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Switching up taco night with these baked Crispy Chicken Tinga Taquitos with Salty Lime Avocado Crema….plus all the toppings. Because extra sauce and extra salsa make everything better. Ground chicken seasoned with smoky chipotle peppers and pantry friendly enchilada sauce is mixed with cheese, rolled up in tortillas, and oven-baked. These taquitos are crunchy on the outside, but spicy and cheesy inside. Serve with a creamy, salty lime avocado crema sauce, and a mix of your favorite taco toppings. These come together in minutes and are so delicious…the perfect weeknight dinner.
Taquito Wednesday anyone? I know it’s not a thing, but maybe we should make it one. Because I’m overly excited to share this easy recipe with you guys. These taquitos are so good, they’re the kind of food you could eat once a week…at least.
I’ve told the story many times before, so I will not repeat it. Most of you know I grew up eating tacos once or twice a week. My brothers and I loved them as kids and still do to this day, but then, who doesn’t love tacos? They’re fun, typically cheesy, served with plenty of sauces and salsas, and all-around delicious. Love me a good taco!
But you know? Sometimes it’s nice to switch things up, do something just a little different. Different like instead of usual tacos, make crispy baked taquitos, which might just be better. It just depends on the filling. But hey, one thing’s for sure…taquito is a pretty fun word to say. Yep, cheesy, but kind of brightens my mood a bit.
Sooo, let’s make some taquitos!
The idea…
The idea for these Crispy Chicken Tinga Taquitos came from two sources. Source one, very old, very retired HBH blog content from all the way back in October of 2012. Our very first year of HBH! I shared a taquito recipe and it’s crazy to believe that I have not made taquitos since. When I randomly came across the post, I immediately thought how fun it would be to make newly updated taquitos.
PS. if you have an extra minute and want to take a look and see just how horrible our photos (and writing for that matter) were that first year, scroll through this post. Fun to see our growth!
Source two, my eldest brother…of course. Creighton has been inspiring a lot of recipes these days. His love for anything Mexican with double…scratch that…triple the sauce has been helping me come up with some fun recipes lately. Love having so many family members to inspire new recipes. Don’t know what I’d do without them.
Now, onto the details.
Pick up some ground chicken, turkey, or even ground beef. Just be sure to use what your family loves most, personally I like chicken, but my brothers are all about ground beef.
Brown the meat, add chipotle peppers plus a little red enchilada sauce. The peppers and sauce are KEY. Chicken tinga is made using canned chipotle peppers. They have a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. I love to use them whenever I have the opportunity. The enchilada sauce keeps the meat saucy, flavorful, and prevents the meat from drying out in the oven.
Added bonus? I always have these two ingredients in my pantry!
The next step is crucial…
Ok, that’s way too dramatic, but just go with me on this.
Once the meat is browned and seasoned it’s time to make the actual taquitos themselves. Instead of frying, which is traditional, I much prefer to oven bake. It’s healthier, easier, and to be honest, I like the flavor so much better. You taste the food, not the fried oil.
Here’s the key, you must 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, and ten or so minutes later you’ll have crispy taquitos.
That salty lime avocado crema? Yep, you need that too.
Sure, sour cream is traditional, but whipped avocado crema is just so much better. I used fresh cilantro and plenty of lime and stirred in some pickled jalapeños for a spicy, tangy kick. This is the perfect sauce to dollop onto each cheesy, crunchy taquito.
I like to serve these up alongside sweet pineapple salsa or mango salsa, shredded lettuce, and plenty of fresh limes for squeezing. You can never have too many toppings.
And lastly? I see these taquitos as the perfect reason to make a random Wednesday night spicy margarita. Yep, it’s a good idea.
Watch the How To Video:
Looking for other Mexican night recipes? Try these!
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Sheet Pan Hawaiian Pineapple Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Jalapeño Special Sauce
Lastly, if you make these crispy chicken tinga taquitos with salt lime avocado crema, 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 Chicken Tinga Taquitos with Lime Avocado Crema
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 591 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 plus more for rubbing
- 1 pound ground chicken, beef, or turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo finely chopped, use to your taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup red enchilada sauce homemade or store-bought
- 16-20 corn tortillas warmed
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- pineapple salsa, shredded lettuce, and pickled onion, for serving
Lime Avocado Crema
- 1 avocado, halved
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
- juice from 2 limes
- kosher or flaky salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the ground chicken and onion. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the chicken is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle peppers, oregano, and salt. Add the enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly around the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.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. Add a sprinkle of cheese, then roll up and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 5 minutes more, or until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp. 4. Meanwhile, make the Lime Avocado Crema. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Season with salt. 5. Serve the taquitos topped with avocado, pineapple salsa, and any other desired toppings.
This recipe was a huge hit with my family tonight! I used ground chicken and flour tortillas, and served with the lime avocado crema and sour cream.
Thank you Deb! xTieghan
All my tortillas split in half after folding.. did I just buy a low quality tortilla or did I do something wrong in preparing them?
Hey Nikki,
I love using Whole Foods 365 corn tortillas. I also find it helpful to heat the tortillas and coat in olive oil before assembling, I hope this helps!! xTieghan
Hi. I made your chipotle chicken tacos. Love them, so tasty and easy to make. But I have a problem with the corn tortillas splitting apart in the oven. Any suggestions? thanks
Hey Susan,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe! I like to heat my tortillas and coat in olive oil to prevent them from tearing. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
What sort of side dish would go well with these?
Hey Brenna,
I would do some rice and beans! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These came out great!! Mine just came out a little too salty, not sure what made it that way but I did sub corn for flour tortillas cause I’ve got a bit of a picky eater on my hands. SO maybe that took in more of the salt, and I made a couple with corn tortillas and I didn’t taste the salt! Otherwise delish! thank you!!
Thank you so much Katherine! xTieghan
These were perfection! My whole family loved them. I loved how easy they came together for a weeknight meal. I saved around 8 TBS of the chicken mixture before adding the chipotle to make four “plain” ones for the kids. Three chipotles was perfect for the adults who love spice!
Thank you so much Chelsea! xTieghan
I am in the process of making these for my family for dinner tonight and I don’t have a microwave. I warmed the tortillas in the oven for a bit instead of microwaving to make them pliable. They fell apart somewhat while I was assembling them. Do you have any tips for working with corn tortillas if you can’t microwave them? They have been in the frigid for a while so maybe that had something to do with it as well. I’m sure they will still be delicious!
Hey Kristen,
So sorry you had issues with the tortillas, I always heat mine on the stovetop flame. It also helps if you coat them in olive oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
1 avocado for 1/2 cup of cilantro? that ratio is way off and made a cilantro based paste instead of a crema sauce.
Hey J,
So sorry you had issues with the crema. As long as you blend the ingredients together, the lime and pickled jalapeños release enough liquid to make this smooth and creamy. Please let me know how I can help for next time. xTieghan
Hey! We made these and LOVED the flavor, but had two issues that I’m sure were user-error on my part. The tortillas didn’t crisp up, but I think that’s because we put them side my side (like enchiladas) and didn’t space them out. Also, we used the microwave heating method for warming them, but most of the tortillas split when rolling. Any tips to solve this?
Hey Meredith,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! I am sorry you had issues with the tortillas. I do like to heat them first and then coat in olive oil, this helps with the ripping and the crispiness. You can also try using flour tortillas, they don’t tear as easy. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Do you use crunchy taco shells or the soft ones? I assumed soft but reading the recipe leads me to think they won’t crisp up!
Hey Renee,
I use soft corn tortillas. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These Taquitos are fantastic and we have made them once every couple of weeks since discovering the recipe. The flavors are spot on. I have a problem with the tortillas every time, though. I warm them, they are generously oiled, I do not overstuff (I actually measure the filling), but the tortillas shred and fall apart. I have no idea how yours look like they do. I really want to do a better job. Do you think it could be that I am microwaving them to warm them instead of doing it on the gas stovetop? I hesitate to warm them that way because of the time involved to heat each one, then oil, then fill. The recipe is time consuming enough. But I just can’t think of any other reason mine shred apart. I know I’m not alone on this because many reviews complain about the corn tortillas. Also mine are white corn not yellow corn tortillas. Could this be the culprit? My daughter has celiac so we can only buy certain brands of tortillas—they need to be GF. (I know corn tortillas should be GF, but not all are safe for someone with celiac). I hope you have some insight because we really really love this recipe, but would like it to look halfway decent!
Hey Doris,
Thanks so much for making this recipe so often. I am so sorry you have been having issues with the tortillas, I would recommend flour tortillas as they don’t rip quite as easily but you stated your daughter is gf. How about trying the Siete brand? I love their products and I think these might be a good option for you. Let me know if this helps! xTieghan
Amazing recipe! I made this last night and there were NO leftovers. The star of this recipe is the salty lime crema-it was heavenly to dip the taquitos into it! Pro tip, make sure to really heat the corn tortillas up in the microwave before rolling. If they aren’t almost too hot to touch, they aren’t warmed enough and will probably break when you roll them. Overall, though, amazing easy to follow recipe. Might be making these again tonight 😉
Thank you so much Jordan!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
I made these when they first came out and they were great. Then I made them a again last night and all the corn tortillas fell apart before they were even baked. Any ideas why that might have happened? They were brand new tortillas.
Hi Krosta,
So sorry you had issues with the tortillas. I like to heat mine and coat in olive oil before baking. It is also super important not to overstuff the tortillas. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Made these yesterday and they were so crispy & delicious!!
Love that!! Thank you Katie! xTieghan
Hi there! Oven baked was a nice touch! Still turned out Golden brown and crispy! I did have trouble keeping them together? Any recommendations? I usually toothpick them when I fry them.
Hi Logan,
Thanks for trying the recipe! For me the key is to heat and then coat in a generous amount of olive oil before assembling. I hope this helps! xTieghan