Baked Chicken Taquitos Recipe

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These creamy chicken taquitos are the real deal. Baked in the oven, not fried – easy to make, super delicious, and freezer friendly.

Make this quick and easy recipe ahead and bake when you’re ready, or even freeze them!

This recipe is a family favorite. The best part of this is that I can make a triple or quadruple batch and freeze them for whenever we need them. A few extra minutes in the oven and we are in taquito heaven!

My children enjoy these eaten around the coffee table with sour cream and salsa (as well as pico de gallo) on a Friday night with some movies. It’s essentially finger food, but I’ve been known to fill my double oven up with 4 trays of these and pass them around as an appetizer at a party. I know you can buy these store-bought (from the frozen section of the grocery store).

Very simple ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge and pantry, they can be super spicy, or super mild – it’s all up to you! Just choose your level, and go for it.

All you need to do is mix up the filling, heat your tortillas, spend a little time rolling taquitos, then spritz with a little oil and bake. If you wanted to freeze them, just skip the baking step and freeze on a baking sheet and when solid, put them all in a ziplock bag. Pull out as many as you’ll need (I’ve done 2 at a time for lunch in the toaster oven) and bake. Ta-daaaaaaa!

However you decide to serve these, you’ll be glad you made them! 

Love good appetizers? (Who doesn’t?) – try these Thai Baked Chicken Meatballs, or these Savory Palmiers!

How to make chicken taquitos:

The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below. 

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix together the filling ingredients in a large bowl until thoroughly combined
4. Heat the tortillas in the microwave until soft and pliable, and keep warm (I use a tortilla warmer)
5. Spoon chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla and roll the tortillas up tightly.
6. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining filling/tortillas.
7. Brush the taquitos with vegetable oil (or spray with cooking spray) and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.
8. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
9. Serve with sour cream and extra salsa.
10. Devour.

TO FREEZE

1. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and chill until taquitos are frozen.
2. Transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag, and place back in the freezer.

TO BAKE FROM FROZEN:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
2. Remove the desired number of taquitos from the freezer and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp and golden.
4. Devour.

FILLING

• Cream Cheese – soften it in the microwave until easy to mix
• Salsa – here’s where you can make this your own! Choose your favorite salsa, whether it’s spicy or milk, green or red!
• Lime Juice – fresh lime juice is best for this
• Prepared Chili Powder – this is NOT straight ground chilis.
• Cumin – this gives it a lovely deep flavor. Add more or less to your liking.
• Onion Powder – you can use fresh onion, but it should be very finely diced.
• Garlic – fresh!! Mince it up finely.
• Cilantro – this will add some delicious freshness and color.
• Green Onions – these are for a subtle flavor, and color.
• Cooked shredded chicken – make it easy on yourself and use a rotisserie chicken.
• Monterey Jack Cheese – you can use whatever cheese you prefer, just make sure it’s a milder type of cheese.

ASSEMBLY

• Flour Tortillas – these are “soft taco” sized, but you can use a smaller size or use corn tortillas if you prefer.
• Vegetable Oil – just brush this on before baking so they get nice and crispy. You can also use an oil mister if you have one and prefer to use it. Olive oil also works great!

FAQs and Kylee’s Notes

Can you freeze chicken taquitos?

Yes – just place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Freeze until hard, then add to a freezer safe zip top bag until needed. Remove as many as you need, and bake an extra few minutes in the oven.

What to serve with this recipe?

• Salsa
• Pico de gallo
• Sour cream
• Hot sauce
• Cilantro

• Try these other appetizer recipes:
  • Easy Queso Dip Recipe (in a skillet)
  • Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
  • Jalapeno Popper Cheese Ball 
  • Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
  • Scallops with Pineapple Salsa (from Hostess at Heart)
  • ALL APPETIZER RECIPES

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Update: This Baked Chicken Taquitos Recipe was originally posted in 2011 I have updated the post to improve reader experience, the recipe remains the same