Happy St Patrick’s Day! Are you doing anything special to celebrate? Nothing too exciting over here – we’ll be eating our corned beef and cabbage for dinner, but otherwise, it’s business as usual. I have a few bottles of Guinness in the fridge for Shane but since he’s running his first race of the season (a half-marathon in New Bedford) on Sunday, I doubt he’ll take me up on that offer. I’m not much of a Guinness fan myself, but maybe I’ll whip up one of those homemade shamrock shakes I’ve seen floating around the blog world this week. I tried a shamrock shake from McDonald’s for the first time this year and didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped; maybe I’ll have better luck with a homemade version 🙂
But anyway, today I’m actually not sharing a St Patrick’s Day recipe. Instead, we’re going with a Mexican theme. Shane and I are both big fans of Mexican food but I don’t know that we’ve ever had authentic taquitos. When I saw this recipe on Josie’s blog a few weeks ago, I bookmarked it immediately and was so excited to finally try it. I roasted a chicken earlier this week and used the leftovers for the filling in the taquitos but I think shredded pork would be equally delicious. I love that this recipe can be made in advance and frozen, and the next time I make the taquitos I’m definitely planning to prep extra and do that. There’s no question there will be a next time as Shane and I both loved this recipe. It’s flavorful and fun, a definite change of pace for us. Whatever you do, don’t skip the salt sprinkled on the taquitos before they’re baked. Those bites were the very best!
Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
adapted from Pink Parsley Catering, originally from Our Best Bites
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa verde
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, chile powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic, parsley, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Add the chicken and cheeses and stir until evenly distributed. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
Place 2 tortillas at a time on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 25 seconds, or until the tortillas are soft and pliable. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
Spray the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden. (I loved them served with sour cream!)
These look awesome! I love Taquitos, but have never made them myself. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
This was an awesome dinner, can’t wait to have it again soon!
Hi,those taquitos look amazingly delicious!! Thanks for sharing.
-Jackie
I’m glad you guys liked them so much – I agree that the salt MADE them!
These look delicious! I can never say no to Mexican food…even on St. Patrick’s Day!
I made this recently after seeing it on the same blog. So delicious!
I’ll be trying these very soon, they look wonderful!!
Taquitos! I love taquitos! I’m for sure hitting up this recipe. Thanks so much for sharing!
These look fabulous, Tracey! I love that you can make double and freeze for later~
Yummy! Great taquitos…and healthy than frying. 🙂
Also LOVE Mexican food. Never made taquitoes but may try after seeing these.
Mmmmmm…anything with “creamy” in the title is a winner in my book. Baked taquitos sound great. Thanks for the tip on making them and freezing ahead. I’ve recently gotten into making ahead meals that can be frozen. This looks perfect! And I think my hubby might even like it too. 😉
I just happen to have a rotisserie chicken in my fridge and I think I just found a use for it. I miised seeing them on the other blog, and I love taquitos, so thanks for posting the recipe.
Taquitos are something I’ve yet to make or try! They are on my list. Yours look amazing.
I cannot wait to make these! The ability to freeze them is a BONANZA! Thanks for sharing!
Ooh yum! I love the idea of spicy creamy chicken and crunchy tortilla. Definitely something I’ll try with the leftover meat from Sunday’s roast chicken!
We love our Mexican inspired meal nights here at the house and Im always looking to mix it up. TY for the inspirations.
Oh how I love chicken taquitos… One of my favorite things to order from our local Mexican restaurant! They look amazing, I can’t wait to try these out!
Love this! You always post the best recipes Tracey 🙂
Fantastic recipe. The taquitos turned out great. Looking forward to making this at our home.
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this recipe looks delicious! I love that they are baked and not fried!
¡Que rico!
These look so good! I shouldn’t be reading blogs right before dinner because I’m really hungry now. Wishing this is what I had planned for tonight’s dinner!
I like that these are crunchy from baking, not deep-frying!
Jill made these this weekend for a party and they were SO GOOD! We’ll definitely be making them regularly from now on…
@Kieran – Glad they were a hit! They’re in our rotation now too.
Wow!!! Just made these for dinner (after procrastinating about it for months) and they are AMAZING! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Tracey, When would you freeze them? Before the baking step, I assume? I’d like to take a frozen pan to friends/new parents.
@Kitchen Vixen – Yep, before baking. I’d prep them to the point of baking, then place in a single layer in a dish and pop in the freezer. Once frozen, I’d put them in a resealable freezer bag. You can even bake them without thawing, which is nice!
when you are baking them frozen at what temperature and for how long would you suggest? I would also like to bring this dish prepared to our friends who are new parents.
@Anon – Same temp (425 F), and maybe just a few minutes longer than if you were baking them right away. Hope your friends like them 🙂
YUM. I am going to make these this week with slow cooker pulled pork. I bet kids would love these!
~ Lauren
These are so good!! I’ve made the twice in the past week for me and my husband and he says he could eat them every night! Thanks for the recipe!
I have had this recipe on my Pinterest for awhile now and stupid me just NOW made them. They are AWESOME!!!!!!!! My family had a fit over these, this will def. be a recipe I make often..thanks!
I just made these and they were soooo good! (I actually added a little cilantro to them, which I really liked.) I will definitely make them again! Thanks!