Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos Recipe (2024)

Jazz up taco night with these Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos! They’re loaded with perfectly seasoned shredded chicken and baked to crispy perfection.

We love to serve these with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

I’m a total sucker for crunchy Taquitos! The crisp corn tortilla wrapped around seasoned chicken breast is so delightful!

What Is A Taquito?

Taquitos are also called “Rolled Tacos” because they’re tightly rolled corn tortillas that usually contain a seasoned meat inside. Traditionally, taquitos are deep fried to give them their delicious crunchy outside.

Flautas are another type of “Rolled Taco”, but use flour tortillas instead of corn. Flautas also usually contain a little more substance to the filling rather than just meat.

Baked Chicken Taquitos Recipe

Rather than firing up my deep fryer, I opted to bake these chicken taquitos. It’s a great alternative because corn tortillas can crisp up rather nicely when baked. You’ll get that nice crunch when you bite in, like a chip stuffed with seasoned shredded chicken.

Ingredients Needed

I’m keeping it suuuuuper simple with the ingredients list. It doesn’t take much to whip up these yummy taquitos!

• Shredded Chicken Breast – you can either make your own, or pull some off of a rotisserie chicken.
• Chili Powder
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Cumin
• Salt
• Yellow Corn Tortillas – you can also use white corn if desired.

How To Prevent Corn Tortillas From Cracking?

The struggle can be real when it comes to rolling up a corn tortilla. Lucky for you, I have a super simple hack that’ll have you rolling corn tortillas like a pro.

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
2. Place corn tortilla on pan for about 30 to 45 seconds, then flip and repeat.
3. Transfer warmed corn tortilla to a zip close bag, tortilla warmer, or plate covered with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Let the tortillas steam for a minute or two, then roll up with the filling,

It’s crazy how awesome this trick works. You might still have one or two tortillas give you a little trouble, but most should roll up nice and easy!

How To Bake Chicken Taquitos

Now that you have your filling and corn tortillas ready, simply place a small amount of filling in the middle of the steamed corn tortilla and roll it up nice and tight.

• Place the rolled taquitos, seam-side down, on a cooling rack that’s fitted in a baking sheet (I love this one because the tacos rest nicely into the grooves to keep them from rolling around). Or on a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Spritz the rolled tacos with non-stick spray and bake at 425 degrees F.
• Flip the taquitos after they’ve baked about 18 minutes and continue baking until they’re golden brown and crisp all around.

PRO TIP: Don’t overfill your taquitos! You only need a small amount to fill them up. Too much and it’ll have a hard time sealing.

Air Fryer Instructions

Not only can you bake these in your oven, but they also crisp up very nicely in the air fryer.

• Spritz with cooking spray once added to the air fryer.
• Cook at 375 degrees F. for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.
• You may have to cook in batches if your air fryer is small.

The air fryer is also a great way to reheat previously cooked taquitos. Just toss them in at 375 degrees F, and cook until heated through!

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions

Taquitos are great because they’re super easy for meal prepping! You can make a few batches and then once baked and cooled, pop them in the freezer and pull them out whenever you want.

These chicken taquitos will last up to 7 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer.

What To Serve With Taquitos

In addition to our favorite dipping sauces, we almost always serve our crispy baked chicken taquitos with Refried Beans and Mexican Rice. Here are some of our favorite dips and other great sides to try…

• Classic Guacamole
• Restaurant Style Salsa
• Southwestern Queso
• Sour Cream
• Pico de Gallo
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• The Best Black Beans

Tips & Variations

• You can easily swap out the chicken for shredded beef or ground beef if desired.
• Use white or yellow corn tortillas, but make sure they’re corn!
• Don’t overfill your corn tortillas or they can be difficult to roll up.
• Place the tortillas seam side down on the baking sheet so they don’t unroll before baking.
• Flip the taquitos over when they’re about 2/3 of the way done, to make sure the tortilla has crisped up enough and doesn’t unroll.

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes To Try-

I could eat Mexican food all day long. Here are a few more awesome must-try recipes for you…

• Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas
• One Skillet Mexican Beef and Rice
• Chicken Black Bean Enchilada Skillet
• Crispy Instant Pot Pork Carnitas

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