Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos are one of our favorite Tex-Mex dinners. I start this dish by braising chicken thighs in tomatoes, cilantro, chipotle peppers, and chicken stock. Then, I shred the chicken and mix it with cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Next, I roll up this mixture in tortillas and bake them until they’re crispy. Finally, I top the baked taquitos with my fresh tomato salsa and avocado crema. We like this chicken dinner for several reasons. First of all, I like that I can serve this chicken dish as a main course or as an appetizer for parties. Secondly, I like that I can make all the components of this dish ahead of time. Then, I just bake off the taquitos ten minutes before serving them. And, lastly, we all love the tender chicken and rich cheese in these taquitos.
The Equipment I Used
- A Food Processor- Use this to finely chop all the vegetables. Or just use a knife if you don’t have a food processor.
- A Blender- I used my Vitamix blender to make my avocado crema.
The Ingredients Needed for Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
- Chicken- I used Bell and Evans chicken thighs. I find Bell and Evans to be the most tender.
- Tomatoes- You can use plum tomatoes from a can, if you like.
- Chicken Stock- I always use my homemade chicken stock. The recipe is below.
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce- You can find these in cans in the Hispanic section of your market.
- Tortillas- I used flour tortillas, but you can also use corn.
How I Made my Taquitos
- First, I braised the chicken. Be sure to simmer the chicken, not boil it.
- Next, I rolled up the taquitos.
- Finally, I topped the taquitos with the salsa and the crema.
If you like Tex-Mex food, you need to try these Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos.
Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
Tender chicken braised with cilantro, chipotles, and tomatoes mixed with cheese and wrapped in a crunchy tortilla, all topped with a Tomato Salsa and Avocado Crema.
Equipment
- Food processor
- blender
Ingredients
For the Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos:
- 1½ cups cilantro
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. chipotles in adobo sauce
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. each garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 ounces softened cream cheese
- 12 flour tortillas, fajita sized
- ½ cup queso fresco cheese, crumbled
For the Tomato Salsa:
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
- 1 minced jalapeno
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
For the Avocado Crema:
- 1 chopped avocado
- 2 tbsp. cilantro
- ⅛ tsp. kosher salt and black pepper
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. water
Instructions
For Baked Cheesy Chicken Taquitos:
- In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, tomatoes, chipotles, and tomato paste, until the tomatoes are well chopped.
- Season chicken thighs with the spices, and lightly brown them in a Dutch oven in one tablespoon of olive oil. Brown two chicken thighs at a time. When the chicken is all browned, add the food processor mixture, along with the chicken broth and simmer on low heat, covered, for 50 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Remove chicken to a plate and shred with two forks, and then put it in a bowl along with about a cup of the tomatoes from the braising broth. You can just lift out the tomatoes with a slotted spoon. Stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheeses.
- Soften 4 tortillas at a time in the microwave, by placing them on a plate and covering them with a damp towel. Cook for thirty seconds. On one end of each tortilla put some of the chicken and cheese mixture. Roll each one up tightly and place on greased baking sheet.
- Brush all the rolled taquitos with olive oil and bake 10 minutes. Serve with the salsa and crema. Sprinkle it all with the queso fresco cheese.
For the Tomato Salsa:
- Simply mix together all the ingredients.
For the Avocado Crema:
- Place all the ingredients in your blender and blend. You may need a little extra water to create a fluffy texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 420kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Chicken Stock
Homemade chicken stock
Ingredients
- 4½ lbs. chicken breasts and wings with skin and bones
- 10 cups water
- 2 peeled onions
- 2 peeled carrots
- 3 peeled parsley roots
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 4 stalks celery
- 1 peeled parsnip
- 2 tbsp. garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh parsley and fresh dill
Instructions
- Put the chicken and the salt in a large, tall pot and cover with ten cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes, skimming any scum that forms.
- Add all the vegetables and herbs and simmer for two and a half hours. Pour the soup through a strainer to remove everything but the broth.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
