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’ve included instructions for both baking and frying these crispy bites of goodness!
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!
How to make chicken taquitos
The first thing you’ll need to make chicken taquitos is cooked shredded chicken. You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, whatever you have on hand is fine! The chicken is mixed with spices and a blend of cheeses to make the filling for your tortillas.
After your filling is ready, it’s time to stuff the tortillas! You’ll want to put a few tablespoons of the meat mixture on one end of each tortilla, roll them tightly, then secure them with a toothpick. The toothpicks ensure that the taquitos won’t unroll during the baking or frying process.
The final step is to cook them up! You can either bake or fry these chicken taquitos. Baking the taquitos is healthier and less messy, but you won’t get the same deep golden crispy crust as you will with frying. The taquitos take just 4-5 minutes to fry up in oil, but if you choose the baking route it will take more like 15-20 minutes before they’re ready to eat.
The taquitos shown in these pictures were fried, although I’ve made this recipe both ways so it’s really up to your personal preference! You’ll want to remove the toothpicks before you serve them, and you can add any variety of toppings and dipping sauces.
I like to add a drizzle of sour cream and some fresh pico de gallo to my chicken taquitos. Other great options are ranch, guacamole, grated cotija cheese, chopped cilantro leaves, there are so many possibilities!
I also love that these taquitos make great leftovers; simply warm them in the oven or toaster oven until hot and crispy. 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!
More mexican favorites
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.
Joel says
I make these in our air fryer and they come out perfect. I make a red aioli sauce for dipping and it’s the perfect combo.
Maria says
One day I felt like making homemade taquitos at home, and I found this recipe. LOVE IT. My whole family really liked this recipe, and I make it at least once a week, or once every other week. It’s quick and easy to make, since this recipe calls for rotisserie chicken. You buy that at the store, and most often, I have the rest of the ingredients at home, and voila! Great dinner. The only thing that varies with this recipe is the heat time of the tortillas in the microwave. Depending on the brand, one to four minutes to heat them up is required, so they don’t fall apart in the oil.
Chris Wheeler says
Absolutely lovely. Will definitely make again but mine started to burn after 10 minutes so will do them on a lower temperature next time. Gorgeous flavours and quick to make.
Elizabeth says
I can bake it I like the fact that you can bakit cuz I don’t want to use a lot of oil thank you
Bob says
My daughter has celiac an must eat gluten free. This is a greater simple dish that I made with leftover roasted duck and she and my wife loved it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Renee says
These were fantastic! Great combination of flavors. I did half in the frying pan, & half in the oven, & both ways turned out well. Thanks for the tip on heating the tortillas with a wet cloth; definitely made it easier to assemble.
Shaqwete says
Do you fry them with the toothpick in?
Sara says
Yes you do!
Debbie says
I made them and baked them on foil. I served them with some ranch dip and even the fussy granddaughters ate them!
Beth says
These are so good! It was the first time I had made taquitos and had never had them before. I baked them, and they turned out perfectly crispy! They were a hit with my family! I definitely plan to make them again! Thank you!
SandyToes says
What is the best way to reheat these so they’re nice and crispy? Would you recommend par-frying, then frying them from frozen to finish them? Or is it better to fry them completely before freezing?
Maggie Unzueta says
Great food photos. It looks so good.
AnnMarie John says
Talk about a recipe that my kids will enjoy, especially my two growing boys! I think this is something that I’d love to prepare for them for lunch or as an after school snack!
Our Family World says
This is one delicious meal that would make my family go for seconds (and thirds). We love Mexican food and we love it spicy ho! I am saving the recipe and including this in our meal plan for next week. Can’t wait!
Kita Bryant says
I must say I have never made these home made before. This recipe is easily one of the best I have seen for taquitos.
Heather says
My goal for 2018 is to spend more time in the kitchen, so I’m so glad I came across this recipe! Having two ways to prepare them means I can choose based on how much time I’ve got to prep dinner.
brianne says
My mouth is watering, I love taquitos. These look so delicious, I’m trying this recipe!
Pam says
I love taquitos. I haven’t made them in quite a while though, I need to put them on the meal plan.
Theresa says
I love that you included a baked and fried version since my husband is trying to eat healthier, baked would be his preference. These would be great to make ahead of time and freeze for a quick meal solution too, I would think.
Colleen says
Woo hoo! Since we moved to the southwest, I’ve become a huge fan of Mexican and southwestern flavors. Taquitos are a family favorite, and I can’t wait to make this recipe!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I am going to have a family of happy campers very soon! We all love taquitos, and I’m sure this homemade variety is goign to be so much better than the frozen ones I always buy.
Melissa Chapman says
These taquitos look like a great snack or even for dinner or lunch. The big game is coming up and I am gathering up recipes like this to serve at aparty.