Crispy, crunchy, and oh-so-incredibly easy, these homemade chipotle chicken taquito roll-ups call for just 5 ingredients and can be baked or fried for a super fast appetizer, dinner, or snack.
In This Post
These chicken taquitos can certainly be enjoyed on their own (and are a great finger food option for a party), but I enjoy them most when they’ve been doctored up with drizzles of my Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde and my Easy Pico de Gallo or creamy queso for dipping. These chicken taquitos are a great Mexican recipe to make because they’re easy and versatile—the perfect party app but also filling enough for a main meal. Serve them alongside my favorite Mexican rice or beans, and add this Chopped Mexican Kale Salad or a crunchy Caesar Salad for a complete meal.
Why You’ll Love It
- All you need is 5 ingredients to make these taquitos
- These taquitos can be fried (lightly) or baked in the oven
- They can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or a main meal
- You can easily change up your protein and dips that you serve these taquitos with
What Are Chicken Taquitos Made Of
The taquitos require just 5 ingredients I can often find while foraging through the fridge.
Here’s what’s in these chipotle chicken taquitos:
- Shredded chicken—feel free to cook a chicken breast and shred, or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce—I used two chipotle chiles in this recipe along with a fair amount of adobo sauce. I like things spicy. But if you are of a more temperate palate, start with one chipotle and add more to your liking.
- Cheddar cheese—use whatever shredded cheese you have on hand. Cheddar, Monterrey Jack cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend would all work perfectly.
- Tortillas—you can use flour or corn but I prefer flour here
- Canola oil—for frying (we are lightly frying these taquitos, not deep-frying). They’re fried in a shallow amount of oil, cooked quickly, and drained well, so when made and enjoyed in moderation, can be an extremely satisfying treat.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
What to Do With Leftover Chipotle Peppers
Freeze them individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag, then use them in dishes like this one.
How to Make Chicken Taquitos
Homemade taquitos are simpler to make than you’d think. Here’s how:
- Chipotle that chicken. First, doctor up some shredded chicken with a little adobo sauce, then divide the chicken mixture between your tortillas. Sprinkle on some cheese, then roll up the tortillas and secure with toothpicks.
- Bake or fry, the choice is yours! (I’ve given detailed instructions for both methods in the recipe card below). Either method you choose, your taquitos will be nice and crispy, and golden brown.
- Top & serve. Lastly, garnish with your favorite toppings (I love shredded lettuce for more veggie crunch, a drizzle of Mexican cream, and a grating of Mexican cotija cheese).
Taquitos Filling or Topping Ideas
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh tomatoes (if not doing pico de gallo)
- Guacamole
- Quick-pickled onions
- A sprinkling of chili powder or taco seasoning, and a squeeze of lime
- Queso dip
- Salsa, or a few shakes of Mexican hot sauce
What’s The Difference Between Taquitos and Flautas?
In researching the difference between taquitos and flautas, I found reports that taquitos originated in Texas. Other reports stated flautas as taking their origins from Spain, the name coming from the fact they resemble flutes. Both are cylindrical in shape and made with rolled-up tortillas stuffed with beef, chicken, or cheese, and either baked or fried, then topped with condiments like sour cream and guacamole.
The two main differences I found are that taquitos are made of corn tortillas and flautas use flour tortillas. Taquitos are often made with smaller tortillas, while flautas are usually made with larger ones. Flautas. Taquitos. Let’s just call them delicioso.
See more: 31 Healthy Mexican Recipes to Make Now
FAQ and Recipe Tips
- Are taquitos and tacos the same? More or less, yes. Taquitos are essentially just a smaller taco.
- Can I use a different type of meat? Yes, you can stuff these homemade taquitos with whatever meat you’d like. I prefer shredded chicken since it’s easy to make and I always have some on hand for meal prepping. But shredded pork, beef, or even ground turkey would also work here. To make these vegetarian, skip the meat and use refried beans instead.
- If I have my druthers, I will usually choose flour tortillas over corn. I like to work with their pliable and flexible ways, and I prefer their soft, pillowy bite. And even more, flour tortillas crisp up like a dream.
- I fry my taquitos but they are just as easily (or even easier) made baked in the oven or airfryer. You won’t get quite the same luxe and flaky crunch factor with the baked version, but you’ll also be skipping the extra calories that come from frying.
Storage Tips
You can freeze these taquitos, but don’t cook them first. After you’ve filled and rolled them, carefully wrap them in foil and place them in a freezer-safe, sealable bag, and then freeze. When you’re ready to bake or fry them, you can pull them directly from the freezer (just plan to allow more time for them to cook).
see more: 70 Best Mexican Recipes for Cinco de Mayo
What to Serve with Chicken Taquitos
- Chunky Citrus Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- Easy Mexican Coleslaw
- Southwest Quinoa and Grilled Corn Salad
- Mexican Corn Dip (Hot or Cold!)
- Chips + Hatch Chile Salsa Verde
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Chipotle Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken , (I used one large boneless chicken breast)
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce , minced
- 3 cups shredded cheese , (such as Monterey Jack, cheddar or a combination of your favorite cheese)
- 12 7- inch flour tortillas , (you can use corn tortillas if you prefer)
- 2-3 cups canola oil for frying , (or 1 tablespoon canola oil to brush the tortillas with if baking)
- Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde , (recipe here)
- Pico de Gallo , (recipe here)
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded cotija cheese
- Mexican crema or sour cream
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss the shredded chicken breast with the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce until well combined. Add more or less peppers and the adobo sauce to your liking.
- To assemble, lay the tortillas on a work surface and fill the bottom third of each tortilla with ⅓ cup of the shredded chicken mixture and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas up tightly and secure the end with a toothpick inserted into the seam.
To fry the taquitos:
- Pour enough oil into a heavy bottom fry pan or pot to cover ½ inch, or so enough oil reaches halfway up the sides of the tortillas when frying. Heat the oil to 350°F — use a candy thermometer to measure the oil without touching the bottom of the pan. If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil temperature by dropping a piece of the tortilla into the oil. If it sizzles it should be hot enough.
- Add the filled tortillas to the hot oil and cook in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Fry each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate or cutting board lined with paper towels.
To bake the taquitos:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the tortillas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil, and lightly brush the filled tortillas with canola oil.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp then transfer to a plate.
- To serve, remove the toothpicks from the taquitos and serve on their own or serve with avocado salsa verde, pico de gallo, sour cream or Mexican crema, shredded lettuce, and grated or crumbled cotija cheese.
Nutrition
More Easy Mexican Recipes to Try
- Blackened Fish Tacos with Creamy Avocado Sauce
- Beyond Easy Chicken Mole Enchiladas
- Just Like Taco Bell Tacos
- The Best Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Slow Cooker Smoky Pulled Pork Tacos
- Easy Chilaquiles with Eggs
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Danielle
Wow! These were so easy to make and so delicious. will definitely be added to our rotation of dinners. Thank you for sharing this wonderful and fun recipe!
Happy to hear these were delicious enough to be added to your cooking routine. Thank you for the comment and the 5-star rating.
Diane
Wondering if we can air fry? How long?
Good question Diane. Mist with oil and cook in the air fryer at 400°F for 6-8 minutes.
MyDessertPlate
Amazing recipe! I added jalapenos to spice things up a little more and it added to the flavour so much!
TP
Thanks for the tip on freezing the leftover chipotles!
These are 100 times better than store-bought.
Try them for breakfast/brunch with a fried egg on top…yum!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I totally agree!
Natalie
HOLY MOLY! I followed your instructions exactly and these turned out PERFECT! And the flavor…OMG! Even my ultra picky husband said they’re a keeper in our rotation. Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe! Pinned :)
So glad you liked it Natalie. Thanks for coming back to let us know!
Floranet
Extremely Amazing work!!
Eric
When I lived in Southern California, I learned taquitos are make using corn tortillas. Flauntas are made with flour tortillas.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks for sharing!
Lisa
Here in south central Texas, you can find flautas in most Mexican restaurants (translation: on every other street corner). They are always done with corn tortillas, and once fried they are dollupped with guacamole and sour cream. Yumm. Taquitos come from the freezer section of the grocery store, are also wrapped in a corn tortilla, and are especially good as a kid snack. I don’t think I have ever had one as an adult. Enjoying your blog!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
Thanks lisa! Sounds like a great place to find flautas!
Glenn Spears
Made this tonight with ththe misses. Absolutely one of the best things we have ever made together. We just doubled the Adobo to 4 we like spicy. And used evo oil. they baked up great. Will be checking out some of the other recipes on you site.
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks for your spicy suggestions!
Manda Edgeworth
Awesome recipe ideas! My hubby and I used to buy the frozen then felt it was cheaper to make our own! If we had left overs from a roast or chicken we would freeze the leftover and write on ziploc bag toquito meat. When it was toquito night we would make chicken or beef and a roll them up with cheese. Yours sound and look much better! THANKS!
Caitlyn
I made these last night and they were AWESOME. Husband skipped out on pizza with the guys to come home and eat these, once I sent him a picture of the finished product! I added chopped onion and green pepper to the filling, because I like that fresh crisp crunch, and my oil was probably too hot as I don’t have a candy thermometer. But regardless, they were fantastic and I’ll be making them again. Check out a picture of my finished product on Instagram!
Caitlyn
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYb-4IYH09I/?taken-by=c.a.m.430
Thank you thank you Caitlyn! Your Instagram pic is perfection, and it doesn’t look from the pic that the oil was too hot :) I love your addition of the onion and green pepper, great idea, and let your husband know he’s a very smart man. Homemade tacquitos trump takeout pizza every time.
Paul Hallmark
I also added minced onion. Awesome
Hannah | Life's Sweet Adventures
That avocado crema looks pretty amazing! Will have to give these taquitos a try.
Tasha
Are these freezeable? And if so, for how long? I’m going to uni in a month and this sounds like an awesome quick and easy and cheap recipe to master for when I go!
json formatter
Crispy, crunchy, easy-to-make, and delicious!!!
Starfish425
An awesome recipe! Its a great idea to serve as a finger food! Its easy to make and follow and rich in flavors too. I usually serve finger foods together with a safe plastic toothpicks and a cute Whale toothpick holder!
What a cute idea with the toothpick holder. Thanks for the comment.
Mighty Gourmet
so good! the key is to brush w/ oil if u back, or they dry out. olive oil may work, but sometimes disappoints at high temps. thanks!
Amber
If I want to freeze these should I bake or fry them first? This is my favorite meal to take to my new mom friends since the older siblings love them and they can even be finger food during the first challenging days when you need 10 hands at once. Lol
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I would bake them first!
Adrienne
Made these tonight and they were sooooo good!! Used black beans instead of chicken and loved the end result! Thanks for sharing :)
Caitlyn
I love the idea of black beans! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that, but I’ll definitely be giving that variation a shot!
Anne Murphy
OMG these were soooooo good. And sooooooo easy. I baked them – no need to fry. Will definitely make again!
Trina Smith
Wowzer! Completely obsessed with these!
http://www.sistersweetly.wordpress.com
anna
I made this for dinner tonight and WOW was it great! Followed the recipe exactly and it was awesome
Laura | Tutti Dolci
Seriously yum, and so perfect for Cinco de Mayo!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Chipotle chicken is our favorite! I would totally whip up a batch of these taquitos as a snack for our next movie night. No shame! :D
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
Wow this looks amazing! happy Cinco de Mayo!!
Amanda
Yuuuuuuuum! I can’t count how many times I’ve had these from the freezer section in the grocery store. I love those but they are nowhere near what I imagine these probably taste like. I’m going to need to pick up ingredients to try them out. I think I’ve only ever seen them called taquitos here (Alabama).