Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos

How is it already time for my last Taco Tuesday post?!?!?

I had a hard time deciding on what I would make for this last taco inspired/related post. Should I make a taco recipe? An enchilada recipe? Burrito? Quesadilla? So many options!!!

I did over 50 recipes in this series and I only just scratched the surface on the ones I had listed out when I was creating the list on what to make this year for the Taco Tuesday series. Writing out all those recipe ideas made me super hungry!

At least I still have the blog and plenty of inspiration to keep up with making taco, burrito, quesadilla, enchilada, margaritas, sides, desserts, and so much more to share with everyone.

So I decided to end this year long adventure on making some taquitos since I had not shared a taquito recipe before. Plus, they are so good. They are great for snacking and for parties, so the timing it perfect with upcoming New Year Eve Parties and fun, tasty snacking during the upcoming play-offs.

Like tacos, there are a ton of different options for fillings. I have made a bunch in the past like buffalo chicken ones with a blue cheese dip, but I already had a buffalo chicken taco, so I didn’t want to be repetitive. I debated a few other fillings but ultimately decided on jalapeno popper chicken.

 

 

Using chicken as a filling as so easy to do as you can quickly roast up chicken breasts, shred rotisserie chicken or even use a good quality canned chicken. And jalapeno poppers are the best football snack food, besides nachos. But you get the point.

So toss together the chicken, minced jalapenos, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and a bit of salsa for the filling. I did the whole shredding and mixing in my stand mixer to make the process really quick and easy.

I made these with both corn and flour tortillas but my preference is to use flour tortillas. The corn ones are a wee bit harder to use since they are more delicate. They can work if you warm them prior to filling and rolling, but there are times that I am all about convenience so the flour tortillas work well then.

Be sure to make a double batch for your next party as these Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos will be gone in no time!

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos 

Makes 20 taquitos

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
• 1 Tablepsoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2-4 jalapenos, minced (depending on preference and size, heat from the peppers)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 Cup salsa verde
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 20 flour tortillas, fajita size/6″

Proces

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Season the chicken breasts with olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Let the chicken cool prior to shredding.
4. Combine the minced jalapenos, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and salsa verde. Mix well.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
6. Lay out all the tortillas and evenly divide the filling among the tortillas. Create a log of the filling in the center of the tortilla. Roll the tortillas to close.*
7. Arrange the filled tortillas on a baking sheet. Coat the top of the tortillas with a bit of oil.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until the filling is hot and melty.
9. Enjoy with some salsa and guacamole.

* You can freeze them at this point. Freeze them in an air-tight container or bag. When baking, cook for 25 minutes. Watch to avoid burning, if they are getting too brown, cover with some foil.