Baked Chicken Taquitos

When my food blogging escapades are over, there is a good possibility that I will owe half of the credit of the recipes to Melanie, over at My Kitchen Cafe. I have tried quite a few of her recipes, and they are all keepers that I plan to make over and over again.

I've already made these twice and my family has thanked me profusely for them. I made mine with flour tortillas instead of corn, only because it was what I already had on hand. I have also realized a love for salsa verde, which is a shining star in these delicious taquitos, and the cream cheese doesn't hurt either, mmmm. To make these a really quick and easy dinner, keep some shredded chicken in your freezer that can be quickly thawed to whip these babies up. I also added some black beans for a little extra fiber. Thanks again Melanie, these are delish!

Baked Chicken Taquitos
Slightly adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa, green taco sauce and red salsa is also good
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced finely
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)
1/2 cup black beans
small yellow or white corn or flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don't crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don't touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in in salsa, sour cream or guac. I laid these in lettuce, tomatoes, olives etc and had a little taquito salad. It was wonderful!

The second time I made these, I pressed them in my handy dandy press. I loved this variation too, crispy and browned, mmmm.

I apologize for being a bit scarce around these parts. I never expected it to get busier in the summer! I will do my best to keep in touch and post regularly, but I probably won't be back to normal until school starts back up. In the meantime, let's wish for some sun so we can all start enjoying this summer!