Chicken Taquitos

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Crispy, crunchy chicken taquitos are incredibly delicious and easy to make with rotisserie chicken. Garnish these rolled chicken tacos with sour cream, salsa verde, cheese and tomatoes. Make this easy dinner in 25 minutes.

📌 PIN CHICKEN TAQUITOS

A taquito is a tightly-rolled “little taco” with a savory filling. In Mexican restaurants they’re commonly offered in beef, chicken and pork. Held together with toothpicks, they’re deep fried until golden and crisp.

Homemade chicken taquitos can be baked or fried. The filling can be tinged with a light kick of heat, or kept mild for the kiddos.

For a dinner, serve rolled chicken tacos in sets of 3. Top them with some shredded lettuce and they’re a complete meal without any sides. As appetizers, serve them sliced in half diagonally with toppings on the side.

Today I’ll show you how to make chicken taquitos the way my Grandma did, authentically Mexican. But for an air fryer version that’s just as tasty, see this easy air fryer taquitos recipe.

👉🏻 RECIPE NOTE: Taquitos are made with corn tortillas. When assembled with flour tortillas, they’re called flautas.

🛒 INGREDIENTS

For mild chicken taquitos, skip the serrano chiles. Instead, substitute with minced celery plus a few pinches of dried oregano. Or for very mild heat, use mild fire-roasted green chiles (find them in a can, and drain well).

🐓 Chicken Taquitos

• Rotisserie chicken breast
• White onion
• Clove of garlic
• Serrano chiles (or mild fire-roasted green chiles)
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• Corn tortillas
• Cooking oil

🍅 Traditional Garnishes

• Romaine lettuce, shredded
• Medium cheddar cheese, shredded
• Roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, diced
• Salsa verde or authentic guacamole
• Sour cream or Mexican crema
• Bottled hot sauce
• Lime slices, for squeezing

🧀 RECIPE VARIATIONS: Skip the cheddar cheese. Instead, roll hot taquitos in grated Parmesan cheese. Or garnish with a Mexican cheese like cotija or crumbled queso fresco.

RECIPE STEPS

🔪 Prep Ingredients

Below we’re prepping the filling for authentic chicken taquitos for adults. See below for how to make filling for kid-friendly taquitos.

• STEP 1: Shred the chicken very thinly.
• STEP 2: Dice the onion. Press or mince the garlic.
• STEP 3: Remove stems from serrano peppers. Slice them in half. The veins and seeds are where the primary heat of a chile resides. Remove the veins and seeds.
• STEP 4: Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and peppers to the pan. Proceed with the recipe instructions below the helpful image.

👳🏻 GRANDMA’S KID-FRIENDLY TAQUITOS: Omit the chiles. Instead, add 1/4 cup diced celery to the onions and garlic and sauté. Later, when adding shredded chicken to the pan, sprinkle in 1 teaspoon dried oregano.

🌶 EXPERT TIP: Serrano chiles have oil that can irritate and burn your skin and eyes for several hours. When handling chiles, use disposable kitchen gloves or plastic produce bags. Wash hands and nails with warm water. Wash cutting board and knife in the dishwasher to prevent the transfer of oil to other surfaces. If eyes become irritated, flush them with cool water.

🥘 Prepare Filling & Soften Tortillas

RECIPE NOTE: When rolling taquitos, the tortillas must be flexible so they don’t tear. Many recipes call for dipping tortillas in hot oil to soften them up. However, I prefer the alternate method described in Step 4.

• STEP 1: Sauté onion, garlic and serrano chiles until tender.
• STEP 2: Add chicken to the pan. Drizzle water or chicken broth over filling to keep things moist. Toss chicken with sautéd ingredients until nice and warm. Add more liquid as needed for hydration. But the filling for chicken taquitos should be tender, not wet or dry.
• STEP 3: Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste. For more Mexican flavor (optional), sprinkle in some dried oregano, and a pinch of cumin.
• STEP 4: Wet a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out the water. Lay a small stack of corn tortillas in the middle and wrap them. Microwave on high for up to 2 minutes until tortillas are warm, soft and flexible, but not damp. This will allow the tortillas to be tightly rolled without tearing.

🧑🏼‍🍳 Roll & Fry Chicken Taquitos

RECIPE PREP: Line a tray with paper towels. Set it aside.

• STEP 1: Place 2 tablespoons chicken filling at the end of the corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly. Secure with a wooden toothpick.
• STEP 2: As you work, transfer the rolled tacos to a plate.
• STEP 3: Add 1 inch cooking oil to a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium to medium-high heat. If using a thermometer, the oil should should be heated to 350°F. Grandma used about 3 inches of oil for deep frying taquitos. The tacos cooked in 1 1/2 minutes without being flipped. But I prefer conserving cooking oil.
• STEP 4: Fry the taquitos in batches of 3. After 1 minute, flip the taquitos over with a pair of tongs. Cooking another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until crisp and golden. Transfer fried chicken tacos to a prepared tray. Remove and discard the toothpicks.

🌮 HOW TO GARNISH ROLLED TACOS

Garnish chicken taquitos immediately after cooking, while they’re still hot. If not planning to serve them right away, arrange the rolled tacos on a metal rack over a baking sheet. Store them in a 200°F oven for up to 30 minutes.

1. Arrange thinly-shredded lettuce on individual serving plates.
2. Drizzle rolled tacos with sour cream and green salsa.
3. Sprinkle shredded cheese and diced tomatoes over the top.
4. Serve with wedges of lime and bottled hot sauce.

👩🏻‍🍳 REcipe FAQ

These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST fried chicken taquitos, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.

🍽 MORE TASTY MEXICAN RECIPES

• Easy Chicken Tostadas
• Mexican Chicken and Rice
• Baja Fish Tacos
• Crunchy Ground Beef Tacos
• Homemade Taco Seasoning
• Tequila Lime Wings

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Flavor testers say this is the BEST chicken taquitos recipe. The authentic taste, texture and garnishes rival those served at your favorite Mexican restaurant. After all, this is my Mexican grandma’s recipe!

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CHICKEN TAQUITOS 👉🏻 JOIN THE CONVO

Have you been craving authentic Mexican food? What do you think about these crunchy chicken taquitos? Will you serve them as appetizers, or enjoy them for dinner? Share your thoughts below.