Chicken Taquitos - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

These homemade Chicken Taquitos are packed with classic Mexican flavors, a juicy shredded chicken filling, healthy veggies, and melted cheese. Serve with your favorite Mexican sides or garnishes for an easy dinner recipe the whole family will love!

These Chicken Taquitos are perfect for just about any occasion, from busy weeknight dinners to appetizers for parties and Game Day.

They are tortilla wraps filled with shredded chicken, veggies, and cheese, in a creamy salsa sauce, that are cooked to a crispy perfection!

​This recipe is a family favorite because it’s so easy to make, but also becasue we can enjoy our taquitos in different ways.

​You can change up the meat, add rice or beans, use different garnishes, and serve them with different sides.

I’ve included 3 different ways of making them crispy as well – either in the oven, on the stovetop (you don’t need a deep fryer), or in the air fryer!

Try these crispy bites of delicious Mexican flavor tonight!

For more quick and easy dinner recipes using shredded chicken, check out myOne-Pot BBQ Chicken and Bacon Pasta, theseInstant Pot Chicken Tacos, and myEasy Chicken Enchiladas.

Ingredients Needed:

• Oil:Olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or another neutral-flavored oil will be good for sautéing the veggies.
• Vegetables:Use an onion, green pepper, and red pepper for a fresh, savory flavor.
• Chicken:I use raw, boneless, and skinless chicken breasts for these homemade taquitos.If you have leftover Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken, feel free to use that instead!
• Seasoning:one package of taco seasoning is enough for this recipe.
• Salsa:choose a thick salsa (not too watery), mild, or spicy according to your tastes. Try myHomemade Salasa recipe, or even aMango Salsato mix the flavors up a bit!
• Broth:I always use low sodium chicken broth to better control the saltiness of dishes.
• Cream Cheese:use full-fat, plain cream cheese for the best flavor and creamiest texture.
• Cheese:I’ve used cheddar cheese here, as it’s got a great flavor and melts really well.
• Tortillas:I tend to use flour tortillas, but corn tortillas are a great gluten-free choice here if you prefer.
• Garnish:use your favorite toppings like sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped fresh cilantro, and chopped tomatoes.

How to Make Chicken Taquitos

This recipe is easy to make! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Sauté veggies: Sauté the onions and peppers until crisp-tender.
2. Add chicken and season: Add the chicken breasts along with taco seasoning, salsa, and broth and cook.
3. Shred chicken and add cream cheese: Remove the chicken from the pan and shred it, then stir it back into the pan with the cream cheese. Allow the cream cheese to melt.
4. Assemble taquitos: Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly. Divide the filling between 8-10 tortillas and sprinkle cheese on top. Roll them up tightly, ready to be cooked.Cook as desired: pan fry, bake or air fry! See more details in the recipe card.

Chicken Taquitos FAQs

Chicken Taquitos Variations

• Use different meat.You can swap the chicken breast for boneless, skinless chicken thighs or use ground chicken, ground turkey, or even ground beef for a different flavor and texture. This is a great recipe for using up leftover chicken as well, just
• Make it vegetarian.Omit the meat and add in a can of black or white beans, sautéing and then mashing slightly for a vegetarian option. Alternatively, use refried beans.
• Add rice.Add some Mexican rice orInstant Pot Brown Riceto make it go further.
• Use any melty cheese.Pretty much any cheese will go well in these taquitos. Try Mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, a Mexican cheese blend, or another of your favorite melty cheeses!
• Add spice.If your family is sensitive to spice, start with half a package of taco seasoning and adjust the seasoning after the chicken is shredded and cooked. Alternatively, to spice it up, add some cayenne pepper, chili powder, hot sauce, diced jalapenos, or sliced jalapenos to the wraps to make them spicier.

Serving Suggestions

Of course, you’ll be serving your homemade chicken taquitos with some yummy garnishes like freshly chopped cilantro, lemon wedges, . Why not try thisHomemade Salasa recipe, or even aMango Salsato mix the flavors up a bit!

Serve some sides with classic Mexican food flavors like thisTaco Dip,Mini Mexican Wonton Quiches, or some Mexican rice.

You can also serve some extra veggies on the side for extra nutrients, tryCorn on the Cob, orAir Fryer Green Beans.

More Easy Mexican-InspiredRecipes to Try