These chicken taquitos are stuffed with seasoned shredded chicken and cheese, then baked or fried to crispy perfection. Serve these taquitos with your favorite dipping sauces for a fun party snack or meal!
Chicken taquitos are an easy yet unexpected appetizer that’s perfect to feed a crowd – I have instructions for both baking and frying these crispy bites of goodness! Serve your taquitos with sides such as salsa fresca, black bean soup, cilantro lime rice and Chipotle guacamole for a complete meal.
I have to admit, for the longest time I thought of chicken taquitos only as a food you buy in the freezer section of the grocery store for a quick snack. Homemade chicken taquitos are SO much better than the store bought frozen kind, and they’re fun to assemble too!
Table of Contents
Chicken Taquitos Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, tortillas, and oil for frying.
How Do You Make Chicken Taquitos?
Make your filling by combining the chicken, cheeses and spices. Microwave the tortillas to make them pliable, then divide the chicken mixture between the tortillas. Roll up each tortilla tightly and secure it with a toothpick. From here, you can either deep fry the taquitos in oil, or bake in the oven on a baking sheet. Serve immediately, with toppings of your choice.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- The toothpicks are to hold everything together while the taquitos are cooking, and you should discard them before serving.
- Any type of cooked chicken works for this dish. I often use leftover chicken from the night before, or else I purchase a rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or you can freeze them for 2 months. To reheat, bake the taquitos at 350 degrees F for 7-8 minutes or until crispy and warmed through.
- Serve your taquitos as a snack, or as part of a Mexican inspired meal with other dishes such as taco lasagna, chicken tinga, chipotle salsa, mexican tortilla pinwheels and cilantro lime shrimp.
- I like to add a drizzle of sour cream and some fresh pico de gallo or chipotle salsa to my chicken taquitos. Other great options are ranch dressing, guacamole, grated cotija cheese, chopped cilantro leaves, there are so many possibilities!
Quick Tip
Avoid store bought pre-shredded cheeses, as they often contain preservatives and anti caking agents and will not melt as well.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken taquitos have a chicken and cheese filling that is inside small corn tortillas.
The primary difference is that flautas use flour tortillas, and taquitos are use corn tortillas. Flautas also often use larger tortillas compared to taquitos.
The best way to make taquitos stay together is to roll them very tightly and secure them with toothpicks. Once the taquitos are out of the oven or fryer, they will hold together on their own and you can take the toothpicks out.
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Flavor Variations
While this dish is great as-is, you can change out the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: Instead of shredded chicken you can also use cooked ground beef or ground turkey. Another great option is cooked shredded beef or pork.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add some vegetables to the mix such as sauteed peppers and onions, or even some cooked diced mushrooms.
- Cheese: Swap out the cheddar and Monterey jack for other types of shredded cheese such as mozzarella, pepper jack, queso oaxaca, or queso asadero. You can also stir some cream cheese into the filling.
My kids adore these chicken taquitos so I make them quite frequently. No need to buy the frozen version when you can have fresh, hot taquitos any time!
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Love This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Chicken Taquitos (Baked or Fried)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 12 small corn tortillas
- oil if frying
- cooking spray if baking
Instructions
- Place the chicken, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl. Stir until combined.
- Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and place on a plate. Microwave for 1 minute or until tortillas are warm and pliable.
- Lay out the tortillas on a flat surface and divide the chicken and cheese mixture among the 12 tortillas. Roll up each tortilla tightly and secure with a toothpick.
- To fry the taquitos: Heat 3/4 inch of oil in a deep pan to 350 degrees F. Add 3-4 taquitos and fry until crisp and golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Repeat with remaining taquitos.
- To bake the taquitos: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the taquitos in a single layer on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray. Spray the tops of the taquitos with the cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
- Remove toothpicks, then serve.
Notes
- Nutritional information is for the baked taquitos as it is difficult to determine how much oil the taquitos will absorb during the frying process.
- The toothpicks are to hold everything together while the taquitos are cooking, and should be removed before serving.
- Any type of cooked chicken works for this dish. I often use leftover chicken from the night before, or else I purchase a rotisserie chicken to save time.
- Avoid store bought pre-shredded cheeses, as they often contain preservatives and anti caking agents and will not melt as well.
Could these be cooked in an air fryer?
Yes, I’d try 400 degrees F for 6-8 minutes.
Bake these and was so happy! Crispy, cheesy, tasty!
I LOVED these! From an appetizer to a complete Mexican-inspired feast, these taquitos are versatile, delectable, and I can pretty much guarantee they’ll be a crowd-pleaser. Highly recommended for those seeking Mexican fare…they really are so much better than the frozen ones.
Made this last weekend, and my visitors loved it! Totally making this again. Thanks!
I made these in my air fryer last night and they turned out amazing! Everyone in our house loved them and we will definitely be making them again!
What time & temp did you use for air fryer? I’d like to try these!
These taquitos turned out perfectly! We made the baked version and they were crispy on the outside and the filling was flavorful and delicious!
Do you think I could make these using street taco sized tortillas (they are a little smaller). I want to bring to a party as an appetizer
Yes, that’s fine. Just use less filling in each taquito. -The Dinner At The Zoo Team
We love having chicken taquitos out but now going to make these tonight for dinner thanks!!
Oooh, I love how these chicken taquitos can be baked or fried. They sound so good with all that cheese.
We had these taquitos for dinner last night and they were AMAZING! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!