Creamy Chicken Taquitos

​It used to be that when I roasted a whole chicken, we would eat it for dinner and then finish up the leftovers for lunch.  Lately though it seems like we have leftover chicken for DAYS when I cook a chicken.  Not sure of the exact reason for our reduced chicken consumption but it's brought me to relatively unfamiliar territory - how to use up leftover chicken.

I ran across this recipe from the-girl-who-ate-everything.com and it looked like a great way to disguise my leftovers into something new and delicious.  

Creamy Chicken Taquitos
1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa (I used green enchilada sauce instead.)
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated colby jack cheese
about 12 small corn or flour tortillas (we liked flour better)
kosher salt

​Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. 

​Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir.

Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder and mix well.

Add cilantro, green onions, chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge. 

Place 3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. 

Then roll it up as tight as you can.  Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

​Makes around 18 taquitos.

My family absolutely loved these!  I was super surprised but they ate every single one!!

Confession time - I didn't actually try one but if you take into account the empty plate that was left on the table - I'd say they were a hit.

I wasn't sure what to make with these taquitos so I threw together some black beans and rice.  It was super yummy and that recipe will be on the blog tomorrow - you don't want to miss it.

Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe