Fried Chicken Taquitos

This is not the first time we’ve shared a recipe for taquitos. We shared a recipe for baked taquitos that are more of a fun appetizer to feed a crowd. These taquitos are more traditional, because they are fried. Creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. These taquitos are so good! There’s a little bit of a learning curve to making corn tortilla taquitos, and we have a few tips to keep the tortillas from breaking or cracking.

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken cooked and shredded
8 oz cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa, blended
1 1/2 cups Mexican Blend cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
12 6inch corn tortillas
vegetable or canola oil for frying

How to Fry chicken taquitos:

Heat half an inch of oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, use an instant read thermometer. The oil needs to be between 350 and 365 F.
To make each corn tortilla bendable and plyable, before rolling, dip each corn tortilla into the hot oil for 1 second. Place the tortillas on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
In a stand mixer (or with your hand mixer) add the cooked shredded chicken. With the whisk attachment shred the chicken to a fine shred.
To the bowl with the chicken add the cream cheese, sour cream, blended salsa and Mexican blend cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Turn the mixer back on and continue mixing until all the ingredients are well combined.
Working one tortilla at a time. With an ice cream scoop, scoop about 1-2 scoops of the chicken mixture and place in the center of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the chicken mixture and place with the edge tucked under. Continue rolling each taquito until you use up all the chicken mixture.
Using tongs and working one to two taquitos at a time, add the taquitos to the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on all sides. Move the cooked taquitos to a sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Repeat until all the taquitos are cooked.
Serve warm with sour cream, guacamole and pico.

What is a taquito?

The word taquito means “little taco” in Spanish. So it’s like a little rolled fried taco.

What temp does the oil need to be for frying?

When oil is between 350 and 365 Fahrenheit, it is good for frying. It’s really easy to quickly check the oil temperature with an instant read thermometer.

What is the difference between a flauta and a Taquito?

Basically a flauta and a taquito are the same thing usually rolled with chicken or beef. The main difference is that a flauta is made with a corn tortilla and a taquito is made with a corn tortilla. The other difference is that a flauta is longer than a taquito, usually made with a burrito sized tortilla.

How to keep corn tortillas from cracking and breaking?

Before you go rolling your taquitos with the filling, there is a simple way to keep the corn tortillas from cracking and breaking. Working one tortilla at a time, dip the tortilla into the hot oil for 1 second with tongs. Quickly move the tortillas to a sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. By dipping the tortilla in the oil it will make the tortillas plyable and bendable so that they are easy to work with and they won’t crack.

Can you freeze taquitos?

Yes! Taquitos freeze great. Just like taquitos you would buy premade from the store, it’s easy to freeze them and they are one of those things that is so nice to have in the freezer.

Make Ahead and Freeze:

Sometimes frying and working with oil can be messy and a little nerve-racking, if you plan to make a bunch, you can make them ahead and freeze. To reheat, warm up your oven to 350. Place taquitos onto a sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes until warmed through and crispy again. If you are just warming a few at a time for a snack, you can microwave them for a minute or two.

What to serve with taquitos?

Guacamole, salsa and sour cream are a must! If you are looking for side dishes, cilantro lime rice and refried beans are always a great way to make it a full meal.

Baked vs. Fried:

As mentioned above, we’ve made a smaller baked version of taquitos. They work better as an appetizer to serve many. This style of fried taquito is better for dinner for the family. The baked version will definitely be lighter in calories, but both are so delicious.