We have Hispanic food EVERY week. Without fail, we are having tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas or taquitos one day during the week and the kids love them. I’m so grateful for that because I love these recipes too. We also have Mexican Rice with these meals, which is another recipe my kids LOVE (score!)
The recipe I’m sharing today is one that we have recently become obsessed with. They are very similar to the chicken taquitos we make all the time, but they have cream cheese, salsa, and baby spinach mixed in with it too. I know I’ve shared this before, but my husband LOVES cream cheese, so I was 100% sure that he would love these taquitos. Well, he loved them and so did I, so we’ve had them a few times this last month. What I love is I made the cream cheese and chicken mix and froze the leftovers in 2 bags so I could make them 2 other nights. That worked out great for some of those crazy busy days. I just pulled one bag out in the morning to let it de-frost and it was perfect by dinner!
Another thing I love about this recipe is that they are great to make as the main dish or even an appetizer. Either way, I know you’ll love these Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos because they are DELICIOUS!
I’ll admit… I’m a little sad I don’t have some of the cream cheese and chicken mix in my freezer still. Good thing is, it’s easy to make! We have even used the mixture inside quesadillas which was also a hit!
How to make Taquitos:
For printable recipe instructions see below. 😉
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 6 ounces ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cups sour cream
- ½ cups salsa
- 1½ cups colby jack cheese
- 1½ cups chopped baby spinach, stems removed
- 12 - 6 inch corn tortillas
- vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- Heat ½" oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.
- In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, co-jack and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once oil is hot enough (place hand over pan, above oil, to feel heat), add a few tablespoons of chicken/cream cheese mixture to the center of a tortilla and spread out. Roll up and set seam side down in oil using tongs. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
- Repeat until all the tortillas are filled, rolled and fried.
- Set on paper towels to drain.
- Serve warm and ENJOY!
Recipe adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
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For more delicious Mexican Dishes that we make all the time, be sure to try:
ENJOY!
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So yum!!! Pinned and can’t wait to make some!
xoxo
These looks so yummy! Making some very soon!
Amy+Huntley recently posted..5 Holiday Family Traditions
You’ll LOVE them!!
Will have to try these they look so good
Let me know what you think 🙂
Definitely pinning these for later my kids love them from a local place.
Is the filling cold inside the taquito? Or how do you make the filling warm? Thanks.
How many taquitos does this recipe make?
Oops I see 12. Sorry!
Do you cook them again after you put the chicken mixture into the taco shells?
Yes. After you roll the filling in, throw then back in the oil for a few seconds
I just modified the recipe a bit to make it easier… after adding the cream cheese/chicken mixture you will fry the tortillas in the oil until golden brown on both sides. 😉
We made these tonight for or relaxing Christmas dinner. They were so good and so filling. Thank you 🙂
You’re welcome! Glad to hear they were a hit… we also like to add the cream cheese mixture to some tortillas and make them as quesadillas. 😀
They look delicious. Can’t wait to try them. One question though, do you use frozen spinach or fresh?
We used fresh spinach. 😉 Let me know how they turn out – they’re one of our favorites!!
I made these for dinner tonight and my husband and I both loved them! Since we’re vegetarian, I swapped 8 oz of freshly sliced, sauteed mushrooms and a can of black beans for the chicken. I also used flour instead of corn tortillas and baked them at 425 for 15 minutes instead of frying them. They turned out great! We’ll definitely be making them again. Thanks for a delicious recipe!
Were they crispy baked like that?
Then you made vegetarian Flautas not chicken Taquitos, totally different recipe!
Thank you I was wondering if you could bake them instead of frying them.
These look fantastic can’t wait to make them!
Paula
Paula recently posted..French Onion Soup
Hope you enjoy them as much as we do. 😉
Hi!
What kind of salsa you used?
I like to make it..I have a few recipes on the site. If I’m in a hurry..I just get store bought. No particular one..I’ve tried many. Hope that helps 🙂
This looks great! One question though – do you season the chicken with anything when you cook it first (before you shred)?
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Would it be possible to “bake” these in a casserole dish, rather than fry them?
Never mind. I just saw that someone baked them at 425 degrees for 15 min. Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Getting ready to make these and was just wondering did you freeze them after deep frying them, or froze them just rolled and then pulled them out and fried them? Thanks. Love you site and recipes.
Just now seeing this… sorry! If I have some of the chicken/cream cheese mixture left over that is what I freeze. The day I want to use them, I take it out of the freezer to un-thaw and then put them in the tortillas to fry. 😉
How do you recommend I cook the chicken (boil, sautee,bake). What method did you use?
There are a few ways I do. I usually buy some chicken breast and immediately stick it in the crock pot on HIGH for 4 hours. I take it out, let it cool and then I shred it. I usually bag it and then freeze it so I can just pull it out the morning of and let it de-thaw. The other option I use if I’m in a hurry is I’ll line a baking sheet with foil. I place the chicken breast on it and drizzle a little bit of olive oil and lemon pepper and bake it at 400 for 40-50 minutes. Then, I let it cool and shred. Hope that helps. 😉
I made these and they are sooooooooooooooooooooo good!
Thanks for stopping by, Jessica! SO glad you liked them. 😉
Hi, what kind of salsa? You see im mexican and we have a lot of salsas Jejejeje
Tried these tonight, very good. Only problem is mine fell apart. How to you keep the tortilla from breaking and coming apart.
Terri me too! They were still awesome messy but there was a lot of oil in them because they fell apart so much. Any suggestions? The tortilla was flaking and breaking even during the roll :(.
You can heat about 6 tortillas in microwave oven in a ziplock bag about 50 seconds, then roll them, or u can put tortilla in frying oil just for about 3 seconds then cool tortilla and then add mix roll & fry taquitos. This is the way I do my flautas
Great ideas – THANKS! 😀
Thanks for sharing this recipe, it sounds delish. I’m planning to make them soon. One question, cans they be bake instead of fried? Thank you.
Can i make one day before warm the next and will taste good…
what kind of salsa?
How long do these take to make?
Do you seal them in any way before you fry them? Seems like they’d just fall apart.
No. I just hold it with the seam side down for a few seconds in the oil with the tongs and it’s enough to keep the shape and hold it in. 😉
I made these tonight and they fell all apart. How do you keep the corn tortillas from splitting and falling apart
Were the tortillas old? If they’re fresh they should be fine and have no problems rolling. 😉
My family LOVED these last night!!! We have a household of teenagers who CAN eat and they devoured all of them!! I loved the whole combination and added sweet corn & black beans then used flour tortillas (wanted them bigger for a main meal!) Oh soooo yummy!!!
Thank you so much, definitely going in my rotation of menus!! :o)
Ooooh, adding corn and black beans with flour tortillas sounds great. I’ll have to try that myself!
These sound yummy but just wondering I LOVE BEEF! Can I use chopmeat instead of chicken?? Has anyone tried that and I too would want to bake them to keep them less oily and more healthy (if that is even possible…lol)
I love beef too and think these would be great with them. I would probably cook a pot roast in the crock pot and then shred it to use in the taquitos. 😉
I think it would be awesome with ground beef. I would brown the beef and drain, then add a package of Taco Seasoning and about a cup of Taco Sauce (or Enchilada Sauce). Heat and reduce just a little (till it’s not too runny). I would mix all the other ingredients together to make that awesome paste and spread it on the tortilla and then run a thick line of the beef mixture on top.
Just made these tonight and they were perfect! Kids loved them. Thanks for the tip about freezing the mixture. I will definitely do that!
YAY!!! So glad they were a hit. They are so simple and definitely delicious. Have a great day. 😉
These were good the same day AND the day after. Nice!
Thanks for stopping by. Glad these were a hit!
Looks like a great recipe. I think the spinach puts it over the top. I’m curious, though, why you use only 6 oz. cream cheese instead of the whole package (8 oz.) I would use the whole package for the simple reason that I hate putting away the leftover 2 oz. and then discovering it at a later date and the edges are all hardened. I just wanted to find out if maybe you had experienced a reason to only use the 6 oz. I’m in South Carolina now but I’m from California and Arizona. I LOVE your recipes. Makes me wanna go back!!
Thank you for the recipe. I made these last night. I added fresh cilantro and yellow onions to the chicken/cheese mixture which my wife and super picky sons loved! This recipe will be added to our recipe book!
Chicken eciladas so good. Instead of frying can we bake them? Please let me know as your recipe really good. Send more interesting recipes always
S.lalji
Could this mixture be put in an egg roll? Thanks for info, they look really good.
Could these be made without salsa? Would I need a substitute? Sadly I am allergic to tomatoes. 😟
You can definitely do it without salsa… it just gives some added flavor. 😉
What kind of salsa do you use?
Maybe a can of chopped green chilies would be good as a substitute.
I’m allergic to tomatoes and use La Victoria Chunky Green salsa in place of tomato salsa. I even use it in my spanish rice.
Thanks for sharing that info Leslie!
I made these last night. They are AMAZING. Hubby & teenage son loved them. BUT if your making these as most people know you can’t roll a corn tortilla and not expect it to break/tear. They are dry even if you just purchased them. ANY time I need to roll a corn tortilla I get about 6 corn tortillas wrap them in a few paper towels and wet the paper towel covered stack of tortillas. Them microwave for 30 seconds. This still Steam them and make them soft enough to actually roll them. Just an FYI
Thank you for this tip!
“Hispanic food”? you mean Mexican food?
This was a winner at our house.
All I can say is WOW! My family is obsessed with this recipe. It’s delicious, filling, and the leftovers are great reheated! My husband loves to cook, and he is already talking about having people over and making these taquitos for Cinco de Mayo. Thank you! We can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
I’m Making it today !!
These are so delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I made them tonight for the first time and my husband couldn’t stop eating them! I did have a problem with the tortillas I bought though. They were tearing as I was rolling them up. So mine didn’t turn out pretty but despite that they were still good.
I was wondering if you could tell me what tortillas you used. The ones I used that tore apart where mission corn tortillas.
I’m glad you liked them but am sorry you had issues with the corn tortillas. I like the ARIZONA brand, but can usually do okay with any as long as their fresh. If they’re old and dry they’ll tear. 🙁
My kids would really love these but i am not sure I could pull these off. I envision a mess. Can you post some pictures of you actually rolling them and placing them seam side down. I am not experienced enough with frying with corn tortillas. Thanks so much!
Can these be baked instead of fried?
I haven’t tried baking them, but I’m sure you could. I would put them seam side down in a pan and then lightly spray with cooking spray and then cook for 15-20 minutes… but I’d watch them closely since I’m unsure on the time. 😉
very good! but the corn tortillas were very fragile, you cant keep flipping them- they were falling apart. What kind of tortillas are best? yellow white or blue i wonder? I used frozen grilled chicken strips and think flavored rotisserie chicken would be better, tc thanks! my 12 yr old nephew said we must make it friday night tradition!!-lol
I like ARIZONA brand corn tortillas but most any work. Making sure they are fresh helps because if they are old they tend to crack. 😉
I used homemade corn tortillas from the Supermercado Monterrey store (Longview, Texas). I didn’t have a problem with tearing or cracking. I also used a rotisserie chicken and shredded it in my kitchen aid mixer. Very tasty, thanks for the recipe!
What great ideas, Susie!! I’ll have to try shredding in my mixer! I bet that saves time! Thanks!
I made these & they were delicious! I used fresh yellow corn tortillas but also had trouble with the tortillas crumbling during rolling & then completely coming apart in the oil! I ended up using toothpicks to secure them. How much oil (depth) do you use? I think next time I would either pass them through oil for a few seconds to soften before rolling (I do this for enchiladas) or just bake them.
I made these Saturday night for my kids and their friends and they were a huge hit! A few tips:
1) Take your stack of corn tortillas, place them on a microwave safe plate, and microwave for 30 seconds or so to soften them up. Leave them in the microwave and pull one out at a time.
2) Fill, and roll, and then grab with long handled tongs.
3) Place hold with tongs in oil for a few seconds until the taquito has fried enough to hold it’s shape. Then let go with the tongs.
4) Allow to fry for a few more seconds then roll/turn with the tongs so other side cooks. About 20 seconds or so.
5) Remove from the oil before you think they need to come out to prevent over cooking.
I tried rolling a few before frying and found that the corn tortillas would crack. This “microwave to soften, then roll and fry one at a time” method worked like a champ. The leftovers were fought over for lunch the following day.
I am going to make those for dinner today. Do you know the serving size of this recipe
Wonderful
How do I keep them together when they are frying? Mine didnt come out the way it’s on the photo? Do U use toothpicks to hold?
Made these tonight, they were amazing! Wanted to ask though, my tortillas were tearing after I rolled them and placed them in the oil, which resulted in the chicken leaking out and grease popping all over while I was cooking. Grr! Any suggestions? I think perhaps I over stuffed them a bit, and planned on trying less next time. Generally how many tablespoons do you spoon in them?
I usually only use a few tablespoons. I’ve had this happen before but either the tortillas are the cheapest quality or they are a bit older. If And I make sure I fold them the natural direction of the tortillas (if that makes sense since they tend to fold around easier one way than the other). Hope that helps. 😀
I made these for a work potluck & they were a hit! I added the mexicorn and I think next time will add some sautéed onion & peppers and taco seasoning to the mix.
I made them the night before & my husband had a suggestion to heat them & still keep them crisp. I put them in the crockpot & kept the lid cock-eyed & heated on low for a few hours & they were perfect! Thanks so much!
Great ideas!! So glad they were a hit. 😀
Do you boil the chicken?
You can cook your chicken how ever you like to cook it. I like to cook up some chicken in my crockpot, then shred it and keep it in the freezer or fridge, so it’s ready when I’m cooking. Whatever you like:)
I can’t wait to try these !
Have you tried them yet? We love them!!!
Do you think I could use corn in place of the spinach? These look delish!
You could add whatever you like:) I’d love to know how they turn out!!
Would these be okay without the sour cream? I started making these and realized that I’m out!:(
I haven’t had them without the sour cream, so I couldn’t tell you, that they’d taste the same. Did you end up trying them? If so, I’d love to know how they tasted!
Raised on Mexican food in New Mexico and can’t live without it so I’m looking forward to all you’ve got. They’re similar to the way I cook.
We eat Mexican food all the time! We love it!! I’d love to hear if you try any of the recipes!
These are fantastic! My usually picky husband devoured them and what was left were quickly consumed by my son. Getting six thumbs up from this fam! And by the way, I found some incredibly fresh corn tortillas here in southeast Missouri.Go figure!
That makes me so happy to hear!! They are usually a hit with everyone:) We love them! And, I’m so happy you found some fresh corn tortillas…it’s great when you find a place that has them:)
I don’t care for spinach is there anything else I can substitute ?
I’m definitely trying these but I’m going to make it even simpler…buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it! It’s 120 in Phoenix today! Less cooking the better
Haha..I’m all for making things more simpler!! Hope you like them!
These look delicious and I am having a party soon with a Mexican Food Theme.
Have you ever made these ahead of time and then reheated?
Thanks
Cathy
They are delicious and would be great for your party!! I haven’t made them too far in advance. If I make them a little before, then I put them in a warm oven and just keep them heated. Hope they’re a hit!! Thanks!!
These sound really great. Thanks so much for sharing.
They are! I’m glad you stopped by 🙂 Thank you!
super delicious, but there is no way that photo above isn’t from a stock internet taquito photo.. simply no way to home fry these things to look like that.. They are super tasty though. My final count of taquitos from this recipe was 22 btw..
Greg
Glad you liked them!! Nope, I made them. I have to be so careful, to get the best looking food items for photos. The amount of work that goes into making recipes look pretty and good…it’s rough!;)
Is there a suggested serving size? How many will this recipe feed? Thanks!
This recipe calls for 12 corn tortillas, so that’s 12 tacos..depending on how many they eat, that will help you know if you need to double the recipe or for larger crowds triple it. Hope that helps!
Hello,
I made these today and we loved them! I will definitely make these again. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I love to hear that!
I made these last night for the family, they were a hit! I also froze some of the chicken mixture leftovers, I love easy weeknight meals. These will probably become a go-to recipe.
So glad they were a hit!! Thanks for letting me know!!
Made these today. They are delish!!! I didn’t use the spinach, instead I added chopped onion and cilantro. I also added and extra cup of shredded chicken and it made 20. Next time I would add jalapenos of some sort, either pickled or fresh. I’ll be taking some to work for lunch tomorrow, hope they’re as good the next day, can’t imagine they won’t be. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
You are welcome and thanks so much for sharing!!
There is no such thing as “Hispanic food”. “Hispanic” refers to populations that speak Spanish. That is it. Period. Hispanic is not an ethnicity. Hispanic is not a race.
The foods you have listed are actually Tex-Mex. Yes, Mexicans have tacos but they are vastly different from what I’m imagining your recipes to be (based on the cream cheese taquitos) and they are served in a soft flour tortilla. Taquitos were first served in a Los Angeles restaurant. All that being said, I enjoy taquitos and I clicked on this link to check out the recipe. Please be sensitive to the fact not all Hispanic people share an identity beyond the language.
Good grief, you can’t even post a recipe and try to be inclusive without SOMEONE having to be faux offended. There are many versions of Salsa, taco’s, chili, enchilada’s..etc. So many people say Latino or Hispanic just to give a nod to many regions under the umbrella.
What kind of salsa did you use?
These sound really good . I am definitely going to make some soon. But what kind of salsa did you use or how do you make the salsa for it?? I like home made salsa just don’t know how to make red only green.
I LOVE this recipe! I made it for the first time on Friday and I made it again tonight – my family was VERY happy to eat it again and have even eaten the leftovers which they never do. It’s easy and I love the flavor. We like flavor but no super spicey and this was perfect. My only issue (which is small) is that some of my rolled taquitos fall apart while I’m frying them. Any suggestions? I’ve tried zapping them for a few seconds to make them more pliable but they still break when they’re in the oil. Again, thanks for a super recipe – a real keeper!
Thank you for letting me know!! I love hearing that the whole family loves the recipe they are trying!! Unfortunately, some tortillas crack. Keep zapping them and don’t over-fil. Thanks again!!
I made the inside ingredients by throwing them all in the crackpot, along with 3 whole chicken breasts, and shredded it up at the end of the day. It turned out perfect. It’s so easy and delicious. Great recipe!
I’m so happy that you like them! We love this recipe!! Thanks for letting me know!
These look yummy, I love taquitos!
They are!! Hope you give them a try and like them as much as we do!!
It was good. Tasted like my quesadilla
oh, thank you for letting me know!! Must be a yummy quesadilla 🙂
Very tasty! I am loving these already. Any idea how many calories each taquito would be?
I actually don’t know…not sure I want to know 🙂 Thanks so much!
HI, These look great and I was wondering if you have ever tried to bake them instead of frying them?
Thanks, Jennifer
I haven’t, but they could! Maybe 425 degrees for 15-20 min? Keep an eye on them, the time may be different, depending on your oven. Hope that helps!!
For the taquitos, does the cheese make a huge difference?? I didn’t look at which cheese before I went shopping and got shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack. Will they still taste okay?
It will make a difference. The cream cheese makes it more creamy and does change the taste. I haven’t made them without cream cheese, so couldn’t tell you personally how it will change it, but it will be a little different. If you still go ahead, I’d love to know!! Thanks!
This was a hit for me! I made it without the spinach but it was still delicious. Very easy to make as well.
Yay!! Thank you for letting me know!! Thanks for trying them!
Definitely will never make this again. I followed the recipe exactly and not even 3 minutes after I put the rolled corn tortillas in the oil (yes, seam side down), they started falling apart. So now instead of nice, rolled yummy taquitos, I have a giant pile of the filling with pieces of tortilla rolling around. Ugh. It was probably something I did wrong, but it was an EPIC fail. Wasted time, money and now I don’t have anything else for dinner.
I’m so sorry that happened!!! Sometimes, I get some tortillas that do that, but for the most part, they stay together. Hope you’ll try again sometime! Sorry! Thanks so much for giving them a try!
Just made (and ate) these. It was my first time making taquitos at home so I’m glad I read thru the reviews first. Got Mission Corn Tortillas and tried one right out of the package and it immediately cracked. I used the wet paper towel/microwave method to soften tortillas and it made all the difference. I left out the spinach and added taco seasoning to chicken and cheese mixture. Served with black beans, Spanish rice, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.
These were DELICIOUS.
I’m so glad!!! Thank you so much for sharing and for giving them a try!
Absolutely amazing!!!! My husband and I loved the filling. We baked them instead of frying them and they were just as delicious! Definitely recommend 100% We even ate the left over filling mix as a dip with chips the next day… LOVE THIS RECIPE! Thank you so much!
Baked is a great alternative!! That would make great dip!! Thanks so much for letting me know!!
I add a little bit of refried beans before adding chicken to the tostados. It’s more filling.
That would be great!! Thanks for sharing!
Hello. I have a question in regards to the taquitos. My question is.. what is the calorie content to this recipe? Thank you.
We loved these! I accidently pulled out pork instead of chicken from the freezer. It works out wonderfully! Just as good with pork! I did cook the pork in the oven for 40 minutes at 400F, with olive oil and lemon pepper.
What a great change!! I bet that would be yum! Thanks so much for sharing!!
I made this,?it was so easy and tasted great. It would make a good enchilada filler too.
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked it!! Thank you so much for trying it and for letting me know!
Wonder how they would do in the air fryer instead of frying them? I’m going to try it that way I think!
Not sure! I bet, great! I would love one of those! Let me know how they come out 🙂
Does anyone have the calorie count
Do you know he tempature of the oil for frying?
Thank you
Medium heat 🙂 Hope that helps you and hope you like them as much as we do!
I made these last night and they were delicious!!
I made these tonight for dinner. They are awesome! I added chopped fresh jalapeño and the salsa flavor I used was “hot”. So, so good! A keeper indeed!
I love hearing that!!! Thanks so much for letting me know and for giving these a try!! Those are great additions..I’ll have to try 🙂
What brand of tortillas would you recommend? When I tried to make these, they fell apart.
I made these tonight and they were delicious! Warming the tortillas in the microwave in a damp paper towel worked very well. No cracking. Thank you for this recipe!!! 🙂
Great!! I love hearing that! Thank you!
Hello! Was wondering for 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken how many pounds of uncooked chicken I should buy??
I would say a breast of chicken is close to a cup, so maybe 3-4 chicken breasts. Hope that helps!
How long do you microwave the tortillas?
It all looked fabulous, my mouth is watering, especially the taquitos.
I’ve made these several times and LOVE them. Mine don’t look as nice as yours, but they taste great!
Hey, that’s ok 🙂 As long as they taste good! Thank you!