Baked creamy chicken taquitos
45 min · 36 g protein · 411 cals / serving
Small corn tortillas rolled tight around shredded chicken stirred into a tangy, creamy filling of cream cheese, salsa verde, lime, cumin and Monterey Jack, then baked at high heat until the shells crackle and the cheese leaks out in crispy little puddles at the ends. Three per person with salsa and a cool yogurt dip. They freeze well, so a double batch is game-day insurance.
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 oz light cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 60 g for the filling, the rest for dipping
- 1/3 cup salsa verde
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 1/3 cups shredded cooked chicken chicken breast, breast meat, shredded (rotisserie breast is fine); weighed cooked
- 2/3 cup grated Monterey jack cheese
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Taquitos
- 18 small (6-inch) corn tortilla
- a good coat cooking spray
To serve
- 1 cup pico de gallo, or a chunky salsa
Steps
- Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with 1/4 cup of the yogurt, the salsa verde, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt until smooth.
- Fold in the shredded chicken, Monterey Jack, green onion and cilantro until everything is evenly coated.
- Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45–60 seconds, until hot, steamy and floppy; a corn tortilla only rolls without cracking while it is hot, so keep the stack covered as you work. Spoon about 3 heaped tablespoons (45 g) of filling in a line along the bottom third of each, roll up tightly and set seam side down on the sheet, close together but not touching.
- Spray the tops and sides well with oil; this is what turns the shells golden and crisp. Bake 15–20 minutes, until browned at the edges and crackly. A little filling escaping at the ends is normal and the best part.
- Let them sit 3 minutes, then serve with the pico de gallo and the remaining yogurt for dipping.
Good to know
Can I freeze them?
Yes. Freeze the rolled, unbaked taquitos on the tray, then bag them. Bake from frozen at the same temperature for 22–25 minutes, spraying them first.
Flour tortillas instead?
Small flour tortillas roll more easily and bake up softer and blistered rather than shatteringly crisp, as many American versions do. The score goes to about 34 instead of 47.
Can I use full-fat cream cheese?
Yes, it makes the filling a touch silkier and the score goes to about 44 instead of 47.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 190
- Protein
- (36%)
- 17 g
- Fat
- (28%)
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- (36%)
- 18 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 321 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2464 kcal goes into the pot and 1620 g of ingredients comes out as about 1300 g of food: 190 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.