These mexican street corn chicken taquitos are baked, not fried! Filled with juicy shredded chicken, charred corn, cheeses, jalapeños and spices. They are extra crispy and packed with the filling so you can eat them for an easy weeknight dinner.
Forget those little frozen taquitos mom used to make for you and your friends after school, this is the ultimate taquitos dinner recipe you can serve your family!
This chicken taquitos recipe is super easy to make. Like, beyond easy. Each taquito is made up of a corn tortilla, filled with juicy seasoned and shredded chicken and a Mexican street corn mixture.
So everything is stuffed inside and totally addicting.
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Chicken taquitos are just one of those classic staple after school snacks. You and your friends could eat an entire box of frozen taquitos in one sitting. But I want you to forget all of that now.
These are like taquitos 2.0 and they are awesome!
For starters, they are baked, not fried. And if you are wondering, they get crispy! So, so crispy.
We'll be using corn tortillas, not flour tortillas.
If you are familiar with the taquitos from Costco or even the Cheesecake Factory taquitos, you will never want them again because these are the best homemade chicken taquitos!
I should mention how perfect they are the next day for lunch or you can freeze the leftovers (if there is any!) and heat them up another day for a quick family dinner.
My family friendly dinner rating on this is a 5 star, my kids gobble these up without a single complaint!
What Are Taquitos?
Taquitos are a Mexican based recipe. They consist of a corn tortilla stuffed with a filling, then tightly rolled into a cylinder shape.
Baked taquitos a bit lighter and don't end up greasy like fried ones. And if you make them right they will still get crispy.
What Is Mexican Street Corn?
Mexican street corn is traditionally known as elote and boy is it good!
Elote is hot corn on the cob that has been slathered with mayonnaise, crema (or sour cream), spices and cotija cheese, which is a Mexican cheesy thats crumbly and melts really well.
Here's what's in this Mexican street corn for the taquito filling:
- Frozen Corn
- Sour Cream
- Mayonnaise
- Chili Powder
- Cotija Cheese (you can use feta cheese as a substitute)
- Lime Juice
Flautas and Taquitos
Flautas and taquitos look almost identical. So, the difference between a flauta and a taquito is that flautas are made with a flour tortilla and taquitos are made with a corn tortilla.
before being baked in the oven after being baked in the oven
Each tortilla is rolled up the same way and they both have a filling inside.
It's a personal preference which you like the taste of better. If you have a gluten sensitivity being able to use corn tortillas is the route to go. So you'd definitely want to make taquitos vs flautas.
Quick Instructions
Here are some simple steps to making this chicken taquitos recipe:
- Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave, with a damp paper towel over top to get them warm and softened
- Oil a baking sheet and spread it all around
- Lay 6 corn tortillas out at a time on the baking sheet
- Spoon some of the filling on each tortilla, being mindful not to overfill or they won't roll easily and could crack (see my photo, oops!)
- Roll them up
- Add more oil to the baking sheet if it gets dry
- Line the chicken taquitos up, seem side down on the baking sheet (watch the video)
- Bake until crispy
What To Serve Taquitos With
Serve your chicken taquitos with these super popular frozen strawberry margaritas and a big batch of homemade pico de gallo or guacamole! Don't forget the sour cream and some finely chopped iceberg lettuce.
If you want to eat them for dinner they are super filling. But if you want to make them for something to snack on or an appetizer for a party, that would work really well too!
More Southwest Recipes To Try
- Sheet Pan Steak Totchos - nachos but with tater tots and these are so amazing you will make them on repeat, your kids will love them
- Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas With Elote (Mexican Street Corn) – These are seriously amazing, the Mexican street corn is out of this world
- Skillet Carnitas Nachos – A quick and easy carnitas nacho recipe
- Easy Southwest Steak Frites and Guacamole – Tender steak, wedge cut seasoned fries, guacamole and and all covered in jack cheese
- Skillet Chicken Jalapeño Cream Cheese Enchiladas – A bit quicker than rolled up enchiladas
- Short Rib Enchiladas With Tomatillo Sauce – The tomatillo sauce is so easy to make, or you can use a jar if you want
- Freezer Friendly Chicken Tortilla Soup – the best freezer friendly chicken tortilla soup, this stuff is amazing
- Chicken Street Tacos with Chipotle Aioli – this aioli is a showstopper and you need it
Baked Chicken Taquitos With Mexican Street Corn
These chicken taquitos are baked, not fried! Filled with juicy shredded chicken, charred corn, cheeses, jalapeños and spices. They are extra crispy and packed with the filling so you can eat them for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless
- Olive oil
- 20 corn tortillas
- 3 c frozen corn, thawed
- ¼ c sour cream
- ¼ c + 1 tbsp mayo
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ½ lime juiced
- ½ c cotija cheese, crumbled
- 6 oz jack cheese, grated
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- Handful of cilantro, chopped
chicken seasoning
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425
- Lay the chicken on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, drizzle olive oil over top
- Sprinkle the chicken with the chicken seasoning, mix it all around so the chicken is coated
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through
- To make the Mexican street corn grab a pan and heat it over med/high heat
- Add 1 cup of corn at a time, to char the edges and then remove it to a plate
- Repeat with all of the corn
- Turn the heat to low
- Add all the corn back in to the pan
- Add the jalapeños, sour cream, mayo, ¼ tsp chili powder, ½ lime juiced, ½ c cotija cheese
- Mix this all around until its melty
- Stir in the jack cheese
- Shred the chicken with two forks and add it to the pan with the chopped cilantro
- Mix it all together
- Place the corn tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel
- Microwave until they are soft and steaming - they should be hot and easily pliable
- Drizzle oil over a baking sheet and spread it all around with your hand
- Lay out 6 corn tortillas at a time
- Spoon some filling on each and roll up tight
- Place on the baking sheet seem side down, repeat with the rest
- Add a drizzle more oil if the pan runs out, making sure each tortilla has some oil on the back when you roll it
- Bake for 15 minutes
- Remove from the oven and serve
Notes
Be careful not to overbake, they could get too crunchy on the bottom
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 708Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 130mgSodium: 1009mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 9gSugar: 5gProtein: 48g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Brenda
These were delicious!!!! So so good! They will definitely be added into our rotation! Thanks Modern Crumb!!
Tara Moore
Thank you Brenda!
Cindy
These were delicious, however, the corn tortillas did not hold up. Layers just peeled off and made a mess. Why would that happen? The flour tortillas worked great, but I really wanted corn, I wasted half the package, they just fell apart.
Tara Moore
Usually this happens when the step to lay them in oil gets skipped, and also you can't skip the pre-heating step they need to be really warm and pliable. After you heat the tortillas try laying a damp paper towel on top to retain steam and moisture. Corn tortillas crack when they are too cold and lacking moisture. Hope that helps!
Donna
Does the corn have to be frozen, or can this work with canned corn as well?
Tara Moore
Hey Donna, I haven't tried it with canned corn - but I think it will be fine, just drain out all the liquid and char it like the recipe says to 🙂 Let me know how it works!
Kim
Do you use Boneless skinless chicken breasts?
Tara Moore
Hi Kim! Yes, boneless skinless.
Mike
They are awesome!!
Tara Moore
Thank you!! They are really good for lunch too!
Amanda
I cannot wait to make this!! It looks amazing and I bet that Mexican street corn adds so much flavor!
Tara Moore
I made it twice in one week haha, they are SO good!! And I like the extras for lunch the next day 🙂