You will love the flavors of these Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos! Shredded chicken, cream cheese and extra-sharp cheddar cheese, chopped jalapenos, crumbled bacon, seasoned with Mexican spices, rolled into a flour tortilla, baked until crispy and golden brown.
I have been about to “pop” to share this recipe with y’all!
(pun intended)
Let’s make jalapeno popper chicken taquitos!
What’s A Taquito?
A taquito is a Mexican dish that typically consists of a small rolled-up tortilla that contains filling, including beef, cheese, or chicken. Usually, the filled tortilla is deep-fried.
To make this recipe healthier the taquitos are brushed with oil and then baked. The taquitos come out of the oven perfectly crisp.
How To Make Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush an 18 x 13-inch baking sheet with olive oil; set aside.
While the cream cheese is softening, cook the bacon; allow to drain on paper towels before crumbling.
I found that the filling was easier to combine in phases, rather than trying to mix all of the ingredients at once.
In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, cheddar, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, lime zest, lime juice, jalapeno, and crumbled bacon. Start by mixing with a fork and then press and smear with the back of a spoon, until thoroughly combined.
Add in chicken to the mixture. Wet your hands then combine the chicken into the mixture. The water will help repel the oils of the cheese from your fingers and keep them cleaner. Massage as if you were mixing together a meatloaf, but you don’t have to worry about overworking the meat.
Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla.
Roll the tortilla around the filling tightly; place seam side down on the oiled baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling mixture.
Lightly brush each taquito with olive oil and ensure that they are not touching each other.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the taquitos are crisp and golden brown.
How To Serve Taquitos
Serve taquitos as an appetizer, snack, or main course, hot with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Although the photos show the jalapeno popper chicken taquitos topped with salsa, I recommend dipping them into salsa or guacamole instead of topping them. They are perfectly crispy and they can be dipped and eaten with your fingers.
Reheating Taquitos
Surprisingly, taquitos are great leftover. They warm up beautifully, in the oven and will maintain that crispy tortilla crunch.
These jalapeno popper chicken taquitos are loaded with flavor! I know after writing this post I sure wish I had one to “pop” in my mouth…
ba-dum-bum-CHING! (Yep, more pun intended. #sorrynotsorry)
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 10 8-inch flour tortillas (warmed)
- 1 ½ pounds chicken cooked and shredded
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ lime juiced + 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 6 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Optional Toppings: salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a 1 8 x 13-inch baking sheet with olive oil; set aside.
- While the cream cheese is softening, cook the bacon; allow to drain on paper towels before crumbling.
- In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, cheddar, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, lime zest, lime juice, jalapeno, and crumbled bacon. Start by mixing with a fork and then press with the back of a spoon, until thoroughly combined.
- Add in chicken to the mixture. Wet your hands then combine the chicken into the mixture. Massage as if you were mixing together a meatloaf, but you don’t have to worry about overworking the meat.
- Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla.
- Roll the tortilla around the filling tightly; place seam side down on the oiled baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling mixture.
- Lightly brush each taquito with olive oil and ensure that they are not touching each other.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the taquitos are crisp and golden brown.
- Serve hot with salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Dana@ IveGotCake says
Chicken, bacon, peppers….what’s not to love about this??
Oh yeah, the fact that I can’t have lactose.
SHIT!!!!!!!!
A girl can dream though, sighhhh