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It’s Day 2 of my Cinco De Mayo Series & we are making Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos!
Today is all about my Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos! I love making this recipe for a tasty weeknight dinner… it truly never disappoints!
I’m sure you all have tried the oh so yummy store bought taquitos that you can find in the freezer section of the grocery store. They are so good and convenient, although we definitely aren’t counting calories with those babies 😉
My Crispy Baked Chicken Taquito recipe isn’t only delicious, but it’s also a healthier version that is filled with flavour!
My secret to deliciously, healthy taquitos that are super crispy, is to bake them in the oven instead of frying them. Baking them is so low maintenance and mess free. You don’t even have to flip them during the cooking process… you can’t get more simple than that!
Traditionally, most taquito recipes will have a creamy filling with a combination of both cream cheese and shredded cheese. While these recipes are super tasty and amazing, I also like having a healthy recipe option that is still melty with cheese, but isn’t as rich and heavy as some of the traditional recipes!
Flour or Corn Tortillas?
Taquitos are traditionally made with corn tortillas and not flour tortillas. Personally, I always like to use flour tortillas because they are so much easier to work with and honestly, I much prefer the flavour of them. You will notice now that many taquito recipes are starting to also incorporate flour tortillas, opposed to corn tortillas. You can choose to use whatever you like best!
I recommend heating up the tortillas briefly in the microwave to warm them through before rolling the taquitos! This will help to avoid the tortillas from tearing and help them to hold their shape better. This is especially important if you decide to use corn tortillas, as they easily break apart when rolled.
Preparing the Chicken
You can choose to use any protein that you like! Chicken or beef are the most common proteins in taquitos. I am using chicken for todays recipe!
You will notice that most taquitos call for “pulled” or “shredded” chicken. I am using diced chicken because I find it gives the filling a nice bite and that all of the flavourful spices stick to the chicken better, allowing you to preserve more flavour! You can choose to shred your chicken instead if you like by coating it in spices and oil, baking it and then shredding it with a fork.
The Toppings
The toppings is where you can really get creative and make your taquitos unique! Some of my fave toppings are:
-Shredded Lettuce
-Fresh Cilantro
-Pico De Gallo (I am also featuring Pico De Gallo for Day Two of my Cinco De Mayo Series! It is the perfect topping to accompany these Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos! You can check out my recipe here.)
-Avocado Crema / Guacamole / Avocado Slices
-Pickled Red Onions
-Sour Cream
Ingredients:
16 Tortillas
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 a small onion
1 1/2 Bell Peppers
1/2 Fresh Jalapeño
1 1/2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
First you will need to prep all of your ingredients. Start by dicing the bell peppers (feel free to use all the same colour, or multiple colours) and the fresh jalapeño into small squares. You can remove the seeds from the jalapeño to avoid too much spice, or you can choose to leave the seeds if you want to have a high spice level in the taquito filling. Set the peppers aside.
Dice the onion into small squares. If your onion is on the larger side, you can use a quarter of the onion instead of half. For reference, you want to make sure you have at least double the amount of diced peppers in relation to the diced onion.
Grate the sharp cheddar and mozzarella (the cheese can be loosely placed when measuring out 1.5 cups and does not need to be packed down). Set the shredded cheese aside.
Slice the chicken breasts into small pieces (you want the chicken to be small enough to mix with the filling and easily roll into the taquitos, but large enough to get a good bite).
Heat some olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the chicken. Add the spices (cajun seasoning, onion powder & garlic powder) and stir. The chicken will cook pretty quickly as it has been cut in small bite size pieces. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
In the same nonstick pan, add another drizzle of olive oil and add your onions. Once the onion begins to appear translucent, add in the bell peppers and fresh jalapeño. Cook for only about a minute or so. You want to make sure that the peppers still have a nice crunchy bite to them. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Combine your chicken and pepper mixture in a bowl.
It is now time to build the taquitos! I find that the tortillas are easier to work with if they are warmed in the microwave first. You can choose to do this if you like!
Place a combination of equal parts of the sharp cheddar and mozzarella onto each tortilla. Follow with the chicken and pepper mixture. Try not to overfill the taquitos as they will become harder to roll and the filling will fall out.
After all of the filling has been placed on the tortillas, gently roll them to form the taquitos. Place each taquito with the folded edge facing downwards, onto a greased baking sheet. Lightly spray some cooking spray over the top of the taquitos. This will allow the tortillas to get crispy and you will not have to flip them.
Place the taquitos in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they appear golden brown and crispy.
Once the taquitos are nice and crispy, they are ready to enjoy! Serve with the toppings of your choice.
I hope you enjoyed day 2 of my Cinco De Mayo Series!
Don’t forget to check out my Pico De Gallo recipe… the perfect pairing for these Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos!
Check back here tomorrow… I have a very yummy cocktail recipe that I will be sharing with you!
Make sure to tag me on Instagram if you try any of my recipes! Have a happy Tuesday!
Your Girl,
A
