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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.
Oh another tasty recipe. I omitted the cheese as I can’t tolerate it well. I also could not find ground chicken so I sliced up chicken and fried it. Easy and delicious!
Hey Holly,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Hello! Can I use chicken thighs? And if I don’t have enchilada sauce can I use tomato paste or what do you suggest? Tha j you!
Hey Alexis,
Sure chicken thighs would work and then I would recommend shredding the meat for the tacos. For the enchilada sauce you could do tomato paste and a little extra water. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! I just made these and all of the tortillas fell apart. Do you have any tips on how to prevent this?
Hey Kiley,
So sorry you had issues with the tortillas, did you heat them and coat in olive oil first? If so, I would recommend trying a different brand of tortillas, I like Whole Foods 365 brand. I hope this helps for next time! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Do you think you could make these with pulled pork? I’ve just got a lot of pork shoulder in my freezer at the moment but maybe it’s too much of a stray from the recipe. These look awesome, I’ll have to try them either way!
Hey Taylor,
Yes, pulled pork would be great here. I hope you love the recipe. If you have any other questions, please let me know! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Delicious! The taquitos were delicious and came together easily. I used ground turkey, I didn’t change the recipe and was very happy with the flavors. The avocado créma is amazing, it will now take the place of guacamole! The whole recipe is a keeper, thank you!
Hey Jean,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Went well with your Mexican street corn recipe. These were so fun and delicious to eat, and we had leftovers for days!
Thank you so much Thy! xTieghan
I have made this a few times, I LOVE it! But my shells never stay together and always break apart pretty quickly. I’ve oiled both sides and I’ve oiled one side and nothing works. Do you have any tips? What type or brand of shells are you using? All in all mine look ugly as heck but taste incredible! Just want them to look more appealing ha.
Hey Jenn,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am sorry you are having issues with the shells. I like to heat mine and then coat in olive oil, I also like to use the Whole Foods 365 brand. I hope this helps for next time. xTieghan
My boyfriend and I are obsessed with this recipe! We ate them all in one sitting, ooops! haha
Wow! I am really happy this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you! xTieghan
I’m Mexican and it’s freaking delicious! I wouldn’t say that it’s the same way we make them but the recepe it’s just perfect!
Thank you Miguel! xTieghan
My word these are delish! So ridiculously good. And the avocado creme? I’m so happy I doubled the recipe – because we finished it off on the side with chips. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you!! I am so happy this turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
At the risk of becoming an actual stalker, I thought I’d try this recipe for dinner last night. I followed the instructions for microwaving the tortillas first (as opposed to thinking I knew better) and everything stayed where it was supposed to be and crisped up beautifully. I served with mango salsa and the cilantro lime ranch (favorites from other recipes of yours), and threw a bit of slaw on the side. I am now the world’s best chef, apparently. Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Lesley!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I love the flavor of these, but I had some issues with them sticking to the foil and getting crispy. This is my second time making these and I had the same problems the first time, but this time the foil was tearing more and it was quite a mess. Also, I had to make some adjustments to make sure these got crispy. The first time that I made them they were a bit chewy. I would definitely recommend cooking these on heavy duty foil or maybe parchment as someone else suggested. Also, it may help to increase the oven temp to 450 to help get them more crispy. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but mine did not come out crispy.
Hey Corie,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe again. I do not line my baking sheet with foil, so I would highly recommend not doing that. I like to oil the tortillas on the baking sheet so the baking sheet has oil on it as well, this really helps to crisp the tortillas and prevents them from sticking. Another recommendation would be to try different brand of tortillas, I really like Whole Foods 365 brand. I hope this helps! xTieghan
They came out perfect. Crunchy and flavorful. My kids devoured them, which is a huge deal bc they are super picky.
Thank you Jennifer! I am really glad this turned out so well for you all! xTieghan
This is so delicious and so easy, almost no mess to clean up. AND, I made the whole pound of filling but I’ll just refrigerate to make fresh hot taquitos for the next few days!
That is really amazing! I am so happy this turned out well for you, Lila! Thank you! xTieghan
Any ideas on how these would freeze? I’m willing to just experiment and see, but figured you might know off hand? Thanks for the inspiration on these. Now that working from home has become a norm, improved, homemade, awesome snacks are in the rotation. Gonna make these this weekend.
Hey K,
I personally haven’t tried freezing these, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan