A delicious chicken and cheese filling and a unique method create these lightened up oven Baked Chicken Taquitos. Fun finger food for a party or make them a meal!
I’ve been oven frying ever since I saw Oprah’s chef, Rosie Daley, on her show about a zillion years ago making oven baked French fries. This was back when fat free was all the rage and let me tell you, I am a FAN of French fries people. Oprah’s weight loss was truly impressive and Rosie was cooking foods we were all familiar with like pizza, turkey burgers, and oven “fried” chicken. The method was new but the cuisine was not. These concepts were very appealing to me and since that time I think I’ve oven fried just about everything under the sun and have found the method translates beautifully to these Baked Chicken Taquitos.
It seems the low fat diet was a passing phase but a lot of it stuck with me. I’m still always on the lookout for recipes using this method because it embodies one of my main concepts about food. It’s got to be recognizable, familiar, and comforting in order to satisfy, but you can do a lot to reduce fat and calories in these familiar comfort foods.
Ingredient Notes
- Spices – A delicious spice mix adds tons of flavor. You’ll need garlic pepper, all purpose seasoning – I use Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, smoked paprika, and cumin.
- Vegetable oil
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts chopped into small ¼-inch pieces.
- Jalapeno – Seeded as desired and diced.
- Chopped onion
- Cheese – For more flavor, I like to add both sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Flour tortillas – 8-inch soft taco size tortillas are plenty big enough to create the perfect taquito. Corn tortillas are delicious but have a tendency to crack when rolled so I opt to use flour.
How to Control the Spice Level
The heat from jalapenos can vary quite a bit, but this method will help make your taquitos as mild or spicy as you’d like.
Spicy taquitos – Leave all the ribs and seeds intact when you dice the jalapeno.
Medium taquitos – Remove the ribs and seeds from just one half of the jalapeno.
Mild taquitos – Remove all the seeds and ribs from both sides of the jalapeno. You can also take a little nibble to test it and if it’s super spicy, add less. If you are serving little ones or really don’t want any heat at all this is the best choice.
How to Make Baked Chicken Taquitos
Make the Spice Mix
- Combine all the spices in a small bowl and set it aside.
Cook the Chicken Filling
- Cook the chicken in olive oil over medium heat. When it’s cooked through, add the onion and jalapeno and continue to cook and stir for another minute or two until onion begins to soften.
- Add the spice mix and stir well to coat all the pieces of chicken. Remove pan from the heat.
- Add shredded cheddar and Jack cheese to the chicken mixture and stir to combine.
- The cheese will melt into the warm chicken mixture.
Make-Ahead Tip
The chicken filling can be made a day in advance and refrigerated overnight.
Assemble and Bake the Taquitos
First, warm the entire stack of tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds just to soften them slightly.
- Spoon some of the chicken filling down the center of a tortilla.
- Fold in the both sides and then roll the tortilla up.
- Place the taquitos seam side down on a foil-lined baking sheet that has been generously coated with nonstick cooking spray. Coat the tops of the taquitos with additional nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping with tongs after the first 10 minutes.
If preferred, you can omit the nonstick cooking spray and instead coat both the foil and taquitos with the oil of your choice.
Can I Make Taquitos in the Air Fryer Instead?
Yes, however the capacity of most fryers is quite small so you would need to cook them in batches. To keep them warm, transfer the cooked taquitos to a baking sheet and place in a 200 degree F oven while subsequent batches cook.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Place the taquitos in one layer in the basket, seam side down. It’s okay if they touch but they shouldn’t be layered or too tightly packed.
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisped to your liking.
Toppings, Salsas, and Dips for Taquitos
- Sour cream, store-bought or homemade salsa or pico de gallo, and guacamole are classic choices.
- Easy Corn Salsa is a fresh, delicious choice.
- Creamy Tomatillo Avocado Salsa is perfect for dipping.
- Easy Queso Verde – You can never go wrong with queso!
Storage Tips
- Refrigerating Taquitos – Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. You can reheat them quickly in the microwave or to re-crisp, place them on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray and bake them at 400 degrees F for 5 to 6 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Freezing Taquitos – For the crispiest result, I recommend freezing the taquitos before baking. Once they are rolled, place them on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer. After they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a freezer safe plastic storage bag and freeze for up to two months. Frozen taquitos can be baked from their frozen state. Just follow the directions in the recipe card but increase the baking time a few minutes.
Baked Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon garlic pepper
- 2 teaspoons seasoning salt, such as Lawry’s
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken, about 3 pieces
- 1 jalapeno, seeded as desired and diced
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 10 flour tortillas, 8-inch soft taco size
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the garlic pepper, seasoning salt, smoked paprika, and cumin. Set aside.
- Cut chicken breasts into very small ¼-inch pieces. Coat the bottom of a large pan with 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and place over MEDIUM heat. When the oil is nice and hot, saute the chicken just until cooked through and no longer pink in center. Add the diced jalapeno and onion and continue to cook and stir for another minute or two until onion begins to soften. Add the seasoning mix and stir well to coat all the pieces of chicken. Remove pan from the heat.
- Add shredded cheddar and jack cheese to the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Cheese will melt into the warm meat mixture.
- Warm the entire stack of tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds just to soften them slightly. Lay a tortilla on a cutting board or other work surface and place a couple tablespoons of the meat filling down the center of the tortilla. Fold in the both sides and then roll the tortilla up. Place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Coat the tops of the taquitos with additional nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and using tongs, flip each taquito over to brown the other side. Return to the oven for an additional 5 or 10 minutes or until nicely browned on both sides.
- Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa on the side.
Video
Notes
- Refrigerating Taquitos – Refrigerate leftovers within two hours. You can reheat them quickly in the microwave or to re-crisp, place them on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray and bake them at 400 degrees F for 5 to 6 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Freezing Taquitos – For the crispiest result, I recommend freezing the taquitos before baking. Once they are rolled, place them on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer. After they are frozen solid, you can transfer them to a freezer safe plastic storage bag and freeze for up to two months. Frozen taquitos can be baked from their frozen state. Just follow the directions in the recipe card but increase the baking time a few minutes.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Place the taquitos in one layer in the basket, seam side down. It’s okay if they touch but they shouldn’t be layered or too tightly packed.
- Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisped to your liking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Ideas
What brand of garlic pepper do you use? They’re all so different. Is it just one that’s made of garlic and pepper? Love the recipe! Thanks
Hi Laura. I have garlic pepper from McCormick and Lawry’s sitting in my pantry right now. Both are salt free. Any brand is fine, but if you buy one that contains salt, you’ll want to be careful about the amount of salt you add to your recipes when you use it. Hope this helps!