These chicken taquitos are made with corn tortillas rolled around, a tasty filling made with seasoned chicken, garlic, and green chiles. The taquitos are fried until perfectly crispy and delicious; then, you can add all your favorite Mexican food toppings! You can even make them in advance and freeze them for later for an easy lunch, dinner, or snack at a moment's notice!
Simple Chicken Taquitos Recipe
Chicken taquitos are a delicious and easy-to-make Mexican dish made of rolled tortillas filled with seasoned chicken and then fried until delightfully crispy. They make a great snack, lunch, or dinner and taste fabulous with all of your favorite Mexican dipping sauces and toppings!
If you're a fan of Mexican food, these taquitos will make a great addition to your list of go-to recipes. They freeze wonderfully, so they are the perfect thing to keep in the freezer for when you need a last-minute meal!
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🥘 Chicken Taquitos Ingredients
These are mostly ingredients I keep on hand, you may have to run by the store for some green chiles. You can even pick up a rotisserie chicken while you're there to make this recipe even easier!
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).
- Chicken - 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken or leftover deli rotisserie chicken.
- Onion - ½ cup of chopped yellow or white onion.
- Green Chiles - 3-4 tablespoons (roughly one generous ounce) of chopped, drained green chiles.
- Garlic - 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, about 2 cloves if using fresh garlic.
- Seasoning - ¾ teaspoon of ground cumin and chili powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper (to taste). Alternatively, use 1½-2 teaspoons of my chicken taco seasoning instead.
- Mexican Hot Sauce (optional) - a splash for a mild kick, up to 2-3 tablespoons for more flavor.
- Mexican Cheese Blend (optional) - Use up to ½ cup sprinkled over the chicken filling when assembling the taquitos.
- Tortillas - 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- Frying Oil - Choose a cooking oil with a high smoke point.
- Optional toppings - shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de Gallo, and chopped fresh cilantro.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Chicken Taquitos
Don't let all the steps fool you; these taquitos are surprisingly easy to make! You'll need a can opener, a large skillet, and some silicone kitchen tongs to get started.
One batch makes 12 taquitos, so you can always enjoy some now and save the rest for later!
Make The Chicken Filling
- Saute. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and warm until it begins to shimmer. Add the 3 cups of cooked or shredded chicken, ½ cup onion, 3-4 tablespoons of chopped green chiles, and 2 teaspoons of minced garlic until the chicken is heated through and the onion is soft and translucent.
- Season. Add ¾ teaspoon of cumin, ¾ teaspoon of chili powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, and the optional splash of Mexican hot sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
Assemble & Fry The Taquitos
- Heat. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds, on a dry skillet for 10-15 seconds, or directly over the grates of your gas stove to make them pliable and easier to roll.
- Assemble. Spoon a tablespoon or two of the chicken mixture onto the center of each tortilla, add the optional Mexican cheese blend if using, and roll it up tightly.
- Preheat. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F (175°C).
- Fry. Place the taquitos in the hot oil, seam side down, and fry until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally with tongs. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Drain. Use a slotted spoon or silicone tongs to remove the taquitos from the oil and place them on a wire rack over a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.
- Serve. Once all the taquitos are cooked and drained, serve with your favorite toppings.
Chicken taquitos can be dipped in everything from sour cream to salsa verde! Creamy guacamole or cream cheese salsa dip is tasty, too! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Be careful not to overfill the tortillas, or they will be difficult to roll and may burst during frying.
- Use a small amount of water to seal the edges of the tortillas before frying to prevent them from unrolling.
- You can also bake the taquitos in the oven at 425°F (218°C) for 15-20 minutes instead of frying them for a healthier option.
- Cook these tasty taquitos in your air fryer at 400°F (205°C) for 5-6 minutes, flip, and continue cooking until crispy.
- To make the taquitos ahead of time, you can assemble them and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and fry them straight from the freezer when ready to serve.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Once cooled, the taquitos can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Freezing Chicken Taquitos
I recommend you freeze leftover taquitos because you can reheat them directly from frozen! Not to mention, the taquitos will be crispier frozen than they would be if they were refrigerated.
Once cool, flash freeze them on a baking sheet then transfer them to a heavy-duty freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating Chicken Taquitos
Reheat your taquitos on a baking sheet in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 15 minutes. If you want them extra crispy, reheat them in an air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 4 minutes.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
Many people include cheese in their chicken taquitos. I'm a huge fan of adding some shredded Mexican cheese blend to the filling. However, the cheese is totally optional. If you prefer your taquitos cheese-less, just leave it out!
Frying your taquitos seam-side-down is usually all it takes to keep them from unrolling. Another trick is to use a small amount of water around the edge of the corn tortilla. It will help to seal the tortilla to itself so it doesn't unwrap while it fries.
Yes, this is a fantastic make-ahead recipe. You can make the filling and refrigerate it for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months! Then just thaw it in the fridge and assemble your taquitos as directed. The cooked taquitos freeze just as well and can be reheated directly from frozen.
🌮 More Mexican Recipes
- Mexican Wedding Cookies - These classic Mexican cookies are so buttery they practically melt in your mouth.
- Mexican Corn Fritters - These soft and zesty corn fritters make the perfect side dish for any Mexican meal.
- Mexican Street Corn - Corn on the cob slathered in creamy garlic chipotle sauce and topped with queso fresco and smoked paprika!
- Birria Tacos - Super crispy tacos loaded with goat meat. You can even make some goat stew on the side for dunking!
- Flour Tortillas - Learn how to make wonderfully soft flour tortillas at home!
- Salsa Roja - My go-to recipe for red salsa, and you can control the heat level!
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📖 Recipe Card
Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 3 cups cooked chicken (shredded cooked chicken or leftover deli rotisserie chicken)
- ½ cup yellow onion (chopped, or white onion)
- 3-4 tablespoon green chiles (drained, approximately 1 ounce+)
- 2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ tsp each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 splash Mexican Hot Sauce (optional - brands like Cholula, Tapatio, El Pato, El Yucateco, or Valentina)
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- ½ cup Mexican cheese blend (optional)
- cooking oil (for frying)
- cheese, salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, chopped cilantro (optional toppings)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and warm until it begins to shimmer. Add the cooked or shredded chicken, onion, green chiles, and garlic until the chicken is heated through and the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and optional Mexican hot sauce, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds, on a dry skillet for 10-15 seconds, or directly over the grates of your gas stove to make them pliable and easier to roll.
- Spoon a tablespoon or two of the chicken mixture onto the center of each tortilla, add the optional Mexican cheese blend if using, and roll it up tightly.
- Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F (175°C).
- Place the taquitos in the hot oil, seam side down, and fry until golden brown and crispy, turning occasionally with tongs. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon or silicone tongs to remove the taquitos from the oil and place them on a wire rack over a paper towel-lined plate to drain the excess oil.
- Once all the taquitos are cooked and drained, serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Be careful not to overfill the tortillas, or they will be difficult to roll and may burst during frying.
- Use a small amount of water to seal the edges of the tortillas before frying to prevent them from unrolling.
- You can also bake the taquitos in the oven at 425°F (218°C) for 15-20 minutes instead of frying them for a healthier option.
- Cook these tasty taquitos in your air fryer at 400°F (205°C) for 5-6 minutes, flip, and continue cooking until crispy.
- To make the taquitos ahead of time, you can assemble them and freeze them on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container and fry them straight from the freezer when ready to serve.
- To store: Once cooled, the taquitos can be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: I recommend you freeze leftover taquitos because you can reheat them directly from frozen! Not to mention, the taquitos will be crispier frozen than they would be if they were refrigerated. Once cool, flash freeze them on a baking sheet then transfer them to a heavy-duty freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Reheat your taquitos on a baking sheet in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 15 minutes. If you want them extra crispy, reheat them in an air fryer at 350°F (175°C) for 4 minutes.
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