This is the BEST Baked Chicken Taquitos recipe out there! Store them in the freezer for a quick weeknight meal.
Maternity leave has been the best time of my life. Spending 12 weeks, 24 hours a day, with my new son, Judah, has been such bliss that I can't believe it is almost over. It's flown by, and now I return to my full-time job this Thursday. 🙁
Not only does this mean less time with the love(s) of my life (my husband included), it also means less time to spend on cooking and baking! So, I have been thinking of meals that can be prepped ahead and frozen, or just thrown together quickly from the fridge or pantry. This is one of those meals, and I am thrilled I found it.
Meal Prep Chicken Taquitos
These taquitos are delicious and extremely easy to assemble, and now I am afraid I will make them too often and get sick of them!! I'm even making them for our friends who just had their second baby last week (on Valentine's Day!) so they can throw them in the oven whenever they choose. These are also great served as appetizers.
Freezer Friendly Chicken Taquitos
You'll find the instructions for freezing and baking at the end of the recipe. My advice to you is to go ahead and make a TON of these one afternoon, so they'll be ready for you in the freezer whenever you need that last minute meal. The best part? You do not even have to wait to thaw them before baking! Brilliant!
Recipe Card
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 3 ounces cream cheese , softened
- ¼ cup green salsa
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoon sliced green onions
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
- small soft flour tortillas
- kosher salt
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
- (If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)
- Spoon a mound of the chicken mixture, about 3 to 4 tablespoons, onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
- Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
- **To freeze: Before baking, freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes, then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Carrie says
This is my very favorite Pinterest recipe. I buy the 42 oz pulled rotisserie chicken breast package from Costco and make a triple batch, flash freezing as recommended. It makes 36 using corn tortillas. LOVE having a delicious meal ready for nights we have baseball, etc. and they're so easy to heat my teenager makes his own. I use whipped cream cheese, which makes them lighter but also makes them easier to stir together. And I find that if I use Frontera brand tomatillo salsa I don't need the lime. Thanks!
Nikki Gladd says
Thank you, Carrie! That is a high honor! 🙂 What brand of corn tortillas do you use? I have found sometimes they fall apart if I use corn so would love your recommendation! And thank you for the other tips! We love having these in our freezer for convenient meals, too!
Jess S says
We cooked 2 whole chickens this week. This worked out great. Made some for dinner and everyone loved them. I went ahead and made extra and freezed them for later. Will definitely be making again.
Julie says
Absolutely delicious! Fast, easy, tasty, addictive!!
Thanks for a great recipe. 🙂
Jen C says
These are seriously good!! I made the filling earlier today and popped it in the fridge.
When I got home from work I put it together with the tortillas and into the oven they went. Delicious dinner in less than 15 minutes! Thanks for posting this recipe!
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks, Jen! It is such a great weeknight meal! We keep them assembled in our freezer, too, for a quick freezer to oven bake!
Dana says
These are so good! I can't remember how I found the recipe but I am glad I did. Made some fresh guac with them tonight and this is something I know we will be making on a regular basis now. Thank you, thank you! Easy and delicious 🙂
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks, Dana! These are a regular rotation in our home. We love them, too! 🙂
Kristan says
These are my favorite Pinterest find!! I've made them since finding them about once every three months. I make them in batches of 100 and pull 10 out at a time for cooking!!!! Looooooooove them! They have also been a huge hit for friends or family members who are home sick or just had babies! Give them a bag of 20 and they are set!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE RECIPE!!!!
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks, Kristan! That's AWESOME that you make them in batches of 100!! I'm actually making them again today for a family who is moving and gonna stock them in their freezer for them as a surprise. 🙂 Thanks for your feedback!
Linda says
Just have to say I have been making these for over a year now. (I checked-- I pinned this over a year ago!) And they are a favorite still at my house. Great recipe! Thanks so much.
PS we have even in a pinch made them with canned chicken. Shockingly still great!
Nikki Gladd says
Thanks, Linda! I love that you came back to tell us this! We still keep them as a regular rotation here, too! 🙂
Heather says
My husband and three kids loved these! They were super easy to prepare and the recipe was very forgiving with the substitutions I made. I am making them again tonight, but this time I'm doubling the recipe. I am also going to try a vegeterian version with corn, black beans, and spunach so that I can enjoy some too 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
.
andrea says
I have made these for years and love them!! I am always finding good ideas on your website! Thanks for sharing!
Roxie Kirby says
DELICIOUS! My kids devour them in no time and they are a favorite with us older 'kids', too! Thanks so much!
desiree says
i like them but i wish i could eat them wow they look so good
Jessica says
I've made these about 5 or 6 times since I discovered the recipe from Pinterest. Absolutely love these and so does the bf. Thanks for sharing this!
DJ says
Not to be a technicality jerk, but aren't those flautas?
Clarice G says
Thank you for the recipe!
I made my own flour tortillas today, and used those to make these. They ended up more like flautas than taquitos, but they were delicious! This recipe made 8 well-stuffed larger pieces. The tortillas were various sizes, but about 7" diameter is probably a good guess.
My changes:
I didn't have cilantro, so I left that out.
I used a medium red salsa (... Pace? I think)
I used mozzarella because I didn't have any mexican cheese blend
These were so good- I was sorry when I felt full! This is definitely a new favorite recipe! I grew up in Southern California, and so I've had a lot of (Americanized) Mexican food-- this recipe is a definite keeper!
I wonder what these would be like paired with an avocado creamy sauce... Mmmm. Next time!
Nikki says
Oooh! I bet an avocado cream sauce would pair VERY well! 🙂 Thanks for your feedback, Clarice!
Erika Follansbee says
I've made these enough times now, and LOVED them, that I figured I owed you a comment! These are SO, so good,and they're so easy, too. Found it on Pinterest!
Nikki says
HAHA! Yes, you do! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know. We LOVE these and also make them as a freezer meal for families with new babies or whatever need. 🙂
Stephanie says
Holy cow, these are delicious!! Found the recipe on Pinterest the other day and made them tonight. I used the Ezekiel brand tortillas and they were yummy!
Jenae says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! These are so yummy! Just one question: I accidently baked too many...I just threw them in the freexer but, how would you suggest reheating?
Nikki says
Hi Jenae,
You can reheat them the same way as if they weren't already baked. Just throw them in a preheated 400 to 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until crisp again. 🙂
Dana @ Cooking at Cafe D says
You inspired us!
We made Creamy Pork Taquitos.
https://www.cookingatcafed.com/2013/03/tasty-leftovers-creamy-pork-baked.html
Wishing you all the best,
Dana at Cooking at Cafe D
Chelsae says
I found this on Pinterest and loved it! My husband loves sweet corn (farmer) and not a fan of onions. So I added black beans (1/2 can) and 1 cup of sweet corn to the chicken mix. i also used dried onion to help still add flavor without using the green onions - turned out awesome!
This was great!
ambrosia says
I will remember to put cream cheese in the mix the next time I make these - yours look so awesome!
Mejia Mamma says
I've been staring at these in the oven... Literally drooling over the smell!! BTW... Should've listened to the 2-3 tablespoons of mixture per flour tortilla... Think I went a lil overboard because they are TOTALLY squishing out the ends!!! LOL! Ahhh, it's beeping, now for the taste test!!
Liz says
Thes are amazing!! I doubled the recipe and made a spicy ranchero sauce for dipping- so good!! I wanted to eat 10 of them! They are crispy and savory with a great Latino spice!!
Amanda E. says
Holy delicious! Great recipe 🙂
Michelle says
Found this recipe on Pinterest and loved it!! These taquitos were so good, the family loved them, definitely a meal to make again.
KS says
A keeper! My family gobbled these up. I used a rotisserie chicken to make it easier and then used the leftovers for another batch and followed the " to freeze" instrucitions. DELICIOUS!
Linda says
Made these about 3 weeks ago. I had to make them again a few nights later because some of the family was complaining they didn't get enough of them. And I am making them again this week! I used precooked chicken and home cooked. Both ways were delish!
Kathy Martin says
This recipe is AWESOME! I made it for the second time the other night and when I was done rolling all the taquitos, I just had to use an extra tortilla to wipe the bowl clean...the filling is so delicious! Thank you for sharing...it's not an easy task to find something the whole family likes!
Mary Jane says
I used to buy frozen taquitos at the grocery...until we got ridiculously frugal. This kind of frozen food just didn't make the budget cut. Thanks to this recipe, I can now make taquitos myself with my leftover roasted chicken. In addition to being cheaper, I'm sure they're much healthier than the frozen variety as well. Thanks so much!
Kolleen says
Just wanted to let you know I've made these a few times now and they are now the official food my husband is always asking for! Easy to make and taste great!
Nikki says
Fabulous, Kolleen! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Angela says
Just made this for dinner - YUMMY. I did both corn and flour tortillas - totally recommend using corn...so much more flavor. love your blog!
Lauren says
These are awesome!! I made them last night and my hubby said that they are on his top 10 all time meals that I make. Even my 2 year old daughter loved them. She kept saying "these are yummy mommy" and she ate 2 1/2!
Nikki says
Nice!! 🙂
Sara says
I am making theses again for dinner and want to freeze some. What do you mean by "flash freeze" the taquitos in order to freeze?
Nikki says
Hi Sara,
Line the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for about 20 minutes, then place them in a freezer bag. This keeps the taquitos from sticking together when frozen. 🙂
Sara says
Thank you so much Nikkiin for getting back to me. I learned something new today! ! Looking forward to freezing a couple batches for down the road. 🙂
cindysideas says
Oh those look delicious and I love the idea of making lots ahead of time and freezing them. This is my first time visiting your blog and I'm off to check out more posts from you.
Faith says
I just made these for dinner, and they were super easy and very tasty. After finishing eating 2, and thinking that there was just "something" missing to make it perfect, I realized I forgot the shredded cheese. Maybe that's it. 🙂 I made mine with wheat tortillas, cuz' that's what I had, and they were pretty good. But of course when you sprinkle kosher salt on top, it's gonna' be good. 🙂 My 5 year old said he's eat them again, if there was less cream cheese, so overall, I'm keeping this recipe.
Thanks!
Amanda Kay Tea says
These are soooooooo good!!! I made them a few weeks ago and they turned out so good...the only problem i had was the corn torts cracked and split when i used them...so now im going to make them again later this week and use flour torts instead. but other than that, they were a huge hit at my house! so so good!! thanks for posting this recipe too 😀
Nikki says
Those darn finicky corn torts! 😉 You shouldn't have the same problem with the flour tortillas. At least I never have! Glad you love them as much as we do! 🙂
Mama Mimi says
I found this recipe on pinterest and just made it for the second time tonight. Sooooo so so soooo good! Thank you for posting!
Carrie says
I saw this recipe on pinterest and made them last night. I cooked a whole chicken in the crock all day, shredded the meat, then made the recipe as written. I used WW light cream cheese and white corn tortillas and had nonfat greek yogurt (aka sour cream) and mashed avocado on the side. I also doubled the recipe and froze half for another day since they can cook from frozen. I served them with roasted peppers and onions. They were fantastic! The whole family loved them. Definitely making the regular rotation.
Nikki says
Love your alterations! I'll have to give it a try, too, to change it up a bit. 🙂
Nikki says
(I'll add that I have also made this with greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese and it was great!)
Dj says
Thank you so much! This has passed muster with my pickiest eater. Her school does not have a cafeteria and she requested I make them for her lunches, this is a huge deal! Another shortcut - instead of cooking a chicken, I used two cans of cooked chicken. It turned out great and took me a lot less time to put together.
Elizabeth...PolkaDotSkies... says
Made these tonight! Fantastic!
Daisy says
Just tried them tonight, they were yummy!
Easy to make too.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Genelle Pretty says
I made these last night and they continue to be a favorite. 🙂 Thank you for all your hard work!
Amanda says
Made these tonight with some slight "cheating". Cooked the chicken with a fajita mix seasoning to take care of the spices, used homemade red salsa, and didn't have green onions. The cooking method was awesome and these turned out great! Thank you so much and I look forward to trying some of your other recipes. 🙂
Nikki says
Love your "cheating" method, Amanda! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Cranberry Morning says
This is going to the top of my FAVORITES folder! Found you on Laurie's Cookin' Up North blog.
Lisa says
This was fantastic and got the kids approval! Thank you for sharing!
Melissa says
I just wanted to say that we just finished eating this dish and we LOVED it. It was a major hit with the family. I'm one happy mama!!! Thx a mill!
Nikki says
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Melissa! 🙂
Jennifer says
How do you flash freeze?
Nikki says
Flash freeze just means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together. In other words, freeze individually on a single layer for about 15 minutes (then store all together in a freezer bag).
Jenn F says
YUM YUM! This was well received by my family & I got requests for it to be served again! Definitely will be making these again 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Nikki says
Awesome! Impressing your family with them, too? BONUS! 😉
Leilani says
Hi I just wanted to thank you soooo much for this recipe, I absolutely love it, it has become a staple in my house! I wanted to pass along a tip about freezing the Taquitos that works for me, I always make a double batch, and I flash freeze the prepared Taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, I transfer them all right into a freezer bag, or the tortilla bag if it's recloseable. I find it easier than individually wrapping and unwrapping them! Hope this is helpful, and thanks again!!
Nikki says
Thanks Leilani! That actually is exactly what I do now, too! 🙂 I just updated the recipe to reflect this.
Jennifer says
just wondering if I need to cook the chicken first? I'm new to the cooking game and don't want to mess anything up!
Nikki says
Hi Jennifer,
Yes, the ingredient list calls for cooked chicken. 🙂 Glad you're giving the "cooking game" a try! Good luck!
Nikki
Shannon says
Made these tonight!! So good! Used a rotisserie chicken and that helped with the time. Doubled the recipe and everything was great. Made homemade salsa and black beans!! Thanks!
The Redneck Princess says
I am making that for dinner tonight, with turkey instead of chicken...delicious!! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Sook says
I've never made these before but they sound so delicious! I am printing the recipe now... 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
renee says
just a tip - if you plan to use parchment paper, you have to cook these at 400 instead of 425 like instructed. my parchment paper burned & stunk up my whole house. right on the box it said "oven safe to 400 degrees". im lucky it didnt catch fire.
Nikki says
Interesting. I've used parchment paper many times for these and never had that problem. I also use parchment paper every time I make homemade pizza on my baking stone (as do other friends I know), and bake at 500 degrees! Never thought to look at the box, but just did and it says withstands up to 420. Might depend on your oven. Thanks for the tip!
sara says
These look SO good! I love taquitos, but I've never tried to make them at home...such a great idea! 🙂
Christina says
Made these last night with corn tortillas and they were AWESOME. Now I need to make a big batch and freeze for a quick dinner. Thanks!
aimee powers says
looks delish I can't wait to try this
Shari says
I made these tonight & they were AWESOME! Someone had posted these in Pinterest & that's how I found them. Thanks for sharing!
Navy Wife says
I found these on Pinterest and they were delicious! I made them with low fat cream cheese and homemade red salsa since that's what I had on hand. I'll definitely be making-and freezing-these again. Thanks so much!
Tasha says
Tried this recipe and LOVED it. Froze well for the most part too! Thanks!
Lorie says
This is one of my favorite recipes from Our Best Bites. Those girls are amazing!
Becky says
Made these for my family tonight and everyone liked them a lot! I doubled it, thinking that they sounded like they'd be good leftover, and I'm glad I did. My husband ate like 5! Still plenty for leftovers. My double batch made 20, by the way, and the filling was sort of gushing out the sides of a bunch of them. I upped the cilantro and lime, and used leftover rotisserie chicken for the meat. Yum. Thanks for the recipe!
Nikki says
Glad you liked them Becky! I always make more than we need and keep them in the freezer. They are perfect for a quick meal when baked straight from the freezer. 🙂
Cheryl says
These are great!! Made these last night, and my whole family loved them!! Thank you!! A little time consuming so next time will definitely make a bigger batch and freeze as you recommended. Yummmmm!
Erin says
These were wonderful! I need to try freezing them for a quick meal.
Clayton Chick says
These were yummy and a hit at my superbowl party. I think my tortillas were too big though, I made a couple "tasters" before the party and they were way too tortilla-y. I cut them in half and they were great. thanks!
Pennies on a Platter says
Hi Clayton Chick,
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, as the recipe stands, they are really the size for a meal. You can either make them in smaller tortillas or cut them in half like you did when serving as an appetizer. Ben and I eat these all the time for a meal. 🙂
-Nikki
Stephanie says
First off, these are DELICIOUS! I have a friend who is gluten intolerant, and this is a great recipe for her. Very few alterations and this is completely gluten free and relatively low-carb. Thank you so much!
Adrienne says
These were fantastic. We subbed low fat cream cheese without incident. Thank you for the recipe. We paired them with some pinto beans and Mexican rice. Great meal!
manizor says
i made these tonight and man were they a big hit! YUM! thanks! this will definitely be a staple for us!
Amy says
I followed your recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. My hubby, and kids thought they were delisious! My son asked if we could have them again tonight! This was super easy and quick to make and the fact that you can make ahead and just fill your tortilla's later is perfect for a busy family. I will definately make this recipe again and again! Thanks so much!
Katie says
Im new to your site and I absolutely loved these taquitos! My husband and I were in heaven. These taste like restaurant quality taquitos but better! I am excited to try out all the fun recipes on here. Thank you so much! Keep up the great work!
Megan says
Wow, all the flavors in this dish sound delicious! And it sounds simply enough that I'm definitely going to give it a try for dinner one night next week!
kelly says
Yummy!! I'm going to try these tonight. Hope your first day back at work goes/ went well. I'm sure you were sad to leave your little man behind. Hope you can make this blog super profitable so that you can stay home with him all of the time!! I stay home with my 13 month old & I love, love, love it!!
Peggy says
I love how easy these are and definitely great for freezing!
Ali says
I just found your website, and these look sooo yummy! And pretty easy to make!
Hugs on going back to work tomorrow! Good luck tomorrow!
Meg says
I made these taquitos last night, omitting the cilantro and reducing the lime juice to 1 tsp. They were wonderful! I made a single batch and the husband and I chowed down. I wanted leftovers, but they were so good that we couldn't stop eating til every crumb was gone. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I have a cooking blog and did post my altered version of these taquitos along with a link to yours. Have a great day!
Carrie says
My leave also FLEW by! Good luck on your first day back. These look awesome!
Jessica says
MMM I LOVE TAQUITOS! (Yes it deserved all caps!)
thecookingnurse says
My husband loves taquitos, can't wait to try this!
RobbingPeter says
I have bookmarked this recipe! It is going to get made here at my house and I will be freezing some. Your picture appears to be of a flour tortilla - have you tried it with corn? What is your preference?
Thanks for the recipe!
Pennies on a Platter says
Hi RobbingPeter,
Thanks for stopping by! I haven't tried this recipe with corn torts, but only because I already know that flour tortillas are my preference. I'm not a big fan, in general, of corn tortillas. It's totally up to you and your taste to which you use! 🙂
-Nikki
MistyBlu says
Flour tortillas work much better. The corn tortillas were way too crunchy.
Nikki says
Thanks, for the review. I haven't tried the corn tortillas, but have a few friends who prefer them over the flour. Guess it depends on preference. 🙂
Christina says
One of my favorite make-now-bake-later recipes is Martha Stewart's recipe for spinach and proscuitto lasagna.
It uses no-bake lasagna noodles. Serves 4. And tastes amazingly delicious. (And I hate spinach.)
Liesl says
I actually tried Taquitos for the first time in my life last year...crazy I'd been missng out on those for so long!! DELICOUS! Yours look amazing! My husband would love it if I made these for dinner!