Chicken Taquitos – a crispy, crunchy, cheesy taquito filled with a creamy chicken filling.
Easy & Delicious Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
These Chicken Taquitos are easy, delicious, and full of creamy chicken.
They are crispy and crunchy on the outside and easily tailored to both the picky eaters in your home and to those wanting to lower the calories.
This Chicken Taquito recipe calls for oven baking with no frying. You don’t have to worry about hot oil or deep fried anything.
What’s the difference between chicken flautas and chicken taquitos?
The difference between flautas and taquitos is the type of tortilla used. Most often, flautas are made using flour tortillas while taquitos are made using corn tortillas.
Chicken Taquitos Recipe Ingredients
- Cream Cheese
- Salsa
- Lime Juice
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cooked Chicken
- Pepperjack Cheese
- Corn Tortillas
- Avocado Oil Spray
How to make Chicken Taquitos
(full recipe instructions with measurements and printable card are at the end of this post)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Add in the cooked chicken and pepperjack cheese.
- Warm the tortillas between two damp paper towels briefly in the microwave. This will keep them from tearing while rolling. Keep them between the paper towels only taking one out at a time while you roll them.
- Add about 3 tablespoons of mixture to the tortilla. Roll tightly.
- Place seam side down on your parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
- Once all taquitos are on the baking sheet, spray with avocado oil.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake 15-18 minutes until brown and crispy.
Can Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos be made ahead of time?
Yes! I like to make big batches of them and then put them in the freezer.
When I’m ready to eat them, I heat them up in the oven or air fryer.
You technically could heat them up in the microwave, but I like mine crispy and crunchy on the outside so I stick to the oven or air fryer.
Can I use flour tortillas?
You can, but you won’t get the same result. They’ll be equally delicious, but they won’t have the same crunch factor.
Baked Chicken Taquitos Tips and FAQ
- Use precooked chicken. – If this means opting for a rotisserie chicken, store bought shredded chicken, or chicken you made yourself in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or baked… do it! Don’t make it complicated.
It’s important to briefly heat the corn tortillas and keep them between two damp paper towels to avoid tearing while rolling.
You may want to add just a couple of minutes to the baking time. All ovens and altitudes are different so yours may require just a little more time to crisp up completely.
It’s important to not over stuff them, to roll them tight, and be sure they are seam side down on the baking sheet. If needed you can push them a little once on the baking sheet.
Chicken taquitos are great served with refried beans, spanish rice, and lots of toppings. Great toppings include sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
When you’re rolling your taquitos, be sure you’re using warm corn tortillas. When the tortillas are warm, they are less likely to tear and fall apart. Try to keep from overfilling the taquitos as well.
You can keep taquitos warm and crispy by placing them on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
Alterations for picky eaters
- If your picky eater doesn’t like shredded meat, you can always use cubed chicken. Instead of shredding your cooked chicken, dice it up in cubes.
- For picky eaters who hate citrus, you can omit the lime entirely. Once the dish is complete, they likely won’t be able to notice the flavor individually, but you can leave it entirely if needed.
- If you are concerned about the spice level for your picky eater, omit the chili powder and use Monterey jack cheese instead. You can use an extremely mild salsa or omit it entirely. You could also sub for 2 tbsp of plain canned tomato sauce. My family and I don’t find these spicy, but everyone’s palate is different. If you have someone you’re cooking for that is particularly sensitive to spice, just leave them out.
- Those with picky eaters who hate corn tortillas (I have one in my house who is that way), you could always use flour tortillas. The one in my home doesn’t mind the corn tortilla once they are crispy and crunchy, but if yours does, just switch to their favorite flour tortilla.
Alterations to lower the calories or WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) points
- Chicken – Use boneless, skinless chicken breast not cooked in oil
- Grated Cheese – Swap the pepper jack cheese for a fat free or reduced fat variety. I specifically like to use either fat free cheddar or reduced fat extra sharp cheddar.
- Tortillas – I personally use the Mission Extra Thin White Corn Tortillas. You could also use the Mission Carb Balance Flour Tortillas or the Mission Extra Thin Yellow Corn Tortillas.
- Cream Cheese – I personally use the Neufchatel (reduced fat cream cheese), but you could also use fat free.
- Salsa – Use a zero point/low calorie salsa!
- Avocado Oil – It’s important to use this to get the extra crispy crunch, just be light handed with it.
How to store and reheat Homemade Chicken Taquitos
To store homemade chicken taquitos, allow them to cool completely. Place them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh up to 3 days.
To reheat, the best method is in the air fryer. Not only will they reheat, but they’ll stay nice and crispy. I recommend reheating them at 350°F for about 5 minutes. You can also reheat them in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes.
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Homemade Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 6 oz cream cheese I use reduced fat
- 2 tbsp salsa
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cups cooked chicken shredded
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
- 12 corn tortillas I use extra thin white corn
- Avocado Oil Spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Add in the cooked chicken and pepper jack cheese.
- Warm the tortillas between two damp paper towels briefly in the microwave. This will keep them from tearing while rolling. Keep them between the paper towels only taking one out at a time while you roll them.
- Add about 3 tablespoons of mixture to the tortilla. Roll tightly.
- Place seam side down on your parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
- Once all taquitos are on the baking sheet, spray with avocado oil.
- Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake 15-18 minutes until brown and crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
