Everyone loves these cheesy taquitos! They’re filled with chicken, cream cheese, salsa, and spinach and are great as appetizers or even a main dish.
Also known as flautas, these chicken taquitos are loved by the entire family. Rolled and fried to perfection, we love to serve this dish with Mexican rice and salsa!
family-Favorite Taquitos
We have Mexican 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, and they’re usually really easy to make.
Today, I wanted to share our favorite taquitos recipe – Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos.
What are TAQUITOS? A Mexican dish consisting of a small tortilla that is rolled around a filling of meat and cheese and then deep-fried.
They are very similar to the flautas we make all the time, but they have cream cheese, salsa, and baby spinach mixed in with it too. Tacos are usually folded, and these taquitos are rolled.
Since my husband LOVES cream cheese, I knew he’d love this recipe and to no surprise, everyone else does too. It’s easy and so delicious.
How to make Taquitos
These chicken taquitos are so great as appetizers or as a main dish. And we love that that are quick to make. Here is how we make them:
OIL. Begin by heating ½ inch oil on medium heat in a frying pan.
MIX. While the oil is heating up, mix together cooked, shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, co-jack cheese and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.
ROLL + FRY. Once the oil is hot enough, add a few tablespoons of the chicken/cream cheese mixture along the center of the corn tortilla and spread out. Roll up and set seam side down (using tongs) into the oil.
DRAIN OIL. Cook these until golden brown on both sides and continue doing this until the mixture is gone. Set on paper towel lined plate to drain the oil and serve warm.
SERVE WITH SOME OF THESE FAVORITES:
Recipe Tips
Having a hard time getting your corn tortillas to roll without cracking? Wrap a stack of corn tortillas in some damp paper towels and microwave for 15-30 seconds until warmed up.
The reason why many tortillas crack or break is because they are not warm enough.
How to keep taquitos rolled up? Add your mix, roll and then use metal tongs to hold the taquitos in the oil with the seam-side down until they stay rolled. You can also add toothpicks to the center of each taquito before frying to keep them in place.
Can you use flour tortillas? Yes – the kind of tortilla – corn tortillas or flour tortillas is what most believe if the difference between a taquito and a flauta. No matter what you use, both make these delicious!
VARIATIONS: There are so many ways to change up these taquitos. Here are a few examples:
- Change up the meat: Shredded beef and pork are also great options.
- Change up the spices and salsas: cumin, garlic, garlic pepper, chili powder – these can all change up the flavor. You can also change up the salsa in the mix to change the flavor. Sweet Salsa verde or tomatillo salsa are great!
- Change the Toppings: Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, or pico de gallo.
FAQ
Can you bake taquitos? Yes, you can! We even have a recipe for it. Be sure to check out our Oven Baked Chicken Taquitos.
Can you make these taquitos ahead of time? You can definitely make the chicken/cream cheese mixture ahead of time. We typically do this when we know it will be a busy night.
To make ahead, just store and cover in the fridge for up to 24 hours in advance.
Can you freeze taquitos? The cream cheese and chicken mix freezes well. We just place in freezer-safe Ziploc bags and get as much air out. They day I’m ready to make them, I just pull them from the freezer and let them thaw completely, which is perfect for those crazy busy days.
What to serve with taquitos?
The options are endless, but here are some of our favorites:
- Mexican Rice
- Easy Refried Beans
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Red Cheese Enchiladas
- Esquites
- Homemade Tortilla Chips
And don’t forget all the things to dip them in: Red Salsa, Green Salsa, Guacamole, Cilantro Ranch Dressing, Avocado Ranch Dip, Queso Blanco.
For more taquito recipes, check out:
Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos Recipe
Ingredients
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1½ cups baby spinach stems removed and chopped
- 1½ cups shredded Colby Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese
- ½ cup salsa store-bought or homemade
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (or flour tortillas)
Toppings
- shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, Pico de Gallo
Instructions
- Fill a saucepan with ½ inch of oil and heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix together chicken, cream cheese, spinach, Colby Jack cheese, salsa and sour cream. Add salt and pepper.
- Once oil is hot enough, add a few tablespoons of chicken–cream cheese mixture to the center of a tortilla and spread out. Roll tortilla up and use tongs to place it seam side down in hot oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides, 2–3 minutes per side. Set on paper towels to drain.
- Repeat until all tortillas have been filled, rolled and fried.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
Make Ahead: You can mix the filling as described in Step 2 up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Corn Tortillas Cracking? If your corn tortillas are cracking when you roll them, wrap a stack of corn tortillas in some damp paper towels and microwave for 15–30 seconds until warmed up. The reason many tortillas crack or break is because they are not warm enough.
Recipe adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice
Can these taquitos be frozen and then microwaved later? Also, can they be made in an air fryer?
Yes and yes!
How about variety?like a pizza rolled taqueria? Your favorite pizza toppings roll up in a taqueria and crunchy.
That’s a fun idea! You could totally switch things up like that!
I made these for lunch. Everyone totally enjoyed them. I prepared chicken mixture, only added sautéed chopped onion and cilantro instead of spinach. I blanched the corn tortillas in cooking oil both sides and stacked on a plate. This made iit easy to fill and roll tacitos without cracking or breaking. Placed seam side down on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Baked in oven at 350 approximately 15-20 minutes turning at midpoint to toast both sides. It worked great. Try it!
Can you cook these in air fryer?
Yes you can!
I’ve made these and they were a big hit for the guys watching football!!
Any idea how long to make air fryer or temperature?
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried these in the air fryer. I need to try that though!
Delicious!!!!!
Great !!!!
Kids loved it!
These are so good. I make a big batch and freeze. I take out as many as needed and fry crispy in cooking spray. So good and crunchy!