Chicken taquitos are an easy yet unexpected appetizer that’s perfect to feed a crowd – I have instructions for both baking and frying these crispy bites of goodness! Serve your taquitos with sides such as salsa fresca, black bean soup, cilantro lime rice and Chipotle guacamole for a complete meal. I have to admit, for the longest time I thought of chicken taquitos only as a food you buy in the freezer section of the grocery store for a quick snack. Homemade chicken taquitos are SO much better than the store bought frozen kind, and they’re fun to assemble too!
Chicken Taquitos Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, tortillas, and oil for frying.
How Do You Make Chicken Taquitos?
Make your filling by combining the chicken, cheeses and spices. Microwave the tortillas to make them pliable, then divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla tightly and secure it with a toothpick. From here, you can either deep fry the taquitos in oil, or bake in the oven on a baking sheet. Serve immediately, with toppings of your choice.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
The toothpicks are to hold everything together while the taquitos are cooking, and you should discard them before serving. Any type of cooked chicken works for this dish. I often use leftover chicken from the night before, or else I purchase a rotisserie chicken to save time. Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze them for 2 months. To reheat, bake the taquitos at 350 degrees F for 7-8 minutes or until crispy and warmed through. Serve your taquitos as a snack, or as part of a Mexican inspired meal with other dishes such as taco lasagna, chicken tinga, chipotle salsa, mexican tortilla pinwheels and cilantro lime shrimp. I like to add a drizzle of sour cream and some fresh pico de gallo or chipotle salsa to my chicken taquitos. Other great options are ranch dressing, guacamole, grated cotija cheese, chopped cilantro leaves, there are so many possibilities!
Flavor Variations
While this dish is great as-is, you can change out the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
Protein: Instead of shredded chicken you can also use cooked ground beef or ground turkey. Another great option is cooked shredded beef or pork. Vegetables: Feel free to add some vegetables to the mix such as sauteed peppers and onions, or even some cooked diced mushrooms. Cheese: Swap out the cheddar and Monterey jack for other types of shredded cheese such as mozzarella, pepper jack, queso oaxaca, or queso asadero. You can also stir some cream cheese into the filling.
My kids adore these chicken taquitos so I make them quite frequently. No need to buy the frozen version when you can have fresh, hot taquitos any time!
