Ditch the deep-fryer and forget the freezer aisle in favor of this fast, fresh and family favorite recipe for Baked Chicken and Cheese Taquitos.
Growing up in San Diego, taquitos (a.k.a. flautas) made many an appearance on our family dinner table. While I’m all for the classic deep-fried variety (of onion rings and arancini and ravioli and…), I’ve lightened the caloric load with this healthy, baked take on traditional taquitos. I love serving these with homemade guacamole and fresh salsa. All that’s missing is a Strawberry Margarita Popsicle for dessert!
How to Make Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
While taquitos are typically made with corn tortillas, feel free to use flour tortillas. The flour tortillas will be much easier and pliable to roll up (ie. less cracking!). Just keep in mind, they will need a few minutes extra in the oven to get as crispy as their corn counterpart.
How Long Do I Cook Taquitos in the Air Fryer?
Start by preheating your air fryer to 400°F, coating the basket with cooking spray. After placing the taquitos seam-side down in your air fryer, spray a bit more cooking oil over each taquito to ensure each of them gets that crisp, crunchy exterior. These will cook up fast, in just under 8 minutes!
How to Make Taquitos In the Oven
You’ll want to set your oven temperature higher (in this case 425ºF) than your air fryer to achieve that same perfect crispy exterior. After lining your sheet pan with parchment paper, place each rolled taquito seam-side down. These will bake up to a toasty golden brown in just 15 to 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- 12 (6-inch) flour tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (See Kelly's Notes for air fryer instructions.)
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it’s translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes until it’s golden and fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to low, and then add the lime juice, cumin, paprika, salt and black pepper to the pan, stirring to combine. Add the shredded chicken, tossing to combine.
- Transfer the chicken mixture to a large bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes, and then stir in the shredded cheese.
- Arrange the tortillas on work surface then place about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of each tortilla. Tightly roll up the tortilla, secure it with a toothpick, and then place it seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat the filling and rolling process with the remaining tortillas.
- Bake the taquitos for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. (See below for air fryer instructions.) Serve with guacamole and salsa.
Kelly's Notes:
- Taquitos are traditionally made with corn tortillas, however you can use flour tortillas, which are much more pliable, and thus easier to roll.
- To cook the taquitos in an air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Grease the basket with cooking spray then arrange a portion of the taquitos in an even layer. Coat the taquitos with cooking spray then air-fry them until golden brown and crispy, about 8 minutes.
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
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So easy, SO tasty! Total crowd pleaser! I actually “pre rolled” the taquitos so all I had to do was pop them in the air fryer. They were easy to prep, and I was thrilled that the recipe pleased both the picky and snobby eaters at my table
Awesome! I’m so thrilled everyone enjoyed the recipe, Cayla!
These are so good! I used street taco sized flour tortillas and added a little enchilada sauce to the filling for moisture. I did find that the ends of the tortillas got brown, so I will lower the temp next time (I have a convection oven). As I grew up in CA and LOVE Mexican food, I was happy to find this recipe. It’s actually like a dry chicken and cheese enchilada. Thanks for the recipe! Any tips to prevent the browning would be welcome.
Hi there! You can try covering just the ends with foil wrap (so line them up then lay the foil across the tops/bottoms), otherwise, try rotating them halfway through vertical/horizontal so they’re getting even heat in all directions.
Excited to try! I’m not seeing the chicken broth on your ingredient list. Quantity probably doesn’t matter based on how it will be used, but how much are you warming up and using?
Thanks so much for catching that, Sharon! I’ve updated the recipe, as the chicken broth was used in a prior version featuring corn tortillas that need to be softened. No need for chicken broth if using flour tortillas!
My family loves these. I use flour tortillas and they crisp up very nicely. I make refried beans and serve with salsa and fresh guacamole.
YUM! I’m so glad your family enjoyed the recipe, Kim!
I made these taquitos for my family a while ago and they were amazing! Everyone loved them and we are definitely going to make them again. Totally worth the time it takes to make them!
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Laurel!
This recipe sounds pretty tasty! Have been reading through all the comments. Has anyone even tried the oil dipping technique as shown in the video?? Everyone is commenting on the chicken broth technique. Just curious before giving this recipe a try.
Thanks and great work!
Feel free to use either method, Cyrus! Enjoy :)
I saw that you list the WW points as 11 for two taquitos. Can you tell me which WW plan these points are based on?
Hi Lori! The calculations are based on their standard SmartPoints program :)
I make these all the time. They are one of my famiies favorite. I make them ahead & freeze them, following instructions and season to taste. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome, Faith! I’m thrilled you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
My tortillas just totally fall apart if I dip them in the broth. Even a few seconds. Not sure what I’m doing wrong
Hi Andre – Did you dip them into simmering (it must be warm!) chicken broth?
will they be crispy if i dip flour into broth? im assuming it adds flavor, so id like to
Yes!
Can you make these ahead of time and then freeze and bake them? Or can you make them the morning of, pop them in the fridge until right before you are ready to bake and serve them? Your recipe looks amazing :)
Hi Becca – Yes and yes! Either way works :)
I made them last week with slow cooker chuck roast. Holy cow were thet great. My kids think I’m chef Tell!! Thanks Kelly!! You make me look like a rock star!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Trey!
These look awesome! I miss flautas. I can’t order them anymore because I can’t eat flour tortillas. This is perfect! I can’t wait to try them. :-)
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Molly!
Im 12 and i made this because my mom was so tired and we are doing this project in class and making a class cookbook! But how much cheese should you put in? In the video, it only like a little bit of cheese, but the recipe calls for 1 cup.
Hi Jack! You can follow the recipe as written. I hope you and your mom enjoy the taquitos!
Love so many of your recipes. Had such a difficult time with the tortillas and I followed the instructions closely. I may try the microwave suggestion.
Hi Susan! You could also use flour tortillas to avoid any cracking. :)
My husband and i LOVE this recipe- this is the 3rd time and has became a weekly dinner. One thing I’ve struggled with is cracking of the tortillas. BUT tonight I tried just putting 4 corn tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel, microwaves for 30 seconds and they are PERFECTLY pliable. Yay!!! Thank you for your delicious recipe!
I’m thrilled you and your husband have been enjoying this recipe, Victoria!
Love these!
Have you tried freezing?
Hi Danielle! I have never tried freezing these, so I can’t say with certainty what the best method would be. However, if I were to try to freeze them, I’d make sure they were securely wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. Let me know if you give it a shot!