Creamy Chicken Taquitos
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Chicken taquitos are a delicious meal that the whole family will love! After the chicken mixture cooks to perfection in the slow cooker, it’s then wrapped up in a flour tortilla and baked. You’re left with a crowd-pleaser meal that came together with minimal effort.
“These were absolutely delicious! I was able to make ten taquitos. My family really enjoyed them.” Alicia B.
Reasons we Love Chicken Taquitos
- All ages love them. Kids and adults will gobble these up.
- They are freezer friendly. More on that below but they make a great freezer meal to stock up on.
- Unlike our Baked Fajita Casserole, the Crockpot does most of the work. The filling for the taquitos is made in the slow cooker. After that, all you have to do is wrap it up and pop them in the oven.
- They can also be made in the Instant Pot. Same recipe, different cooking method. Make Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos if you are short on time.
More Taquito Recipes
If you like taquitos, be sure to check out our beef taquito recipe. It’s made a in a similar way and is also freezer friendly.
Ingredients for Chicken Taquitos
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (here’s where we get our organic chicken)
- All-natural taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons of our homemade taco seasoning recipe
- Water or chicken broth
- Cream cheese (light works fine)
- Mild or medium salsa
- Whole grain tortillas
- Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (here’s how to easily shred your own to save money)
- Optional toppings: sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salsa, Guacamole, Avocado Lime Salsa
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How to Make Chicken Taquitos in the Slow Cooker
You are going to LOVE how simple this is.
Cook the Chicken
Start by seasoning your chicken with some taco seasoning. Toss it in the slow cooker and add some broth. Water works fine too.
Now here’s the key: Do not overcook your chicken! Based on advice from the FDA, we wrote a whole post about how long to cook chicken in the slow cooker if you want a bit more information but for now, just follow the recipe, got it? Yeah, you got this! 🙂
Shred the Chicken
Once that chicken has cooked, grab two forks and give it a good shred. Then drain off any excess liquid from the crockpot.
Make the Creamy Cheesy Filling
Add cream cheese and salsa to the shredded chicken and stir until cream cheese is melted.
Roll them Up and Bake
After this, rolling up the taquitos and baking them just takes minutes. I also love that I can make these in advance and pop them in the oven right before dinner (fresh or frozen).
How to Freeze Taquitos
Freeze It For Later: Complete the recipe through Step 5. Then, place rolled up tortillas side-by-side in a single later in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal tightly and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: When ready to bake, you have two options:
Method 1 (Thawed): Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave using the defrost setting. Bake as directed, beginning with Step 6.
Method 2 (From Frozen): Follow Steps 6-8, but cover the frozen taquitos with foil after spraying them with cooking spray. Then, bake for about 25 minutes or until warmed through. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
FAQ
Q: Am I supposed to drain off the liquid after shredding the chicken before adding the cream cheese and salsa?
A: The consistency can vary depending on the type of chicken and salsa you use. I usually drain off some of the liquid if it’s too soupy. It should be fairly thick.
Q: Is there a way to bake the chicken instead of using the slow cooker?
A: Definitely. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken in a casserole dish or on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake uncovered for about 20-25 minutes until done.
Q: Can I cook these straight from frozen?
A: Yes! Cover the frozen taquitos with foil after spraying them with cooking spray. Then, bake for about 25 minutes or until warmed through. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
Side Dish Ideas for Taquitos
We love Mexican recipes! Here are a few that would pair well with Taquitos.
Tip: Freeze Leftover Tortillas
If you have leftover tortillas, did you know you can freeze them? Here is the best way to freeze tortillas for later.
25+ Amazing Mexican Recipes
Looking for more easy, mouthwatering Mexican recipes? Be sure to browse through our round-up of 25+ Amazing Mexican Recipes!
Some of our reader favorites include:
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Creamy Chicken Taquitos
This is a delicious meal that the whole family will love! Be sure to make a double batch for the freezer. Then, you can pull out however many you want and throw them directly in the oven for a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds (2 large) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (here’s where we get our organic chicken)
- 1-ounce package of all-natural taco seasoning or 2 tablespoons of our homemade taco seasoning recipe
- 3/4 cup water or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream cheese (light works fine)
- 1/4 cup mild or medium salsa
- 8 (8-inch) whole-grain tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (here’s how to easily shred your own to save money)
- Optional toppings: sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salsa, Guacamole, Avocado Lime Salsa
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Rub both sides of the chicken with all of the taco seasoning. Add water or broth.
- Cover and cook on LOW for about 2.5 – 3.5 hours, until it shreds easily. (Note: Chicken should be 165°F internally when done.)
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir, so the seasoning is evenly distributed. Drain off any excess liquid in the slow cooker.
- Add cream cheese and salsa to the shredded chicken and stir until cream cheese is melted.
- Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture, leaving a little room at the edges so the filling doesn’t spill out. Top chicken mixture with 2-3 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Roll up tortillas tightly. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the taquitos on a baking sheet, seam side down. Spray the tops with cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese melts and they are golden brown on top. (Note: If you have leftover cheese, you can sprinkle it over the top of the taquitos before they bake.)
- Serving suggestion: Top with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salsa, Guacamole, or our Avocado Lime Salsa.
Freeze It For Later: Complete the recipe through Step 5. Then, place rolled-up tortillas side-by-side in a single layer in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal tightly and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: When ready to bake, you have two options:
Method 1 (Thawed): Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or microwave using the defrost setting. Bake as directed, beginning with Step 6.
Method 2 (From Frozen): Follow Steps 6-8, but cover the frozen taquitos with foil after spraying them with cooking spray. Then, bake for about 25 minutes or until warmed through. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
Notes/Tips
- For Instant Pot instructions, try our Instant Pot Chicken and Cheese Taquitos.
- Storage Tip: A great way to store this freezer meal or leftovers is in our favorite reusable freezer bags.
- Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our chicken from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, grass-fed beef, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
Another one of our Thriving Home fav’s. Super grateful for the freezer meal version. Sent some to college with my son and his roommates really enjoyed it too.
★★★★★
I bet your son and his roommates are grateful to have someone like you that freezes yummy food for them to have a tasted of home in place of cafeteria or fast food. 🙂
Fantastic recipe
★★★★★
Thanks Jackie!
Made using leftover grilled chicken. Followed the rest of the recipe. They were delicious and I will be making them again.
★★★★★
Thank you for leaving a review AC. Isn’t it fun to turn leftovers into a completely different dish?
This is a family favorite in our house. I am even making it for company this week!! Very tasty & flexible with condiments. Give it a try!! Yum
★★★★★
Hi Maia! Thank you for the wonderful review.
We just tried this for the first time, and it was amazing! I’m not a salsa fan and was hesitant, but it doesn’t overpower it at all. My picky eater ate it too!
★★★★★
Great to hear this Vicky. We always love hearing when we win over a picky eater in particular!
I just tried this for the first time. Was I supposed to drain off the liquid after shredding the chicken before adding the cream cheese and salsa? It ended up reallllly soupy.
Hi Laura. Thank you for the feedback. Depending on the type of chicken and salsa you used, the consistency can vary. I usually drain off some of the liquid if it’s too soupy. It should be fairly thick. I’ll add in some more details to the recipe to make that clear!
Would it be possible to use whole milk greek yogurt instead of cream cheese? Only because I don’t have any cream cheese.
I don’t think that would yield the same results. Cream cheese is denser and creamier. However, you could add in more shredded cheese and they’d probably still be great.
These were absolutely delicious! I was able to make ten taquitos. My family really enjoyed them.
★★★★★
Love that! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback. We really appreciate it, Alica.
We make these every month, especially handy to have for school lunches and baseball season!
★★★★★
As a baseball mom myself, I love this! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. 🙂
Would you mind telling what type of cooking Spray you recommend for these? Olive oil?
Thank you
Tina
Any baking spray will work, but I prefer Avocado Oil. I pour it into my reusable oil spray bottle. Hope that helps!
Do you have a link for your reusable oil spray bottle?
Hi Tiffany! Here is a link to the one Rachel uses (though there are many online options): https://amzn.to/3ZXgyMd