Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

Sleep has not come easy for me the past two nights. No matter how exhausted, I lay in bed tossing and turning for most of the night. Last night I thought for sure I’d get decent rest after taking a beating at spin class. No such luck. But at least I still have the energy to cook dinner. Especially when it’s something as tasty as these. I could’ve eaten the entire lot! I should make a huge batch a freeze them as previous bloggers of this recipe have suggested.

Although the recipe called for corn tortillas, I decided to experiment with both corn and flour tortillas. The flour tortillas had a different flavor, but I preferred the corn tortillas – they were more crunchy than the flour ones. Guess that’s why these are taquitos and not flautas (made with flour tortillas). Or throw it all out the window and make chicken bacon ranch taquitos.

Served with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing from Our Best Bites.

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup salsa verde

Juice from half a lime (1 Tbsp)

1 tsp Ancho chile pepper powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbs chopped scallions

1/2 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack cheese

8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Spread a piece of aluminum foil across a baking sheet, and arrange chicken breasts in a single layer in the center.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and season as you wish.  Fold the aluminum foil over the chicken breasts, and enclose them to form a “packet.”  Bake the chicken (on the baking sheet) 35-45 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Allow to cool, then shred using a fork, pulling against the grain.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray another baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the salsa, lime juice, cumin, chile powder, cayenne, onion powder, garlic, cilantro, scallions, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Fold in the chicken and cheeses. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
4. Working 3 tortillas at a time, stack them on a microwave-safe plate and cover with plastic wrap. Cook 30 seconds, or until tortillas are soft and pliable. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly*. Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
5. Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown. Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and/or Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing.

*Stop here to freeze. Roll up each individually in foil, place in ziplock bag and put in freezer. Cook by following remaining directions. (No thawing necessary.)

Source: Pink Parsley adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally from Our Best Bites