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.
Cinco de Mayo may still be a few weeks away, but that’s not stopping me from sharing a few of my go-to Mexican recipes, from The Ultimate Chipotle Pork Nachos to Easy Homemade Churros with Chocolate Sauce, and now, a lighter take on a childhood favorite, taquitos!
Growing up in San Diego, taquitos (a.k.a. flautas) made many an appearance on our family dinner table. And 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.
Store-bought rotisserie chicken is shredded and tossed with sautéed onions and spices before being mixed with cheddar cheese and rolled into corn tortillas.
A quick bake in the oven yields an extra-crispy taquito that’s ready and waiting for a dive into chunky homemade guacamole and fresh salsa. All that’s missing is a Strawberry Margarita Popsicle for dessert!
And if you’re ready to see these taquitos get rolled in real-time, tune in to the video below!
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Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (See Kelly's Notes)
- Homemade guacamole, for serving
- Homemade salsa, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 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.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer. One at a time, dip each tortilla into the broth for 10 to 15 seconds, just until it's pliable enough to roll. Transfer the tortilla to your work surface and place about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of each tortilla. Tightly roll up the tortilla, 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. 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. The key to successfully rolling the corn tortillas (without them cracking), is to rely on the quick dip in the simmering (it must be warm!) chicken broth to loosen them up. Don't skip that step, or your corn tortillas will crack during the rolling process.
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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.
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!