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Home » Appetizers » Chicken Taquitos (Baked or Fried)

Published: January 16, 2018 Last Modified: March 25, 2019 By Sara 51 Comments

Chicken Taquitos (Baked or Fried)

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Chicken Taquitos Recipe | Baked Chicken Taquitos | Fried Chicken Taquitos | Mexican Appetizer | Chicken Tortillas

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!

Chicken Taquitos Recipe | Baked Chicken Taquitos | Fried Chicken Taquitos | Mexican Appetizer | Chicken Tortillas #taquitos #chicken #appetizer #tortillas #mexicanfood #dinneratthezoo

A stack of chicken taquitos with a drizzle of sour cream and pico de gallo topping.

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.

A bowl of chicken taquito filling.

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.

Rolled up chicken taquitos ready for the fryer or oven.

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.

A plate of chicken taquitos on a bed of lettuce, topped with sour cream and pico de gallo.

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

  • Mexican Caesar Salad
  • Mexican Pizza
  • Carne Asada Tacos
  • Pico de Gallo
  • Chicken Enchilada Casserole
A stack of chicken taquitos with a drizzle of sour cream and pico de gallo topping.
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4.97 from 28 votes

Chicken Taquitos (Baked or Fried)

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!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 314kcal
Author Sara Welch

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

  1. Nutritional information is for the baked taquitos as it is difficult to determine how much oil the taquitos will absorb during the frying process.

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 365mg | Potassium: 277mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin A: 480IU | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 1.4mg
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    Comments

    1. Bmic says

      March 27, 2022 at 1:40 pm

      5 stars
      Pretty cool I love it thanks 🤗😘

      Reply
    2. Alyssa says

      December 5, 2021 at 4:15 pm

      5 stars
      These were so good!!! Absolutely delicious and crispy! Exactly what I was craving

      Reply
    3. Shareen says

      May 4, 2021 at 2:50 pm

      I have a Cinco de Mayo gathering tomorrow for maybe 30-40 people. Can I make the taquitos ahead of time to make tomorrow’s prep easier?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        May 5, 2021 at 4:25 pm

        Yes that’s fine!

        Reply
    4. Agata says

      April 24, 2021 at 8:34 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe 😊

      Reply
    5. Megan H. says

      April 19, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for this recipe! I finally found something all three of my boys loved! These were quick and easy. I used some crockpot shredded chicken I already had, and flour tortillas since I didn’t have corn. I opted to bake them and they turned out really crispy! I served them with a dipping sauce lof sour cream and taco seasoning. SO yummy! Adding this to our favorites!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        October 4, 2021 at 6:20 pm

        When you baked them , did you spray them w cooking spray to make them crispy?
        Thank you

        Reply
    6. Rae says

      April 8, 2021 at 9:51 am

      Can you fry these ahead of time and reheat in the over?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 8, 2021 at 4:30 pm

        Yes that’s fine!

        Reply
    7. Jen says

      January 30, 2021 at 7:20 am

      5 stars
      One of our favorites! I have my hubby pick up a rotisserie chicken from Costco to make this even easier to make. Love it!

      Reply
      • Uncle Willie says

        March 19, 2021 at 3:37 pm

        Sam’s has monster Chicken 🐓 ret to go $5.88.
        Just had one,best Ever.
        Will do taquitos tomorrow with some of the leftover z.

        Reply
    8. Lisalia says

      January 29, 2021 at 10:11 pm

      5 stars
      I’m embarrassed to admit that we have purchased these from a frozen section before… and yeah they were okay. But homemade… SO EASY and so so delicious! Thanks for this easy to follow recipe. We’ll never need to buy them frozen EVER again! Our new favorite.

      Reply
      • Jacci Dannenhauer says

        March 6, 2021 at 8:05 am

        I add a spoonful of salsa to the mix and a half can of drained black beans.

        Reply
    9. Jacque Hooper says

      January 29, 2021 at 8:59 pm

      5 stars
      Served these for a small gathering at my house and they did not disappoint! Enjoyed them with sour cream, salsa and avocado and everyone loved them! Putting these on my go-to list for tasty appetizers!

      Reply
    10. Terri says

      November 10, 2020 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      These Taquitos were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I used the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken from Sam’s. I added a 4 oz can of green chiles. To complete the meal I prepared a box of Zataran’s Cilantro Rice and Goya Black beans. The entire meal only took an hour.

      Reply
    11. Sam A says

      October 10, 2020 at 10:36 am

      5 stars
      I used this recipe as a base but put my own spin on it! I used leftover cilantro lime chicken that I had made a few nights ago and put a half a block of cream cheese in it and extra sharp cheddar cheese. I then put them in the air fryer at 4 min each at 390 degrees F. My husband enjoyed it and so did I! It made a big batch so I will be freezing.

      Reply
    12. Claudia says

      July 19, 2020 at 10:33 am

      Recipe sounds great. Quick questions: can you use flour tortillas? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sara says

        July 19, 2020 at 3:14 pm

        Yes that’s totally fine!

        Reply
    13. Erin says

      June 18, 2020 at 11:28 am

      5 stars
      Canned chicken from Costco worked great .

      Reply
    14. Marsha says

      March 24, 2020 at 7:30 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing. I buttered a griddle, doubled the recipe and made quesadillas with your filling for my large family. It was faster and almost as good as frying.

      Reply
    15. Haley says

      March 24, 2020 at 7:20 pm

      These were great! For the record, I turned leftover red beans and rice into the filling. I added taco seasoning and shredded chicken and cheese to my red beans/rice and it made like 60 taquitos!

      Also, I didn’t need to use the toothpick trick if I put the taquitos seam-side down on the cookie sheet.

      Reply
      • Bunyberries says

        May 6, 2020 at 3:47 pm

        👍🏼😉 Same thing I did they turned out perfect I add a green onions because we love that flavor!

        Reply
    16. Linda says

      February 16, 2020 at 11:36 am

      5 stars
      Great! We loved these

      Reply
    17. Elizabeth says

      January 25, 2020 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I multiplied the recipe by 2 1/2 and made with shredded rotisserie chicken. Rolled them up and froze them and then put them in freezer bags to fry from frozen later. Making that many used about 1 Costco rotisserie chicken worth of meat…all told it was about $0.33 per taquito. I can get them at Aldi for $0.25 apiece (prob with way less chicken and way more filler!), but these definitely taste better so if I have the time I will definitely make them from scratch.

      Reply
      • Alesha says

        September 17, 2020 at 5:54 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you so much! Our usual taquitos from Aldi have been unavailable due to a recall. I used some leftover chicken breast and baked them but they came out kind of dry- I think using leftover dark meat might work better for us. Still tasty! Will try using flour tortillas next.

        Reply
      • Jennifer B says

        January 24, 2021 at 3:25 pm

        I’m planning to make my own corn tortillas from scratch. Just wondering if I still need to cook the tortillas first before I roll the taquitos, or if I can make them with the raw tortilla dough and just deep fry them?

        Reply
        • Sara says

          January 24, 2021 at 5:16 pm

          I’m concerned that they wouldn’t hold together with uncooked dough, I think it would be better to cook the tortillas first!

          Reply
          • Kelly says

            March 17, 2021 at 10:42 am

            5 stars
            Yes, it is better. Takes a little longer but worth not having your tortillas come apart. That’s what I do for corn tortillas. You don’t need to with flour since they don’t tear as easily. This is a good versatile recipe for enchiladas, tacos, etc. You can use the same seasoning for potato, cheese and onion also.

            Reply
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