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Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Taquitos are crispy, cheesy, and packed with flavorful shredded chicken, cream cheese, fresh lime juice, and salsa verde. Unlike traditional fried taquitos, this baked version delivers the same crunchy texture with no oil and less mess! Serve them with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or your favorite dipping sauce for a delicious and easy weeknight dinner.
My family LOVES to dip these taquitos in this Copycat Cafe Rio Dressing or this Cilantro Lime Crema.
Crispy Chicken Taquitos (Oven Baked Chicken Taquito Recipe)
If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe that the entire family will love – that’s both delicious and budget-friendly, these baked chicken taquitos check all the boxes.
They feature tender shredded chicken, melted cheese, flavorful seasonings, cream cheese, and salsa verde wrapped up in tortillas and baked until perfectly golden brown. They are oven baked, which means you get all that crunchy golden brown texture and crisp but without the air fry. The “trick” is to spray the taquitos with cooking spray before baking them!
Taquitos, which means “little tacos” in Spanish, are rolled tortillas filled with meat, cheese, or beans. Traditionally they are deep fried until crispy, but baking them in the oven creates a healthier alternatives that still delivers that same crunch you love about frying in a deep fryer.
It’s a great recipe for game day (think finger food), a quick dinner with a protein-packed filling, or whenever you need something that you know your kids are going to love.
Why You’ll Love Oven Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
- ❤︎ Crispy without deep frying
- ❤︎ Ready in about 45 minutes
- ❤︎ Family-friendly meal
- ❤︎ Spice level is easily customizable
- ❤︎ Freezer-friendly
Simple Ingredients Needed
- Cream Cheese
- Salsa Verde : This is a green salsa that comes in a jar (similar to salsa) or you can find it in a small can from the Herdez brand.
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice : About 1 large, juicy lime is what the recipe calls for. Bottled lime juice can be used; but for the best flavor, I recommend using fresh.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Kosher Salt, Smoked Paprika : The dried seasonings needed.
- Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- Green Onions : Two green onions that have been thinly sliced. Not two green onion bunches, just two of the stems/pieces or green onions in the bunch.
- Cooked Shredded Chicken : A rotisserie chicken works well for this recipe, or use up leftover chicken.
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Flour Tortillas : Taquitos are traditionally made with corn tortillas, however, I have found most families (mine included) much prefer flour tortillas.
- Cooking Spray : This is the “secret” to getting really crispy, golden brown taquitos that are oven baked instead of fried.
How To Make Cheesy Chicken Taquitos In The Oven (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet/cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (if using foil, lightly spray it with cooking spray).
In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salsa, sour cream, green onions, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and all the dried seasonings until well combined and creamy.
Add in the shredded chicken and shredded monterey jack, and stir until everything is mixed well and combined.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the taquito filling, across the bottom half of a flour tortilla. Roll it up tightly, and place the rolled taquitos, seam-side down, onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure that the taquitos are not touching each other. Repeat with the remaining flour tortillas.
Spray the taquitos with nonstick cooking spray, or you can brush each one with canola/vegetable oil, as this will help get the outside of the taquitos crispy and golden brown – similar to deep frying but without the deep fry!
Bake for 14-18 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy.
Let the taquitos cool on the warm baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes before serving them warm with your favorite dips (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, nacho cheese sauce, queso, ranch, etc).
Serving Suggestions For Chicken Taquitos
- Perfect Cilantro Lime Rice made on the stove top
- Easy Mexican Rice
- Boxed Spanish rice mix cooked according to package directions
- Homemade Salsa made in the blender
- Pico de Gallo – store bought or homemade
- Guacamole – Try my Salsa Verde Guacamole or Pico de Gallo Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Queso Dip or White Queso Dip
- Serve the taquitos alongside Layered Taco Dip with some tortilla chips (the taquitos are good dipped inside the taco dip)
- Fiesta Avocado Salad
- Jalapeno Ranch Dip
- This Copycat Cafe Rio Dressing makes the best dipping option for taquitos
- Cilantro Lime Crema
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- It’s best to use green salsa verde because it’s a smooth sauce with no chunks. However, you can use a red salsa or your favorite salsa, but make sure it’s not too chunky. I would recommend running it through a blender or food processor to get rid of chunks if using a regular chunkier salsa variety.
- I love the Monterey Jack cheese but feel free to use any shredded cheese you prefer – Pepper Jack cheese for some spice, Colby Jack cheese, any variety of Cheddar Cheese, or a Mexican blend or queso blend shredded cheese.
- If using normal, finer table salt or sea salt you will probably only need ¼ teaspoon of it. The recipe calls for ½ teaspoon kosher salt which is a larger flake salt, so use less salt if using a finer salt.
- I don’t recommend using corn tortillas when making chicken taquitos in the oven. They will crack, break, and won’t roll nicely and stay rolled while baking in the oven.
- If the flour tortillas are not rolling easily or breaking slightly – place the flour tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover them with a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave for about 45-60 seconds until they are warmed and softened. This makes it easier to roll them up tightly.
- To get the taquitos crispy in the oven there are several options – spray each taquito with nonstick cooking spray, brush melted butter over each taquito, or brush your preferred oil over each taquito (olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, etc). Using melted butter will add the most rich, crunchy flavor and texture while cooking spray is the “healthiest” way of getting that crisp without the calories or fat.
- I always use a store-bought rotisserie chicken when making this recipe – it’s easy, convenient, and already flavored nicely. Other options include buying ready-to-use chicken at the grocery store, or putting 2 larger boneless, skinless chicken breasts + a can of chicken broth into the slow cooker; cook on low heat for 6-7 hours and then shred with two forks.
- Add cayenne pepper and/or adobo sauce into the chicken mixture if you want a spicier filling, or try adding some finely chopped jalapeños into the filling for spice (leave the seeds for more heat, remove the seeds for mild heat).
- I use the small tortillas that are about 6″ in size; any sized tortilla works, but just note that the serving size will change if you use larger ones. You won’t get as many taquitos if using larger tortillas. use the soft taco size tortillas that are about 6″ for the best results.
More Tex-Mex Chicken Recipes
- 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup
- Slow Cooker Taco Ranch Chicken Chili
- Chicken Burrito Skillet
- Crockpot Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls Recipe
- Santa Fe Chicken Salad Wraps
- Crockpot Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Fiesta Chicken Casserole
- Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken Tacos
Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup salsa verde
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- 16 soft-taco sized flour tortillas (about 6"wide)
- cooking spray OR melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet/cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (if using foil, lightly spray it with cooking spray).
- In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, salsa verde, green onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream, lime juice, and all the dried seasonings until well combined and creamy. *I like to use an electric hand mixer to mix the taquito filling4 ounces cream cheese, 1/4 cup salsa verde, 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Add in the shredded chicken and shredded monterey jack, and stir until everything is mixed well and combined.2 cups cooked shredded chicken, 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the taquito filling across the bottom half of a flour tortilla. Roll it up tightly and place the rolled taquitos, seam-side down, onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining flour tortillas. *Make sure that the taquitos are not touching each other, we want them to crispy all around while baking16 soft-taco sized flour tortillas
- Spray the taquitos with nonstick cooking spray, or you can brush each one with melted butter, as this will help get the outside of the taquitos crispy and golden brown – similar to deep frying but without the deep fry!*Cooking spray works just fine, but melted butter will obviously give it a crunchier and tastier crispy exteriorcooking spray OR melted butter
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy.
- Let the taquitos cool on the warm baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving them warm with your favorite dips (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, nacho cheese sauce, queso, ranch, etc).
Notes
- It’s best to use green salsa verde because it’s a smooth sauce with no chunks. However, you can use a red salsa or your favorite salsa, but make sure it’s not too chunky. I would recommend running it through a blender or food processor to get rid of chunks if using a regular chunkier salsa variety.
- I love the Monterey Jack cheese but feel free to use any shredded cheese you prefer – Pepper Jack cheese for some spice, Colby Jack cheese, any variety of Cheddar Cheese, or a Mexican blend or queso blend shredded cheese.
- If using normal, finer table salt or sea salt you will probably only need ¼ teaspoon of it. The recipe calls for ½ teaspoon kosher salt which is a larger flake salt, so use less salt if using a finer salt.
- I don’t recommend using corn tortillas when making chicken taquitos in the oven. They will crack, break, and won’t roll nicely and stay rolled while baking in the oven.
- If the flour tortillas are not rolling easily or breaking slightly – place the flour tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover them with a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave for about 45-60 seconds until they are warmed and softened. This makes it easier to roll them up tightly.
- To get the taquitos crispy in the oven there are several options – spray each taquito with nonstick cooking spray, brush melted butter over each taquito, or brush your preferred oil over each taquito (olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, etc). Using melted butter will add the most rich, crunchy flavor and texture while cooking spray is the “healthiest” way of getting that crisp without the calories or fat.
- I always use a store-bought rotisserie chicken when making this recipe – it’s easy, convenient, and already flavored nicely. Other options include buying ready-to-use chicken at the grocery store, or putting 2 larger boneless, skinless chicken breasts + a can of chicken broth into the slow cooker; cook on low heat for 6-7 hours and then shred with two forks.
- Add cayenne pepper and/or adobo sauce into the chicken mixture if you want a spicier filling, or try adding some finely chopped jalapeños into the filling for spice (leave the seeds for more heat, remove the seeds for mild heat).
- I use the small tortillas that are about 6″ in size; any sized tortilla works, but just note that the serving size will change if you use larger ones. You won’t get as many taquitos if using larger tortillas. use the soft taco size tortillas that are about 6″ for the best results.
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