Flour tortillas, filled with chicken, salsa and cheese and baked until hot and crispy. Homemade baked chicken taquitos are an easy meal with simple ingredients.
This recipe first appeared on Savory Experiments where I am a contributor.

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What Are Taquitos?
Taquitos are basically little rolled up tacos that are then baked or fried so the outside is nice and crispy.
They can be filled with chicken, beef, like our cheeseburger taquitos, or beans. I’ve even seen them made with shrimp. Once they are hot and crisp you can serve them with a variety of dipping sauces or toppings.
We especially like them with some fresh Guacamole, Spicy Mango Habanero Salsa, or delicious Blackened Corn.
They make a great meal or appetizer, and it is easy to make a large batch to serve a crowd.
I like them because they are easy to eat with my hands and they don’t tend to be as messy as traditional tacos, which means I can sit on the sofa, watch a movie, and eat dinner without my filling spilling everywhere.
They also make a great lunch when reheated and you can keep a batch in the freezer ready to go.

Simple ingredients – This recipe only uses 5 simple ingredients.
Quick – Because these taquitos are made with pre-cooked chicken, the entire meal comes together quickly.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Chicken – You can use pre-cooked shredded or diced chicken for this recipe. A store-bough rotisserie chicken works great, or you can do your own whole chicken in the instant pot. Left over chicken breast is a great option as well.
Cheese – I used a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack, but you can really use whatever you like.
Prepared salsa – Just regular store-bought salsa. You can really control the flavour here by choosing your favourite, anything from mild to spicy.
Taco seasoning – I prefer to make my own taco seasoning because it has far less salt than store-bought, but packaged works just fine as well.
Tortillas – I use 6-inch flour tortillas. You can really use any size you like depending on how big you want your taquitos to be.

Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the Taquitos
Begin by mixing the chicken, salsa, cheese and seasoning in a large bowl.
Next, form the taquitos by spooning a few tablespoons of chicken down the middle of a tortilla and roll it up. Place it seam side down on a baking sheet and repeat until you’ve filled all the tortillas.

Bake the Taquitos
Place the taquitos seam side down on a baking sheet and lightly spray or brush the tops with a bit of oil.
Place in a preheated 350°F oven and bake for about 25 minutes until the taquitos are lightly golden and feel crisp if you give them a light squeeze.

How to Air Fry Taquitos
It is easy to adapt this recipe to the air fryer.
Follow all the steps to fill the taquitos, then place them in a single layer in an air fryer basket or tray. Lightly spray with olive oil spray or brush the tops with a bit of oil.
Set the air fryer to 350°F and cook for 12-15 minutes. All air fryers are a bit different so just keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get too crisp.
Serving Suggestions
One of my favorite things about taquitos is the endless amount of toppings and sauces you can serve them with.
Sometimes I might keep things really simple and just serve them with a dish of salsa and sour cream, but sometimes I like to load them up with everything I can think of.
Some suggestions for serving are:
- Guacamole
- Fresh salsa
- Corn and black bean salsa
- Cilantro yogurt dressing
- Tomatillo red chili salsa
- Elote Dip
- Sour cream
- Crumbled cotija
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced tomato

How to Freeze Baked Chicken Taquitos
Taquitos are easy to freeze and make a great grab and go lunch or snack.
You can freeze either before or after cooking them.
To freeze before simply fill and roll the taquitos and place seam side down in an airtight container, place a piece of wax or parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking together.
When it comes time to bake, remove from the freezer, place on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and taquitos are crispy and golden.
To freeze after cooking just wait for them to cool then store in an airtight container or ziplock bag.
You can reheat pre-cooked frozen taquitos in the microwave, oven or air fryer.
Top Tips & FAQS
Yes you can. However, to avoid cracking, you will want to warm the tortillas before you try to roll them. To warm the tortillas you can place them on a warm skillet, one at a time, for about 30 seconds then fill and roll.

More Easy Chicken Meals
Printable Recipe

Baked Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 3 Cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 Cup prepared salsa your favourite brand
- 1 Cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 12 6-inch flour tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Spray a 9×13 baking sheet with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper.
- In a medium size bowl, mix the shredded chicken, salsa, cheese and taco seasoning until well combined.
- Spread 3-4 tablespoons of chicken along the middle of a tortilla then roll it up. Place the taquito seam side down on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining filling and tortillas.
- Depending on the size of your tortillas you should get 10-12 taquitos.
- Lightly spray or brush the tops with a bit of oil then place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes until the filling is hot, cheese is melted and taquitos are lightly crispy and golden brown.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Lizzie
Friday 23rd of April 2021
In the image where you identify the ingredients, I see "yeast." What is the yeast used for and did I miss something? Thanks!
Deanna
Monday 3rd of May 2021
Sorry, no you didn't. That is just an error copying from my template. No yeast needed.
Deanna
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
These are the best taquitos I have ever eaten. My family loves them! This is the third time I have made them in the last two weeks. My daughter told me she thinks about them during class and cannot wait until lunch so she can have some. A big winner!💗