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With shredded chicken, cheese, green chiles and spices, these rolled chicken tacos are great as a main dish or appetizer.
I'm a huge fan of tacos - from rockfish tacos to potato tacos to chicken mole tacos to chorizo tacos.
But all of these are traditional tacos that can be a little messy! How about rolling them up and then baking them so they're crispy and make for great finger food!
Also known as taquitos, these rolled chicken tacos are popular with all ages - yes even picky kids.
Even better, you can make them ahead of time which is perfect for parties.
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Ingredients Notes
- Chicken - just use rotisserie chicken for convenience.
- Cream cheese/sour cream - helps bind the mixture, while adding a slightly tangy flavor.
- Green chiles - adds subtle heat to the tacos.
- Cheese - make sure you use a block and shred yourself.
- Spices - where most of the flavor for the chicken marinade comes from.
- Tortillas - corn tortillas work great with this recipe.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can mix up the ingredients. Some variations include:
- If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, you can cook 1 lb of fresh boneless chicken. Just heat some oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for 4 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through.
- While cream cheese is my go-to, mascarpone cheese can be used as well.
- If you don't have sour cream, Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
- I'm a fan of pepper jack cheese, but any cheese will work.
- I like the flavor of the corn tortillas, but you can use flour tortillas as well. You could even make your own blue corn tortillas.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Heat the tortillas in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 15-30 seconds per side so they are pliable.
Add filling to the tortilla and roll up tightly.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 425°F or until they are crispy.
FAQs
I prefer the ease of baking but you can fry as well. Heat 1 ½ inches of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
Yes. It just technically becomes a flauta at that point but I call these rolled chicken tacos as you can use whatever you want.
I highly recommend it as it makes them more pliable when adding the filling and rolling. There are a few different ways you can accomplish this:
• Heat individual tortillas in skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side
• Wrap a stack of tortillas in foil and place in 325°F oven until warm
• Moisten a paper towel and wrap stack of tortillas and place in microwave for 30 seconds or until warm
Yes. Just prepare the filling and store in the fridge up to 1 day. Add to the tortillas right before baking.
You can also prepare all the way up to baking and place in the freezer for 3 months. Once ready to serve, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes before uncovering and baking at 425°F for another 15-20 minutes.
These can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
While great on their own, you can always add some delicious toppings, dips or sides. Some options include:
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:
- Large bowl - used to mix the ingredients.
- Baking sheet - how you bake the taquitos.
- Tongs - used to pick up and move around the tacos.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you roll them up.
- Place the tacos seem-side down so they stay rolled up. You can also toothpicks to the center.
- Spray the tacos with cooking spray or brush with oil to help them get crispy.
Other Taco Recipes
If you’ve tried this rolled chicken tacos or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Rolled Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 4 oz mild green chiles
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 16 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, green chiles, cheese and spices to a large bowl, mixing to combine.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and cook the tortillas for about 15-30 seconds on each side until soft and pliable. Remove and transfer to a plate, covering with foil to keep warm.
- Add about 2 tablespoon worth of filling in a long line like a cigar to a tortilla. Roll tightly and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Spray the tortillas with some cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are crispy.
Notes
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you roll them up.
- Place the tacos seem-side down so they stay rolled up. You can also toothpicks to the center.
- Spray the tacos with cooking spray or brush with oil to help them get crispy.
Abigail says
Hi, how much sour cream does this recipe call for? The recipe itself just says 1/4, but not sure what that refers to. Thanks!
Ryan says
Weird not sure why it was missing but thanks for calling it out. 1/4 cup sour cream.