These Chicken Taquitos have the BEST creamy filling with shredded chicken, cheese, salsa, seasonings, and more! They can be fried or baked and make the best dinner or appetizer! (BONUS: They’re make-ahead friendly) 

Be sure to serve these with my homemade salsa, guacamole, and sour cream!

Chicken Taquitos on a white serving platter with salsa, sour cream, lime slices, and toppings.

Chicken Taquitos

You can’t beat these crispy, golden Chicken Taquitos filled with that creamy, cheesy, chicken filling! This dish has all of the right flavors going on, it’s the ultimate flavor explosion.

These taquitos can be baked or fried, they’re a great make-ahead dish and they’re also very freezer-friendly! What’s not to love?! Don’t miss my PRO TIPS below!

How to Make It

Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Chicken Taquito filling before and after being mixed together in a bowl.

Place 3-4 tablespoons of filling in the middle of each tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam-side-down on a plate.

Chicken Taquito filling on a tortilla next to a plate of rolled chicken taquitos.

(See recipe card for frying instructions.) To Bake: Brush the middles with butter but not the ends, as those brown faster. If possible place wire cooling racks over a large light-colored baking sheet for crispier results. Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole! 

Chicken Taquitos on a baking sheet before and after being baked.

Make Ahead Method

  • Assemble the taquitos as outlined.
    • Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days prior to baking/frying. Let them sit out for 30 minutes prior to cooking if possible.
    • Cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely prior to cooking. 
  • You can also assemble the filling up to 2 days beforehand, this gives the flavors a chance to meld. Then fill and roll when ready to cook.

Pro Tips

  • Tortillas: I use flour tortillas because I can’t seem to keep the corn ones from cracking/tearing. Although microwaving them does make them more pliable. Mission brand works best for me, for both corn and flour. I use the 6-inch Fajita size.
  • Once rolled, always place them seam-side-down when baking, frying, and serving. 
  • Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is great for this recipe. See notes section of the recipe card if preparing uncooked chicken to use for this recipe. Season the shredded chicken with salt if it’s not already salted. (Rotisserie chicken likely won’t need additional salt.)
  • Frying: I highly recommend inserting toothpicks at the seam to keep the taquitos from unfolding. Feel free to cut the toothpicks a little if they’re too long, so that you can rotate easily throughout frying. 
  • Baking: Butter is brushed on the top of the taquitos to help achieve a golden color when baking. Avoid brushing the very ends with butter as they brown more quickly.
  • Topping options include cilantro, green onions, red onions, and tomatoes.
  • Serve these chicken taquitos with refried beans, rice, black beans, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole! It also pairs well with my corn salad, cucumber avocado salad, and cowboy caviar. 
  • If you like these, you’ll love my chicken enchiladas, beef enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, loaded nachos, chicken fajitas, and steak fajitas!

Storage

  • Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • Leftover taquitos freeze and reheat well.  I wrap them individually in foil and store in a labeled freezer bag.

A stack of Chicken Taquitos on a plate surrounded by Mexican toppings with sour cream and salsa in the background.

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Chicken Taquitos piled up on a white serving platter with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and diced jalapenos.

Chicken Taquitos

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 15 Taquitos
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These Chicken Taquitos have the BEST creamy filling with shredded chicken, cheese, salsa, seasonings, and more! They can be fried or baked and make the best dinner or appetizer!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Filling

  • 2 cups shredded chicken, see notes
  • 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese, or pepper jack
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
  • ¼ cup salsa
  • ¼ cup sour cream, plus more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
  • ½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon EACH: cumin, paprika, chili powder

Tortillas

  • 15-20 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, see notes
  • 1 ½ tablespoons melted butter, if baking
  • vegetable oil, if frying. Can sub avocado or olive oil.

Instructions

Assemble:

  • Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl until well-combined.
  • Scoop 3-4 tablespoons of filling in the middle of each tortilla and roll into a tight cylinder. Place seam-side-down on a plate. (Pro Tip: Microwaving about 4 tortillas at a time for 30 seconds will make them more pliable.)

To Bake:

  • Preheat oven to 425° F. Place the taquitos seam-side-down on a large, lightly greased, light-colored baking sheet. (Pro Tip: Place cooling racks on top of the baking sheet first for more air flow and crispier results.)
  • Brush the tops with melted butter, avoid the ends as those brown faster.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown on top. Set a timer for 10 minutes and watch closely from there. Remove and serve!

To Fry:

  • Add ¾-inch of oil to a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. (Pro Tip: Insert toothpicks into the seam to keep the tortillas from unrolling during frying. Cut the toothpicks with scissors first if they’re too long.)
  • Heat the oil to 350° F. If needed, test the oil with a piece of tortilla and ensure it fries immediately before adding the taquitos.
  • Add a few taquitos seam-side down and fry in small batches. Leave enough room to rotate them with kitchen tongs throughout frying. Fry up to 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Set aside on a cooling rack and repeat. Adjust heat up/down throughout frying as needed, I often have to turn mine down a little after the first batch or so. Serve!

Notes

Pro Tips:
  • To make shredded chicken: Bring 2 chicken breasts to a very gentle bubble. (A full boil will make it tough.) Bubble gently for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes, then use 2 forks to shred. 
  • Season the shredded chicken with salt if it’s not already salted. 
  • Rotisserie chicken is great for this recipe. 
  • Tortillas: I use flour tortillas because I can't seem to keep the corn ones from cracking/tearing. Although microwaving them does make them more pliable. Mission brand works best for me, for both corn and flour. I use the 6-inch Fajita size.
  • Once rolled, always place them seam-side-down when baking, frying, and serving. 
  • Frying: I highly recommend inserting toothpicks at the seam to keep the taquitos from unfolding. Feel free to cut the toothpicks a little if they're too long, so that you can rotate easily throughout frying. 
  • Baking: Butter is brushed on the top of the taquitos to help achieve a golden color when baking. Avoid brushing the very ends with butter as they brown more quickly.
  • Topping options include cilantro, green onions, red onions, and tomatoes.
  • Serve these chicken taquitos with refried beans, rice, black beans, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole! It also pairs well with my corn salad, cucumber avocado salad, and cowboy caviar. 
  • If you like these, you'll love my chicken enchiladas, beef enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, loaded nachos, chicken fajitas, and steak fajitas!
Storage:
  • Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 
  • Leftover taquitos freeze and reheat well.  I wrap them individually in foil and store in a labeled freezer bag.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per taquito. It's for the baked version of this recipe. This recipe makes approximately 15 taquitos.

Nutrition

Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.05g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 385mg, Potassium: 130mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 363IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 148mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Author: Stephanie