Description
These Chicken Taquitos are crispy on the outside and creamy and cheesy on the inside. Made with shredded chicken, cheese, and a flavorful blend of spices, they can be baked, pan-fried, or air-fried to perfection and served with your favorite toppings like sour cream, guacamole, or salsa.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
- 1/3 cup chunky salsa
- 1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup freshly shredded Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Mexican blend cheese
Assembly
- 6 6-inch flour or corn tortillas
- Olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray or oil (for frying)
Toppings (optional)
- Greek yogurt or sour cream (thinned with a little milk for drizzling)
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Guacamole
- Chopped diced tomatoes or additional salsa
Instructions
- Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken, salsa, Greek yogurt, chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, and kosher salt. Stir well to incorporate all the spices. Then fold in the shredded cheese evenly.
- Warm tortillas: If using corn tortillas, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Warm each tortilla on both sides for 15 to 30 seconds until soft and pliable. Flour tortillas do not need warming.
- Roll the taquitos: Working with one tortilla at a time, place about one-sixth of the chicken mixture down the center. Roll the tortilla tightly and place it seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Secure with a toothpick if needed. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Choose cooking method:
- Bake: Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly mist the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray. Bake for 18 minutes until golden and crispy at the edges.
- Pan-fry: Pour about 1 1/2 inches of peanut or similar frying oil into a large high-sided skillet and heat over medium-high until hot and shimmering. Fry taquitos in small batches, turning to crisp all sides for a few seconds per side. Drain on paper towels.
- Air-fry: Preheat air fryer to 380°F. Place taquitos seam-side down in a single layer in the basket, mist with cooking spray, and cook for 12 minutes until crisp. Avoid overlapping, cook in batches if needed.
- Serve: Serve the taquitos hot with optional toppings like thinned Greek yogurt or sour cream, chopped cilantro, guacamole, and diced tomatoes or additional salsa.
Notes
- To make rolling easier with corn tortillas, warming them makes them pliable and less likely to crack.
- Using toothpicks can help keep taquitos closed during cooking.
- Adjust the spice level by increasing or reducing chili powder and salsa heat.
- For extra crispiness, lightly spray or brush taquitos with oil before baking or air frying.
- These taquitos can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen before cooking; just increase cook time slightly when reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taquito
- Calories: 253 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
