Easy homemade Chicken Taquitos made with shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, and a creamy salsa blend rolled in tortillas and baked or fried until crispy. 

I like to serve chicken taquitos with authentic Mexican Rice, refried beans, or simply with veggies and dip.  Don’t miss all our favorite Mexican recipes.

Five chicken taquitos lined on a plate with a bowl of salsa on the side.

There are so many things to love about chicken taquitos, but the fact that they’re popular with all ages, can be made ahead or even frozen, and are ready in 30 minutes is all the convincing I need to make these regularly!

Chicken Taquito Ingredients:

  • Tortillas: use corn or I also love to use uncooked flour tortillas.  You can prepare the entire taquito in the uncooked tortillas and the tortillas will cook and crisp when baked.
  • Chicken– any cooked chicken will work.  I often use rotisserie chicken for convenience (Costco’s are the best) and I always use the leftover meat and bones to make chicken noodle soup.
  • Cheddar cheese, or your favorite kind.
  • Cream cheese, softened.
  • Spinach: baby spinach leaves, chopped. If using large spinach leaves, remove the stems.
  • Salsa: your favorite kind
  • Sour cream, or plain greek yogurt.
  • Spices– cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper

How to Make Chicken Taquitos:

1. Mix filling: Add cream cheese, salsa and sour cream to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (except the tortillas) and toss to combine. Taste and add more seasoning, if needed.

2. Prep tortillas: Heat a non-stick griddle and cook corn tortillas for about 15 – 30 seconds on each side until soft and pliable. Remove tortillas to a plate covered with tinfoil to keep them warm and pliable.   Place a large spoonful of filling in a line along each tortilla and roll tightly. Secure with a toothpick if needed.

Two process photos of cooked chicken and spices in a bowl, then filling lined on a corn tortilla to make taquitos.3. Bake or Fry:

  • Baked Taquitos: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the tops of the tacos with cooking spray , or brush them lightly with oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shells are crispy.
  • Fried Taquitos: Add about 1 ½ inches of oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-high. Once hot (the tortillas should sizzle immediately when added to the oil). Fry the taquitos in small batches, for a few seconds on each side, rotating them as they cook, until they are golden and crispy on all sides. Place them on a paper towel lined plate.

Chicken taquitos on a baking tray next to another photo of taquitos frying in a pan with oil.

4. Serve taquitos with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Chicken taquitos on a tray with bowls of guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:

To make ahead: Make the filling up to 1 day in advance and store in the refrigerator.  Roll in tortillas before baking.

To freeze:  Taquitos make a great freezer meal.  Make the filling as instructed and roll up in tortillas. Place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and place them on a lined or greased baking sheet. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until warmed through and crisp on the outside.

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Recipe

Five chicken taquitos lined on a plate with a bowl of salsa on the side.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 22 minutes
Total 32 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

For serving:

  • guacamole, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce

Instructions
 

  • Add cream cheese, salsa and sour cream to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add remaining ingredients (except the tortillas) and toss to combine. Taste and add more seasoning, if needed.
  • For corn tortillas, heat a non-stick griddle over medium high heat. Cook tortillas for about 15 - 30 seconds on each side until soft and pliable. Remove tortillas to a plate covered with tinfoil to keep them warm and pliable.
  • Place a large spoonful of filling in a line along each tortilla and roll tightly. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
  • Baked Taquitos: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the tops of the tacos with cooking spray , or brush them lightly with oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shells are crispy.
  • Fried Taquitos: Add about 1 ½ inches of oil to a large skillet and heat to medium-high. Once hot (the tortillas should sizzle immediately when added to the oil). Fry the taquitos in small batches, for a few seconds on each side, rotating them as they cook, until they are golden and crispy on all sides. Place them on a paper towel lined plate.
  • Serve taquitos with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Notes

Make ahead Instructions: Make the filling up to 1 day in advance and store in the refrigerator.  Roll in tortillas before baking.
Freezing Instructions:  Taquitos make a great freezer meal.  Make the filling as instructed and roll up in tortillas. Place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and place them on a lined or greased baking sheet. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until warmed through and crisp on the outside.

Nutrition

Calories: 559kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 31gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 131mgSodium: 1047mgPotassium: 447mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1710IUVitamin C: 2.4mgCalcium: 343mgIron: 3mg

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RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

I originally shared this recipe March 2017. Updated September 2020 to include additional tips and process photos.

Shredded chicken, cheese, and a creamy salsa blend melt together inside a crispy toasted tortilla. Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos is an easy meal you can make in less than 30-minutes! | Tastes Better From Scratch

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Awesome recipe!

    I’m wondering though, about the nutritional breakdown. How many are in one serving? I’m currently trying to make sure I’m getting enough protein in my diet. We make these weekly though and LOVE them!!

  2. 5 stars
    These came out great! Just a tip, I freeze them on a sheet pan and then transfer to ziplock so my teens can heat them up individually.

  3. 3 stars
    These are ok. I didn’t think they had enough spice. I doubled the chili powder and added ancho chili powder. I will probably use the seasoning mix from your beef taquitos.

  4. I made this as written for my family, but I can’t eat dairy, so I used half an avocado instead of the cream cheese/sour cream, and dairy-free shredded cheese. Both versions turned out great!

  5. I have made these a few times and my son loves them. I have a question though. Every time I make them I end up with filling spilling out the ends. I have tried looking for videos on how to roll them, but I can’t figure out what I am doing wrong, as I think I am following their routine. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

  6. 5 stars
    Easy to do and tasted delicious. I made no changes and followed the recipe to a T!
    Big hit at our dinner table!

  7. 5 stars
    Made these tonight. They were awesome!!! Thank you so much for the recipe. It’s a definite keeper 💕

  8. 5 stars
    Great recipe! We substituted a the sour cream for Greek yogurt and low fat cream cheese. Easy and fast too.

  9. 5 stars
    Love the added veggies with the spinach mixed in! I used Greek yogurt for sour cream otherwise followed the recipe and baked. Easy and tasted great! I topped with cilantro, avocado, and a little more salsa. Poblano peppers would also taste great in the chicken mixture.

  10. 5 stars
    Just made these and they were amazing. I just had to add a little bit more salsa and sour cream to my mix in order to make it easier to stir and spread but other than that I followed the recipe. I baked 8 of them in flour tortillas, fried 8 in corn tortillas, and fried 4 of them in flour tortillas. Served with sour cream and picante sauce for dipping and Mexican rice, and cheese sauce on the side. I’m amazed by how much food I made without spending a whole lot of money.

  11. 5 stars
    Was looking for something to do with some rotisserie chicken and found this recipe. I didn’t have any cream cheese but had some quesadilla queso cheese so added some of that. Just sprinkled the garlic powder and cumin and omitted the chili powder, salt and pepper. Cooked the raw flour tortillas for a few seconds each side then filled, rolled and baked. Made 11 but I may have filled them up a little more than the recipe. Served with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. They Were Delicious – Hubby said, “it’s a keeper!”

  12. Was looking for something to do with some rotisserie chicken and found this recipe. I didn’t have any cream cheese but had some quesadilla queso cheese so added some of that. Just sprinkled the garlic powder and cumin and omitted the chili powder, salt and pepper. Cooked the raw flour tortillas for a few seconds each side then filled, rolled and baked. Made 11 but I may have filled them up a little more than the recipe. Served with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo. They Were Delicious – Hubby said, “it’s a keeper!”

  13. Great recipe! Easy to make and delicious.
    I’m not a big fan of salsa so I used left over tomato sauce instead. Baked them in the oven (10 minutes only for me). Served with sour cream and guacamole. Will make this again for sure! Thanks

  14. 5 stars
    Hey Lauren thanks for all these sweet recipes I love to cook and my kid loves the taquitos. She ask me to make them tonight so thank you and keep up the good work.

  15. I made these last night and they were so good!! I made a “mistake” and didn’t pre-mix the cheeses and instead, I just mixed everything together at once. Oh, and I didn’t add the cheddar cheese until right before I rolled them up. I went 3-4 minutes over on time and they got browned on the edges which made them even better. and my flour tortillas were a bit larger than yours, so each one was almost a meal in itself. I ended up with 10 super-taquitos and they were perfect!

  16. 5 stars
    Took these to a party and everyone LOVED it! I did add some cayenne to the mix as we like spicy food, and it went excellent with homemade salsa! Thanks a ton 😀
    Looking forward to adding veggies next time (mushroom, bell peppers etc), think it’ll be great!

    1. Hi! I’m debating on doing these to take to a party also, did you fry or bake yours? I’m wondering how they hold up to carry. Did you reheat them, and did you take a dipping sauce?

  17. 5 stars
    These where so damn good better then the stores only thing I didn’t add was cumin and they turned out perfect

  18. I decided to include more veggies. Sauteed mushrooms, peppers and spinach then added the seasonings. I added the cheese and sour cream mixture to melt a little in the pan. Then rolled them up. Going to freeze some and making some for lunch. Such a versatile recipe. Thanks!

  19. This was the best taquitos recipe we have ever tried! I poached a chicken breast and omitted the spinach but kept everything else the same and we fried them – crispy and delicious! Served w/homemade guacamole. Thanks for posting!

  20. 5 stars
    Made the taquitos last night! Oh my goodness, they are awesome! Since there are just the two of us, I was able to freeze some for another time. I had no problem rolling them and used Mission brand. Thank you!

  21. When I rolled these up the she’s fell apart. I did warm them first. I did exactly what you said and they fell apart. And yes the shells were fresh.

  22. 5 stars
    I’m giving it a 5, because I made the filling and it tasted great 👍. Now I need some help with tortillas. The tortillas I bought crumbled when I rolled them (yes I heated them up first) I think companies are cheaping out these days (that is a whole other conversation). What I need is for someone to tell me what would be the best tortillas to buy?

    1. I don’t have a problem rolling them, and I don’t heat them. I usually use El Paso, or Mission. I do use flour, not corn if that helps. I’ve used small and medium sizes too. I put the filling about 2/3 down the tortilla, and then I start at the bottom rolling and squishing 😁 until it’s completely rolled. I place seam side down, brush with olive oil and bake as directed. Good luck.

    2. Jeff – LaTortilla Factory organic yellow corn tortillas worked great – we warmed them until soft one by one, they did not crumble and stayed rolled while being fried. Also delicious and it’s the brand we always use.

    3. Try mission super soft extra thin corn tortillas or if not allergic to gluten you can use any regular flour tortillas. I use the corn due to my son being highly allergic to wheat. Hope that helps

  23. I have tried several fillings and this is by far the best. But after 3 tries, I cannot get the corn tortillas to not fall apart to some degree or another. I use Guerrero 5 1/2 “. I have followed your recommendations. Any further suggestions?
    Thanks

  24. 5 stars
    These came out amazing and were very easy! This is the first time Ive made homemade flour tortillas and they came out absolutely great! I let the dough sit for an hour before rolling and the dough was perfect, soft and rolled so easy. I dont think I can buy tortillas after this! I had to make a second batch because the fam was just eating them warm as I was cooking them! They were perfect for taquitos and they came out better than I could have hoped! This is definitely one of those recipes that is a game changer for me! Going to try this with butter next…my hubby is already excited about me making them.

  25. 5 stars
    Simple and delicious! I used dairy free products and OMG, didn’t expect the flavors to be so delicious and I had extra filling and ate some the next day which was even more delicious!

  26. 5 stars
    Delicious! I added an extra cup of chopped spinach and baked them in the oven. I used larger tortillas and ended up with about 12 instead of 15-20. This was great with some red beans and rice for dinner!

  27. 5 stars
    Made these for the first time last night. Super easy and my family absolutely devoured them. These will definitely make it into regular rotation.

  28. 5 stars
    These were delicious! I like the Crisp Chicken Burritos from Taco Time and these were better. I didn’t have cream cheese so I subbed ricotta and they turned out super yummy. I also upped the spices a bit. I’ll be making these again and again. Thanks!

  29. Please, I will like to try these but if I don’t have the uncooked tortillas, how much time should I leave the baked tortillas in the oven for.
    Thank you

    1. The recipe calls for flour tortillas, so make them as stated. I do love the uncooked ones but you don’t need to use them!

  30. My tortillas started splitting when I rolled them before cooking. Is there a brand of tortillas that works best?

    1. If your tortillas aren’t flexible out of the fridge you could try keeping them at room temp before making the recipe, or warming them in a microwave to make them more pliable.

  31. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and they were awesome! I used the uncooked flour tortillas and a tad more spice and made them in the air fryer at 390 for 4 minutes on one side and three on the other. My husband and daughter loved them too! That is always a win!

  32. 5 stars
    These are awesome and we made them in the air fryer at 400 for 5min then turn over 4min on the other side. Sprayed each side with avocado oil spray

    1. I was searching the comments to see if someone had used the air fryer! Thanks for sharing this alternative.

  33. 5 stars
    These were a huge hit with my family, adults and children alike. I loved that the prep was simple enough my children could help out. Will definitely be in our weekly meal rotation.

  34. 5 stars
    This was excellent!! Thank you for sharing with us. We tried the baked version.

    I don’t usually eat meals faster than my husband… but I finally finished a meal before him.

    Thank you for adding preparation for freezing – this will help so much!

  35. 5 stars
    This has become a house fav!!! Adults and littles love; love making a big batch and having some tucked in the freezer for a busy day w/ dinner already done! Thank you for sharing!!!

  36. Just made this tonight. It was perfect and nice and crispy. Plus it was a win with the hubby and kids. Thank You!!

  37. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and we loved it! I used flour tortillas and pan fried them. Amazing! Had this as part of Taco night, and I forgot to eat any tacos. I will try baking next time to save a few calories

  38. 5 stars
    Fantastic, quick easy and delicious, the whole family loved this one just as it is presented in the online recipe.

  39. 5 stars
    These were delicious and super quick to throw together after a long day! Even my picky husband said they were good. Adding these to my frequently-used roster for sure!

  40. 5 stars
    I made this last night. I was really easy and tasty. I tried to cut a few calories so I used neufchatel (lower calorie cream cheese) and lowfat greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It was still delicious. I think I would substitute a 4 oz. can of diced jalapenos for the green chilis next time because I really like more heat. It was good as is but just another thought.

  41. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight for supper, and it definitely will go into my collection of favorites! So very good! Thank you!

  42. 5 stars
    Tried the recipe with the rotisserie chicken, substituted refried black beans simmered with red onion (pureed) for the sour cream because I forgot to buy it. I simply heat and eat. I also add a spicy red taco sauce. Thank you for this fantastic recipe. It tastes fabulous. What a great idea adding the baby spinach leaves!

    1. The bean idea is genius, I will need to try that. We made the recipe as is ans it was a little too creamy and not enough other flavors. So thank you for the suggestion.

      Other than that it still was a hit at our dining table and thank you for another week of sinner served!

    1. Yes! They work great for a freezer meal! Remove from freezer and place them on a greased baking sheet. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until warmed through and crisp on the outside. Enjoy!

  43. 5 stars
    We had family coming in town and I knew these would be a hit with the kids. I love them because you can make the filling the day before and keep them in the fridge till you are ready to roll them in tortillas. Makes for a super fast meal!

  44. 5 stars
    These are so good, and I love that I can make the filling earlier in the day to make for an easy dinner!

  45. 5 stars
    These are great! I cooked a whole batch then froze the left overs and would pull them out as I needed them. Perfect!