30 Day Challenge - Day 11 - Baked Chicken Taquitos

Yesterday while looking for a recipe to make, I realized I missed a day in the process.  My MIL was in town and we met her for dinner...threw off my recipe finding/making.  So I will have to make up that day, maybe today.  =)

When looking for recipes, I try and make something with the ingredients I readily have on hand.  I have found a ton of new recipes on Pinterest, so again this one is from my findings there.  They looked super yummy and I had the ingredients (minus the cilantro - but I don't care for it, so I didn't miss it).

They turned out very yummy and can be made ahead of time and frozen for later consumption...double bonus!  My husband said I can definitely make these again and I think I will!

Here is the recipe.

 BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS
recipe from: Our Best Bites and Pennies on a Platter

Yield: 12 taquitos

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
• small flour or corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.  Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze:  Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months.  To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.  (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).

Enjoy!