Name: Chicken and cheese taquitos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 12 corn tortillas; 2 ¼ cups cooked and shredded chicken; 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese (shredded); 1 cup chipotle sauce; ½ tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 2 tbsp onion powder; Oil (for frying)

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Those chicken and cheese taquitos are the ultimate appetizer for your gatherings. Made with corn tortillas and filled with a flavoured chicken chipotle and cheese mixture, you won’t stop eating them!

I made those chicken and cheese taquitos using the shredded chicken leftovers of my green enchiladas recipe, but you can also just boil chicken breas or use chicken rotisserie for making this recipe.

Taquitos, best way to use leftovers!

Flautas (aka taquitos) are one my favourites mexican antojitos, they’re crunchy and perfect to use your leftovers; because you can fill them with chicken to make flautas de pollo, beef, potatoes (tacos de papa), veggies, mushrooms, cheese, ham and anything you have in the fridge.

The toppings can vary as well, for example: Shredded lettuce, pickled onions, pico de gallo, guacamole, cabbage salad (my favourite!) and even nopales (cactus).

Today I am sharing my chipotle & cheese chicken taquitos. Something I usually make when I have chicken tinga leftovers but since I didn’t have Tinga, I came up with something pretty similar that turned better than expected.

Mexican taquitos served with pico de gallo and guacamole sauce.

What type of tortillas to use?

Because those tacos are fried, the best type of tortillas to use are corn tortillas. You can buy these at any Mexican store or also in Amazon.

Corn tortillas can also be made at home, check our recipe for gluten-free tortillas. They remain crispy and crunchy for a longer time than flour tortillas which will burn easily when frying them.

If you buy tortillas they will be perfect because normally the texture is not too thin, not too thick. So you can easily roll them to make these taquitos. Also, remember to warm them up a bit so they will be easy to roll.

How to make chicken and cheese taquitos

MAKE THE FILLING – In a large bowl add chicken, cheese, cumin, oregano, paprika and cheese. Add chipotle sauce and toss to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and then set aside.

ROLL UP -In the center of a corn tortilla add two or three tablespoons of the filling. Roll tight and place seam side down on a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

FRY – Heat 1-inch oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches fry taquitos both sides until golden and crispy. Set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain oil.

SERVE – You can serve taquitos when they’re still warm or at room temperature. I like to serve them as appetizers with some guacamole sauce and pico de gallo (salsa bandera) on the side.

Make it vegan

Craving for this kind of taquitos but want a vegan version? What about filling them with mushrooms instead? Here’s a quick recipe:

Sauté 1/4 cup chopped onions + 1 garlic clove finely minced. Add 2 cups of diced mushrooms, two tablespoons of chipotle sauce and cook until tender when there’s not liquid left.
Turn off heat and add crumbled tofu, season with salt, pepper and pinch of ground cumin.
Use the mixture for filling your taquitos!

Drinks to serve with taquitos

Recipe notes

Warm up the tortillas. Warming up tortillas prevent them for cracking and or breaking apart.

Make ahead. You can make these chicken and cheese taquitos ahead of time, just secure each taquito with a toothpick, then put them in a bag or container and place them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Don’t overfill the tortillas. Two tablespoon max is what I recommend for this type of filling.