Creamy Chicken Taquitos - Everyday Annie

This recipe is one that has been circulating the blogosphere for quite a while now. I first saw it on my friend Nikki’s blog, and I’ll admit that back then, I kind of laughed about it and continued on. To me, taquitos were a packaged food from the freezer aisle of the grocery store. Ben would always want to buy them, I would always refuse…it became kind of a joke between us. One day I finally caved and he was pretty excited to have them all to himself since I wasn’t interested. I don’t think they quite lived up to his expectations though because he didn’t ask for them as much after that. So when I saw this recipe I thought eh, whatever, and moved right along. But then I started seeing it pop up all over the place and thought maybe they were better than their store-bought counterparts – they must have been to deserve all the hype.

You know where this is going…I made them. We loved them. In particular, Andrew reeeally loved them. He ate as much as I did that night for dinner, and the next night with the leftovers. The filling is a very basic mixture that is definitely a great foundation for additional mix-ins you might enjoy. I am thinking about adding black beans, corn and maybe some roasted red peppers to the mix. Not only will it up the nutritional value, it will help stretch the amount of filling farther, meaning more taquitos for everyone – hooray! A definite bonus about this recipe is that the taquitos can be assembled, frozen and then baked from the freezer, making them ideal for a quick dinner or as a party food that you can make well in advance to cut down on day-of prep. In fact I’m making the food for my brother’s graduation party next week and these will be making an appearance. I can also see these being very popular come football season. Enjoy!

Yield about 12 taquitos

Ingredients

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salsa
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Directions

01
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
02
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
03
Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-3o seconds. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. (You may be tempted to skip the sprinkle of salt, but it really adds a nice touch.)
04
(To freeze before baking, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos 30-60 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To bake from the freezer, simply add a few additional minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through.)
05
Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Source

Pennies on a Platter, originally from Our Best Bites