Creamy Chicken Taquitos
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Our easy, creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Taquitos are kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and absolutely delicious! After the chicken mixture is seasoned and cooked to perfection in the crockpot, it’s wrapped up in a flour tortilla with cheese and baked until melty and crispy.
You can also make these as Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos or Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos.
Reasons We Love Chicken Taquitos
- All ages love them. Kids and adults will gobble these up.
- They are freezer-friendly. They make a great freezer meal for busy nights.
- 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.
- The filling can also be made in the Instant Pot. Same recipe, different cooking method. Make Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos if you are short on time.
- You can either bake them or make Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos.
“These were absolutely delicious! I was able to make ten taquitos. My family really enjoyed them.” Alicia B.
Main Ingredients
The ingredients are quite simple.
- Chicken breasts – Cooked and shredded.
- Taco seasoning – Use store-bought or use homemade taco seasoning.
- Cream cheese
- Salsa – Your choice of spice level. I recommend using medium or hot, since you’ll want to amp up the flavor of the filling. It gets tamed down by the tortilla and cheese.
- Tortillas – You can use 8 inch (standard taco-sized) flour, whole wheat, or gluten free tortillas.
- Shredded cheddar – Colby jack or pepper jack cheese will work too.
How to Make Chicken Taquitos in the Slow Cooker
You are going to LOVE how simple this is.
Cook the Chicken
Seasoning the chicken with taco seasoning. Add to 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 about how long to cook chicken in the slow cooker (and here’s how long to cook chicken breasts in the Instant Pot).
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 15-20 minutes. I also love that I can make these in advance and pop them in the oven right before dinner (fresh or frozen). Or another route you can take is Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos.
How to Freeze Chicken 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.
Make Beef Taquitos Instead
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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
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.
Yes! Use our Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos recipe for instructions.
Yep, just use our Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos instructions instead.
Side Dish Ideas for Taquitos
We love Mexican recipes! Here are a few that would pair well with Taquitos.
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
These creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Taquitos are 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 (sub: chicken thighs)
- 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 salsa (I suggest using medium or hot)
- 8 (8-inch) tortillas (flour, whole wheat, or gluten free will work)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (how to easily shred your own cheese)
- 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 1/2 to 3 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°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
- This recipe was developed with kids in mind. To add more flavor and heat to the filling, use medium to hot taco seasoning and salsa. You can also sprinkle on extra chili powder and cayenne powder.
- If You Want to Add in Veggies: You can saute sliced or diced onions and green bell peppers and maybe even some jalapeno peppers in some oil on the stovetop (season with a little salt and pepper). Stir them into the cooked chicken mixture.
- Instant Pot Instructions: Try our Instant Pot Chicken Taquitos.
- Air Fryer Instructions: Try our Air Fryer Chicken 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.
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
So simple with just a few ingredients! Love how easy it is to make a few and that you can cook straight from the freezer.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment/review, Lisa. Happy to hear it’s a hit in your home.
These are really good, easy to make, so handy, even my very fussy husband liked them, thank you
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review. 🙂
Hi. These sound so good. Is there a way to bake the chicken instead of using the slow cooker? Thanks!
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 (reaches 165 degrees F internally or no longer has any pink in the middle).
So I made the mistake of subbing locally-made/3-ingredient corn tortillas for the wheat since I needed something GF. They tore and looked horrible UNTIL I microwaved some of the tortillas between a paper towel for about 15 seconds. WORLD of difference! The imperfect ones still tasted great but required a fork and a bib lol. Definitely make the Avocado Lime Salsa!!!
Glad they worked out in the end. Yea, corn tortillas won’t hold up super well!
Amazing! It’s so simple, yet it tasted complex and layered. This was a massive hit in my house! I’m glad I made a pile of them to freeze. This will definitely become a staple meal for us. Thank you for posting! I can’t wait to try other recipes from your blog!
Yay!!! Thanks for letting us know, Allison. Makes us so happy to hear this.
How necessary is the cream cheese?
The cream cheese makes it creamy, of course, but you could leave it out.
Looks delicious! I am wondering how long the chicken would take in the instant pot?
We have found that 1-2 pounds of medium sized chicken breasts in the IP take 7 minutes from fresh. Hope that helps! We have the entire Instant Pot version of this recipe here: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/instant-pot-chicken-and-cheese-taquitos-freezer-meal/
Made these for the first time yesterday, and they came out PERFECT! Very simple and very tasty! I also made the Creamy Avocado Dip, and it was a perfect combo.
Oh yum, I serve these with Creamy Avocado Dip, too. Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
This came out super runny for me. It was tasty but I had to figure out a way to either drain all of the liquid or thicken it up.
So yummy, I have made them twice now, going to make a bunch and freeze for when my kids/grandkids are home. I put them in foil and put on the grill on low, then take them out of foil and put them on grill grates for a few minutes until browned and crunchy. So good
Wow, great idea to utilize the grill. I’m so glad your family enjoys these!