Spicy Chicken and Lime Taquitos

A delicious way to repurpose leftover cooked chicken, pork or beef.

Taquitos are the best finger food.

They’re like having nachos with meat rolled up in them all in one crispy bite.

They’re a great way to repurpose leftover cooked meat too.

Just add the cooked meat in the middle of a corn tortilla, roll the tortilla up and into the skillet the taquito goes to get crispy and delicious.

I think the trickiest part about making taquitos is to get the corn tortilla pliable enough to roll it around the meat tightly without the tortilla breaking apart or unrolling.

In this recipe the corn tortillas are warmed up super quick in a microwave to soften them up which works nicely with most types of corn tortillas.

Here’s a recipe where the corn tortillas are dipped in warm canola oil for a quick moment to softened them up before rolling “Corned Beef Taquitos with Avocado Sauce“ (also in this recipe there’s a really good recipe for avocado sauce that tastes heavenly served on top of taquitos).

Taquitos also taste amazing with guacamole and pico de gallo.

And of course salsa and taquitos are a match made in heaven.

Here are some quick and easy fresh salsa recipes you may like “Cilantro and Garlic Salsa“, “Roasted Garlic Tomato Salsa“, “Salsa Verde” and “Tomatillo and Green Chili Salsa“.

These taquitos are filled with shredded cooked chicken, spices and lime juice.  The spicy chicken in combination with the lime juice tastes wonderful together.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Shredded cooked chicken, lime, corn tortillas, garlic, onion, jalapeno pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and canola oil

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Here’s how to make it.

For the Filling – To a medium size bowl, add cooked shredded chicken,

…diced onion,

…diced jalapeno,

…diced garlic,

…dried oregano,

…ground cumin,

…chili powder…

…salt and pepper.

Cut a lime in half or in quarters,

and add the juice to the bowl.

Next,

…stir together so that the chicken is coated with the spices.

Filling the Taquitos – On a medium size microwavable plate, place a tortilla and warm it in the microwave just long enough to make it pliable (about 20 seconds).

Remove the tortilla from the microwave and turn it over so that bottom side of the tortilla doesn’t get too moist from the steam.

In the middle of the tortilla, lay about 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture in a line shape from left to right that stops about 1 inch from each side of the tortilla.

Rolling the Taquitos – Roll the tortilla over the chicken as tight as possible.

If the tortillas are not pliable enough to stay rolled up, stick a toothpick in them so they don’t open up when cooking. 

Lay the rolled tortilla with the seam side down on a plate to keep it tightly rolled.

Continue to fill and roll each tortilla in the same way.

Cooking the Taquitos – Heat a small to medium size skillet on medium heat and…

…add canola oil.

If using a small skillet add 1/4 cup of oil or just enough so the oil is about ½ inch deep in the pan.

For a medium size skillet add 1/2 cup of canola oil. 

Drop a small piece of tortilla in the pan, when it bubbles, then carefully add the taquitos in the skillet seam-side down.

Depending on the size of the skillet the taquitos may need to be cooked in batches so not to overcrowd them in the pan.

Let the taquitos cook with the seam side down until the bottom sides turn a golden color.

Then turn them over letting each side cook until all sides of the taquitos are a golden color.

Transfer the taquitos from the skillet on to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off any excess oil.

Serve warm with guacamole, pico de gallo and, or salsa.

Then enjoy each and every crispy bite.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

More Mexican Food Recipes You May Like:

Chipotle Lime Tortilla Chips

Jalapeno and Cheese Taquitos

Brie and Olive Tapenade Nachos

Homemade Ancho Chili Enchilada Sauce

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This recipe was originally posted on September 13, 2012.