loved them! Very easy and delish. Thanks so much for sharing!!

Christina said...

I made these and LOVED them! I spritzed a little lime on them before the salt and that was kinda nice. Also, I found if you over fill them, they explode or get soggy. 1-2 tablespoons of filling worked for me and the extra thin corn tortillas worked nicely! Will be making them again soon!

Anonymous said...

Yum!!! These were so tasty! My boyfriend loved these and he's not usually one to try new foods all that often. They were really crispy and just fabulous. I made a double batch of the filling and put half in the freezer to make next week. Thanks!

Amy said...

A friend of mine made these at our Bunco night months ago and they were delicious! She just sent me the recipe today and I made them for dinner, loved them! Thanks for a great recipe!

Elissa said...

I made your recipe last night and LOVED them! My son and boyfriend were impressed! I didn't have scallions so I used finely diced red onion and it works great too. We ate them with sour cream and salsa and had a side salad. Thanks! :)

Kelliq81 said...

We made them last weekend for the first time. They were terrific and I forgot to add the cheese with the chicken - going to make them again this weekend with the cheese - can't wait. Had fresh pico de gallo to go with them - YUM!

Anonymous said...

I just found your recipe this week, and made it tonight. It was SO delicious. We only had cheddar cheese, and I added a shallot instead of scallions, and it was just amazing. My husband is head over heels for this recipe. Thanks, this is definitely going into regular rotation in our house!

Anonymous said...

Just made these tonight along with chicken club tacos and my husband loved these. Will for sure be placed into my recipe rotation. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Had this recipe printed for quite a while and finally got around to it today. Not disappointed,I forgot to buy coriander so used coriander seed and used fresh onion not onion powder. Loved these. Thanks!

MagQ said...

This is a family favorite in my house now. All my kids and husband love them. I try to keep my freezer stocked with them for just in case moments. They are great for parties as well.

disqus_V91Tnyd5e0 said...

Delicious! I just had these for lunch, and even my two and a half year old ate them. I used what I had on hand and subbed onions for scallions, regular salsa for salsa verde and flour tortillas instead of corn. Still yummy. We will be adding these to the rotation!

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