Every bite of Chicken and Cheese Taquitos delivers that irresistible combination of crispy tortilla and melty, flavorful filling that makes them impossible to resist! They make a great party appetizer, snack, or lunch.
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🍗Baking instead of frying gives you all the crispy texture you crave with less oil and fewer calories than traditional deep-fried versions!
My 2 Best Tips For Making Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Seal Properly: Roll the tortillas tightly and place seam-side down to prevent filling from leaking out during baking. This ensures perfectly formed taquitos. A loose roll will create gaps where cheese can escape and cause sticking to the pan.
Don’t Overfill: Use only 2 tablespoons of filling per tortilla to prevent bursting and ensure easy rolling and proper sealing. Too much filling makes it nearly impossible to get a tight seal and can cause the tortilla to tear as you roll.
Let your cream cheese sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes before you start mixing. It’ll blend so much smoother, and you won’t have those annoying lumps in your filling. Trust me, cold cream cheese is a pain to work with and never mixes evenly!
Pop your tortillas in the microwave for just 10-15 seconds before you fill them, and they’ll roll up like a dream without cracking. I learned this the hard way after breaking way too many tortillas trying to force them to roll when they were cold and stiff!
You can totally eat these as a complete meal on their own, or get creative with how you serve them! I like pairing them with cool sour cream and zesty salsa for dipping – the contrast of temperatures and flavors is absolutely perfect.
🩷 Melissa
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Easy Baked Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken from home-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken
- 1 ½ cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 6-inch flour tortillas
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- Kosher salt
- Toppings: sour cream guacamole, pico de gallo, chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, Pepper Jack cheese, cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of filling on the lower third of a tortilla. Roll up tightly and place on baking sheet seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Brush tops of tortillas with butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until taquitos are golden brown and crispy. Cut in half and top with sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, and chopped cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
How To Make Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded rotisserie chicken, Pepper Jack cheese, softened cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, and all the spices until well mixed.
Step 2: Spoon 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of each flour tortilla. Roll each tortilla up tightly, making sure the filling stays secure, then place seam-side down in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet.
Step 3: Brush the tops of all the rolled taquitos with melted butter or olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt for extra flavor and crispiness.
Step 4: Bake for 15-20 minutes until the taquitos are golden brown and crispy. Let them cool slightly, cut in half if desired, and serve with your favorite toppings like sour cream, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, pico de gallo, and fresh cilantro.
Recipe FAQs
The chicken must be precooked before filling the tortillas. If you don’t have leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken, cook two chicken breasts on the stove or in the oven until they are easily shredded.
You want to use six-inch tortillas, no larger. And choose flour, not corn. Corn tortillas can break too easily to roll
Make sure your filling isn’t too wet, roll tightly, place seam-side down, and don’t skip brushing with butter – it helps create that golden, crispy exterior.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ rating below and share it on Instagram.
Teresa
These look absolutely delicious! Question, can you make them in advance and freeze, then thaw when you want to bake them?
Melissa Griffiths
Yes, they reheat well in an airfryer!