Chicken & Cheese Taquitos

In search of the ultimate way to break up the normal weekday meals, I was looking for a fresh idea.  However, it's Summer, and during the Summer months I'm always looking for easy and quick dinner ideas.  The Summer heat doesn't really pair well with a big 'ol comfort meal, so I often look for easy and 'lighter' dinners.

The inspiration struck with a simple store-bought rotisserie chicken.  Ahh, those little chickens are gems to a home cook.  You get allll the yummy flavor from the rotisserie chicken, but none of the hassle of cooking it for hours.  Want my #1 store shortcut?  Rotisserie Chicken.  It works for soups, casseroles, burritos, fillings, and now - taquitos.  My love for a rotisserie chicken runs deep. 

This taquito recipe is one that can be as dressed up, or as dressed down as you need it.  My youngest isn't quite on board with too many spices, so this batch is the simple version.  However, let your spicy needs go crazy in this recipe.  Adding chili's, Sriracha, spinach, pepper-jack cheese, or anything else your heart desires, will give this recipe a boost. 

Let's get started:

It's time to get your hands on this beloved chicken.  Start stripping the meat - you may be tempted to sneak a bite here and there, (no judgement zone here), but you just need to remove all the meat from the bird.

Add in 1 package of softened cream cheese, with about 2 tablespoons of sour cream.  Add salt & pepper to taste, (this is where you can go rogue and add in any other goodies).  Mix together completely.

Once your mixture is ready, it's time to start rolling these sweet babies up.  You can choose to substitute flour tortillas, however, I firmly believe corn tortillas should be used for taquitos.  That's just me, though.

There is a trick to rolling up these taquitos with the corn tortillas.  If you've ever worked with then before, they are pretty dry right out of the package.  If you begin rolling them up in this state, your corn tortillas will tear.  Then all your precious filling will spill out. 

To avoid this: place your tortillas on a microwave safe plate.  Get a paper towel, or dish towel, wet, and lay it over your tortillas.  Warm them in the microwave in 30 second increments, flipping the tortillas each 30 seconds.  Once they are warm enough, you'll notice they are pliable.  This is when they are ready to be used.  Caution: the steam will be hot.

Take a tortilla and place the filling into the middle.  Roll up and set aside while you make the entire batch, or run out of filling - whichever comes first.

Grab a shallow pan and fill with about 1/2 vegetable oil.  Heat it up.  Once your oil is up to temp, place in your taquitos, seam side down.

Begin frying.  Do not flip the taquitos until the first side is slightly brown.  Then flip and allow to get it colored on the other side. 

Set each aside on a paper towel-lined plate.  Allow to cool and continue cooking the batch.

**Meal Prep Note**   I usually make a double batch when I make these.  I fry half the batch, and the other half I place in a Freezer Ziplock and freeze.  These are a freezer-beauty meal.  When you want to make them, allow them to thaw slightly and you can add them to oil and fry directly. 

Serve with rice, or your favorite side and dip in sour cream, or even a Mexi-Ranch dip!  Enjoy and have fun with different fillings.  This is a super easy summer dinner or the perfect food to take to a friend's BBQ party!  Cut in half and serve as appetizer servings.  Seriously, these taquitos are perfect for anything. 

Cheers!!