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Switching up taco night with these baked Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos. Shredded chicken, tossed with spicy and tangy pickled jalapeños, creamy cream cheese, and buffalo sauce. Roll the delicious mix up in tortillas, then oven-bake until warm and crispy. These taquitos are crunchy on the outside and spicy and cheesy inside. Serve with a creamy cilantro-ranch and additional buffalo sauce. These come together in minutes and are so delicious…the perfect weeknight dinner.
Some recipes are made with certain people in mind. Others I make just because something inspired me and I’m excited to try it out. Then some recipes I make knowing they’re going to be a universal favorite with everyone.
Taquitos are a universal favorite with everyone. First off, they’re just fun. Finger food is low-key and relaxed. Something about it makes enjoying them fun for all. But most importantly, taquitos are just pretty delicious. Crispy on the outside with a cheesy filling inside. They’re usually paired with multiple sauces, which you know we all love in this family.
My first taquito was years and years ago. In fact, I think it was the second or third recipe I ever shared. So about ten years ago.
Then I made these Tinga Taquitosv and ever since I’ve really enjoyed swapping out taco night for taquito night.
Onto the details
Pick up some chicken at the store. It can even be rotisserie-style chicken, as this recipe calls for pre-cooked, shredded chicken.
Of course, you can also cook up some chicken breasts and then shred them. I usually just make my own chicken. I simply sear it in a skillet with smoked paprika and onion powder and then shred the meat. Either option is great, so do what you have time for.
The filling is simple but different. Because its base is cream cheese and jalapeños I didn’t want to do just buffalo sauce, as I sometimes do. I wanted to add a creamy tangy factor too.
So I mixed the chicken with cream cheese, jalapeños, and pickled jalapeños for the very best flavor.
To make the taquitos
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 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. Ten or so minutes later you’ll have crispy taquitos.
The sauces
For dipping and drizzling, I did homemade ranch and buffalo sauce. For my buffalo sauce, I like to use Franks Red Hot mixed with either butter or olive oil and a little bit of seasoned salt. I then add plenty of black pepper too.
For the ranch, I love to use a mix of yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk for my base. If you want your ranch even creamier, you can add a couple of tablespoons of mayo. Next, add in fresh cilantro, parsley, and dill, then season with salt and pepper. I like to make mine on the thinner side so I can easily drizzle it over the taquitos.
Everything paired together…the crispy taquitos with the creamy chicken and cheese inside, then both a tangy sauce and a spicy buttery sauce…are key.
So many flavors and great textures. As I said above these are pretty hard not to love. And they make any random night of the week feel fun and exciting too!
Looking for other Mexican night recipes? Try these!
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 Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken 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!
Jalapeño Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos with Buffalo Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 457 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
- 16-20 corn tortillas, warmed
- olive oil, for rubbing
Cilantro Ranch
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 2. In a bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, jalapeño, pickled jalapeños, cilantro, dill, and green onions. Stir in the cheese and buffalo sauce.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. 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 bowl (or use a blender) and mix until creamy. Season with salt.5. Serve the taquitos topped with buffalo sauce, ranch, and any other desired toppings.
Notes
Buffalo Sauce: Mix 3/4 hot sauce, 1/2 cup olive oil or melted butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt, and pepper.
these turned out sooooo good! i followed the recipe exactly and after reading comments on your IG reel of this recipe, i heated the tortillas wrapped in a damp paper towel for 20 sec in the microwave. i also rubbed olive oil on the baking sheet and on top of the taquitos – there were no cracked tortillas!
Hey Jodi,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it:)
I have only ever made these as flautas but SOOO good. Favorite treat in our house.
Hi Danielle,
Happy Easter!! 🐰🐣🌈 Thank you very much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your comment, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! xT
So freaking good!
Hey Mikayla,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Hi! What can I use as a replacement for the cream cheese?
Hi Victoria,
I would just skip the cream cheese, no big deal:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Made these with pheasant breasts and they were delish! Skipped the part where you’re supposed to warm up the tortillas first and that was a mistake. The flavor was awesome, the presentation not so much haha.
Hey Alexis,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear this recipe tasted great for you, thanks for making it! xx
I made this tonight and all I can say is it was AWESOME!!!! Thank you for this recipes!!!
Hi Sharon,
Happy Friday!! ☘️🌈 So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out! xT
These taquitos are the literal BEST I have ever had! I had to make some adjustments for my allergies and they were still amazing. I used creamy goat cheese instead of the cream cheese and then left out the shredded cheese since I cannot have cow’s milk. They were still delicious, and I am sure would have been even more amazing with the cream cheese and shredded cheese! Also made the buffalo sauce w/ earth balance instead of butter and then used a vegan tzatziki dip. The sauces really do bring it to the next level.
Thanks, Tieghan! I’ve never had a bad HBH recipe. 🙂
Hey Heidi,
Happy Wednesday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
Made these last night. They were fantastic! I skipped the dill but otherwise followed the recipe. I filled 9 six inch tortillas- added a bit more than 2 TBS to each. Prob around 3 or 4 TBS.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Hi Joanna,
Happy Sunday! 😃 Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Could these be made in advance, frozen then rebaked- so they can be served warm?
Hey Amanda,
You could assemble these, but I wouldn’t bake before freezing. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Great flavor combo. We were a little short on cilantro so we made an avocado ranch. What size(diameter) corn tortillas were you thinking? Mine were 6″ and I only got 10.
Hey Cynthia,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for giving it a try! I used 6 inch tortillas, you may have filled yours more than me. Have a great weekend:)
Has anyone tried in an air fryer?
Hey Nickola,
So sorry, I’ve not tested this recipe in the air fryer, but I bet it would work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
These are delicious
Hey Stephanie,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! 🎊🎈
My husband can’t eat cheese so we only add the buffalo sauce to the taquitos and they taste amazing. We live in the UK so we put our oven to 220C and they brown perfectly. We have made them half a dozen times – each time better than the last. You really need to coat the tortillas with oil otherwise they will split. So crunchy and delicious and beautiful with ranch dressing!
Hey Kimberly,
Happy Wednesday!!🎇 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it! xx
Could you use flour tortillas instead of the corn?
Hi Jennifer,
You can, they just won’t get crispy like the corn tortillas. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Can you make these ahead of time and then put in the fridge until you are ready to bake? I am worried about the tortillas splitting.
Hey Andrea,
The tortillas could definitely split, I would just make sure they are well coated in oil and then keep them covered with a dish towel in the fridge. I hope this helps! xT