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Switching up taco night with these baked Crispy Chipotle Chicken Cream Cheese Taquitos. Ground chicken seasoned with a smoky chipotle chili spice mix and tossed with cream cheese. Roll up the delicious mix into tortillas, then oven-bake until warm and crispy. These taquitos are crunchy on the outside, spicy and cheesy inside. Serve with a creamy cilantro jalapeño ranch. These come together in well under an hour and are so delicious. A great weeknight dinner.
When I get tired of the usual tacos, I make taquitos! The funny thing about this taquito recipe? It’s actually based on and inspired by a recipe I made back in 2012, the very first fall season of HBH.
We’ve been switching things around on the website, especially with the way you are able to search for recipes. Hopefully, we’re making things easier for you all, I certainly love the new search engine. It’s what lead me to these taquitos from so long ago.
I was searching the word chipotle and then these baked taquitos appeared and I immediately remembered them!
My brothers used to go to the local 7-Eleven after snowboarding and pick up their taquitos. They wouldn’t go often, but when they did, they would rave about those taquitos.
I told them that taquitos from 7-Eleven probably weren’t that good for them and I’d make them better at home. That taquito recipe turned into one of the very first recipes to live on HBH!
Almost ten years later, I reworked the recipe a bit and honestly made them a whole lot better. Gosh, these are so good, and really fun too!
The details
Pick up some ground chicken, turkey, or even ground beef. Just be sure to use what your family loves most! Brown the meat with an onion, add seasonings, and mix in cream cheese. The cream cheese is the secret. It makes the insides of these taquitos creamy instead of dry.
Trust me, it may sound odd, but it’s really not. Go with it.
Since I hate frying, which is traditional when making taquitos, I much prefer to oven-bake these. It’s healthier, easier, and we like the flavor so much more. You actually taste the food, not the fried oil.
Here’s the key, you need to rub each tortilla with olive oil before rolling up the meat. This is the trick to getting the taquitos crispy all around. Once the tortillas are oiled, roll up the meat and cheese inside, then oven-bake. In a few minutes, you’ll have crispy taquitos.
The creamy jalapeño ranch
Yes, making a homemade ranch is an extra step (but so simple). I always find the end result to be worth the extra effort.
For this ranch, mix sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, with buttermilk, cilantro, dill, onion, garlic, and of course, the jalapeños. Instead of fresh jalapeños, I like to use pickled. They’ll add a subtle, tangy kick.
I love to serve this with rice on the side and chunky avocado salsa.
That’s pretty much it for this one. Simple as can be, but every crispy, crunch, cheesy taquito is so delicious. I love a simple fall meal that’s fun to eat while celebrating your favorite team – or just enjoying with the family.
Looking for other Mexican night recipes – try these!
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Spicy Buffalo White Chicken Chili
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Jalapeño Pineapple Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Garlic Sauce
Lastly, if you make these Crispy Chipotle Chicken Cream Cheese Taquitos, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy Chipotle Chicken Cream Cheese Taquitos
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 567 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup beer
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
- 16-20 corn tortillas, warmed
Cilantro Jalapeño Ranch
- 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños
- kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F.2. In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, chicken, and onion. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and salt. Add the beer. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened around the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese. 3. Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave, until pliable. On a baking sheet, rub the tortillas with olive oil. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the chicken down the middle of the tortilla. Top with shredded cheese. Roll up and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.4. Meanwhile, make the ranch. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy. Season with salt.5. Serve the taquitos topped with ranch and any other desired toppings.
Wow! These were my favorite tacos / taquitos by far. Love the creaminess of the cream cheese added at the end. Took it to a whole new level! You cannot go wrong with any of your recipes … they’re perfection! Thanks!
P.S. I used your tip from another taco recipe and brushed the tortilla with olive oil and then microwaved them for a minute to make them pliable for when I was ready to roll them up!
Hey Sharon,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making so many recipes! I am so glad to hear that these were enjoyed! xT
Oh my goodness!!! I made these today and they were soooo good!
I’ve used some of the spices in the recipe before, but I had never achieved a meal so tasty. I had a bit of trouble getting the tacos to crisp up, but they were still delicious. Thank you for another superb recipe 😌
Hey Claudia,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! xT🍂
Making right now! So far so good. They are in the oven. It is a bit spicy as noted by Jeanne. I used ground chicken. Can’t wait for these to be done!
Thanks for trying the recipe Rebecca! I hope they are delish! xT
The meat is delicious tasting- as is the dipping sauce.
They are spicy – so for those sensitive to heat, you may back off the chili seasoning.
Do NOT overfill. It will cause the tortilla to separate during the oven time.
Also -I have a new oven and I could not get the tortillas to brown and crisp. I turned up to 450 and had a little better success. May try the air fryer next go round.
The meat (I used Turkey) was worth the other challenges!
Hey Jeanne,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! Sorry about the spice!! xT🍂
I made this last night and it was delicious! I will definitely use the meat mix again for enchiladas or nachos; but I think I’ll try my air fryer to get crispy Taquitos next time,
Hey Amy,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! xT🍂
So delicious! Amazing flavor and I didn’t even half to double the spices like I normally do on recipes. Used ground turkey because that is what we had on hand. Definitely make sure to warm up the tortillas before rolling. I forgot for the first few (that cracked) then took several at a time, splashed with a little water, stacked on a plate with a damp paper towel and microwaved for 30 seconds. That helped immensely.
Hey Angela,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making these taquitos and sharing what worked well for you! I love to hear that they were enjoyed:) xx
What can I substitute for the cream cheese to make it dairy free?
Hi Anne,
Your local grocery store should carry plenty of great dairy free cream cheese options, I love Kite Hill. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Made these tonight and they were delicious! Made with fresh jalapeño instead of picked. Quick and delicious. Will make for future game day.
Hey Jill,
Happy Monday!🎃 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xx
I loved the flavor! I also had troubles with splitting tortillas after rolling, but it was probably my tortillas.
Hey Adrienne,
Happy Monday!🎃 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a bunch for making it! The corn tortillas can be tricky! xx
We had these for dinner, but without the ranch sauce. We didn’t have any beer so used a cup of water instead. It was a big hit with the family
Hey Louise,
Happy Monday!🎃 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xx
Hi, I have a daughter with celiac. What would you advise as a sub for the beer?
Hey Jamie,
You could use sparkling cider or broth. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Can you make these the night before and then throw in oven when guests arrive?
Hey Therese,
Sure, that should work well for you, I would just be sure your tortillas are nice and oiled. I hope you love the recipe, happy Sunday! xx
I made these last night and they were delicious but all the corn taco shells cracked open while baking so it didn’t look very pretty. They didn’t crack while rolling, but did in the oven. But the flavor was great.
Hey Cynthia,
Happy Sunday! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
These were so delicious. My only issue was the corn tortillas which is not the fault of the recipe. They were too thick and cracked when I rolled them – even thought they were warm. Do you have a suggestion on another brand to try?
Hey Anita,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try! I like using Whole Foods 365 brand. I hope this helps for next time! Have a great weekend!🍁
Made this for my taquitos loving family tonight! Incredible!! SO fun and flavorful!! We made it with ground beef. SO much great flavor. I also made the Buffalo ones from a previous recipe you posted to give the family a choice. So DELISH!
I love your style of cooking, so fresh and wholesome. I am learning slowly step by step. You make it seem like anyone could do it. Thanks!
Hi Tiffany,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xT
Hi Tieghan! I love reading your recipes and a lot of them I have “pinned” on Pinterest. I have not made any test. This is one recipe I plan ti make. My question is (which probably is a dumb question) could I use flour tortillas? I’m guessing corn tortillas is always used for making these but could I use Flour ones?
Thank you for your reply.
Thanks so much for following along Pat! I really find that corn tortillas work best here, the flour tortillas just don’t crisp up like the corn. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx