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.
- It’s high in protein. We explain how important protein is in our Round up of High Protein Slow Cooker recipes. Our chicken taquitos have 25 grams of protein per serving.
- 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.
I was surprised by how nice and crispy the texture was. I baked the chicken. This was easy and delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it Monica! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
My family loved these taquitos! When I saw the raw chicken breast sitting in my fridge at noon, I was grateful you taught us the 3-hour Crockpot method!! I threw it in the crockpot over my lunch break, and then the taquitos came together pretty easily after work. Yum!
Great news Meg. Love when a recipe comes together easily. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Loved these!
So glad to hear it Katie. Thanks for leaving a review.
One of my favorite freezer meal recipes. Flavorful and simple.
Sometimes simple really is best, isn’t it? (Of course, when talking food, it does need to be flavorful!) Thanks for leaving a review Stephanie!
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.