Upgrade taco night with crispy chicken taquitos!
Corn taquitos are filled with seasoned chicken and cheese, rolled, and cooked until crispy. They’re perfect for snack or dinner.
The best part is that they can be baked, air fried, or cooked on the stovetop.
Cheesy Chicken Taquitos
Chicken taquitos are a Mexican-inspired favorite; they’re little a little rolled-up taco filled with meat or cheese.
- Taquitos come together fast with a filling of chicken, a bit of salsa for flavor, and pre-shredded cheese. Just mix, roll, and cook.
- Serve these chicken taquitos as an appetizer, dinner, or snack.
- Crispy and cheesy they can be made in batches and frozen for future meals! Roll, freeze, and cook right from frozen.
Ingredients in Chicken Taquitos
Tortillas – Corn tortillas cook up crispier than flour tortillas, but either kind will work. Small 4-inch or 6-inch tortillas are the perfect hand-held size for dipping and dunking! Low carb wraps work just fine in this recipe too.
Chicken – Shredded cooked chicken is timesaver in the kitchen, but you can also make these with rotisserie chicken or change it up for shredded beef or even black beans and cheese. You can also use instant pot or slow cooker taco chicken in this recipe.
Cheese – Shreddded Monterey Jack (or pepper jack) has great flavor, but you can use any shredded cheese blend. Check your grocery store for a Mexican cheese blend or shred your own.
Seasonings – While it’s not traditional, a spoonful of salsa flavors the meat. Feel free to use homemade salsa or stir in extra taco seasoning to taste. Homemade taco seasoning is easy to make in big batches and contains spices you likely have on hand like chili powder, cumin, onion & garlic powder, and a bit os salt).
Extras – Diced green chiles, sliced black olives or jalapenos, corn niblets, or diced potatoes will add flavor and texture to taquitos! Or use up leftover veggies to sneak in some extra nutrition for picky eaters!
How to Make Chicken Taquitos
- Mix chicken, drained salsa, cheese, and taco seasoning in a bowl.
- Spread filling into softened tortillas, leaving both ends open (per the recipe below).
- Roll them up and cook as desired. Serve them over a tangy cilantro jicama slaw, or next to some cilantro lime rice and some tasty dips!
In the oven: Brush taquitos in olive or vegetable oil and bake for 18-20 minutes at 425°F.
In the air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and place taquitos in a single layer in the air fryer basket or tray. Spray with cooking oil or brush with oil and cook for 6-8 minutes until crispy. NOTE: Remaining taquitos might need less time.
On the stovetop: Heat oil to 350°F and panfry taquitos until crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Drain on paper towels before serving.
Top taquitos with shredded cabbage, jalapenos, crema or sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, or your own favorite toppings.
Make it a full meal with Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice, refried beans, and a big bowl of pico de gallo.
Leftovers?
Keep leftover chicken and cheese taquitos covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the air fryer so they stay crispy.
Taquitos can be prepared ahead of time, stored in the freezer, and baked directly from frozen per the recipe notes.
Our Fave Dippers
Did you enjoy these Chicken Taquitos? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Chicken Taquitos (baked or fried)
Ingredients
- ½ cup salsa
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken or beef
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 12 (6-inch each) corn tortillas
- ⅓ cup oil for frying or to brush with
Instructions
- Place salsa in a fine strainer and let any juices drip away.
- In a bowl, combine chicken, drained salsa, cheese, and taco seasoning.
- Place tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for 40 seconds or until warm.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the filling onto each tortilla and roll tightly. Secure with a toothpick and place on a baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
- Preheat oil in a pan over medium-high heat (350°F).
- Add the taquitos a few at a time, and cook until crispy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
Video
Notes
To Bake Taquitos
Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush each taquito with olive oil or vegetable oil and bake for 18-20 minutes or until crisp.To Air Fry Taquitos
Spray taquitos with cooking spray or brush with oil. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Place in a single layer and cook for 6-8 minutes or until crisp. Repeat with remaining taquitos. Nutrition information does not include oil. Taquitos can be prepared and rolled up to 24 hours before cooking or frozen. If cooking from frozen, add 2 to 3 minutes of cooking time depending on the cooking method.Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Chicken, Dinner, Snack
Cuisine American, Mexican© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
I happily cook with all three methods, do you think the taquitos come out better using any of the methods?
Dealers Choice! I think they turn out delicious in all three methods. When air fried they are nice and crispy without the extra oil, when fried they are that perfect fried food craving, and when baked they are equally delicious but take a little longer to cook through and become crispy on the outside.
My whole fly loved this ..
Thank u❤️
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Sherry!
How do I reheat this
Thx❤️
I would reheat in the oven until heated through to maintain crispiness!
I never follow the measurements because I make about 30 taquitos for my family of 3 but these are so delicious! They are one of our favorites
I am so glad you loved this recipe Jenna!