This post may contain affiliate links. Any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you!
These insanely delicious baked chipotle chicken taquitos with homemade enchilada sauce are so easy and cheesy! Perfect for a weeknight meal or even as a fun appetizer!
Jump to Recipe
Happy Saturday everyone! Today just seems like the perfect taquito day, and after posting that decadent and delicious Double Dark Chocolate Banana Bread a few days ago, I figured a savory recipe needed to happen next.
Don’t you just love a good taquito?! If so, then you’re going to absolutely love these Baked Chipotle Chicken Taquitos. My family can’t get enough of these amazing taquitos and I know your family will love them, too! They’re perfect for these cold wintery nights when you just need some delicious Mexican comfort food. Plus, they’re easy and healthier than traditional methods.
So when we need a good taquito fix, this is my go-to recipe and it’s so versatile! It’s easy enough for a weeknight meal (hello new taco Tuesday favorite), and even great served as a fun appetizer.
Baked chipotle chicken taquitos..
These baked chipotle chicken taquitos are crunchy on the outside and extra cheesy on the inside, with just the right amount of heat and smokiness from the chipotle chilies.
For this recipe, I use a homemade enchilada sauce, and let me tell you… It’s SO MUCH better than store bought. You will be surprised at just how easy enchilada sauce is to make from home. With just a handful of pantry seasonings, you can have the best homemade enchilada sauce in under 10 minutes. Making the enchilada sauce from scratch definitely takes these taquitos to the next level. Bonus? You can use this enchilada recipe anywhere you need red enchilada sauce. We like to make a big batch and have some on hand, it’s that good.
So lets make some enchilada sauce..
Once you try this homemade enchilada sauce you will never buy it from the can again. It’s so rich, flavorful and all around perfect and takes only 10 minutes to make!
Spices in the enchilada sauce include:
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Oregano
- a pinch of cinnamon
- Salt
In a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons all purpose flour and all the seasonings. In a medium pot, add 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour/spice mixture and whisk constantly for 1 minute, until the spices are fragrant. Add the tomato paste and toast for an additional 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Gently pour in the chicken broth whisking well to prevent clumps. Add the salt, sugar and vinegar.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium high heat, and allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt (if needed).
Done!
Use ½ cups of this enchilada sauce for the taquitos, and store the remaining enchilada sauce in an airtight container. This enchilada sauce keeps for about a week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it for later use.
Now let’s make some taquitos!
For this recipe I kept it simple with a rotisserie chicken; but feel free to mess around with the meat if you prefer ground beef, shredded beef, turkey or even pork. The possibilities are endless! But I will say, chicken is our favorite in this chipotle chili version.
You’re definitely not going to want to skip out on the onions in this recipe. The onions in these taquitos are crucial for a super flavorful taquito. Once the onions are diced, saute them for 5-8 minutes until translucent and soft. Then add the shredded chicken, diced chipotle chilies and cook for 2 minutes until the adobo chilies become fragrant. Next, add ½ cup of the homemade enchilada sauce. Cook for a few more minutes so the flavors come together. Set the mixture aside so that it is cool enough to handle. Season to taste with salt if needed.
Instead of deep frying these taquitos we are going to bake them to perfection for an all around healthier, (and easier!) meal. Double win! No deep frying means less clean up, which I am all about.
Assembling the baked chipotle chicken taquitos..
For these taquitos we are going to use corn tortillas. It’s important to note, before you begin rolling them up, you will need to pop the corn tortillas in the microwave for about 60 seconds so they become soft and pliable enough to work with.
Fun fact: if you switch the corn tortillas out for flour tortillas, these would no longer be considered taquitos but flautas.
Before we begin filling up the tortillas with the delicious filling, the next crucial step is oiling the corn tortillas all over. Front, back and all around the edges. We want those taquitos perfectly crispy! To keep these taquitos lightened up, we are going to use olive oil or avocado oil. I have tried both oils with equally delicious results. Once the tortillas are oiled, it’s time to start rolling! This part is fun if you have kids! They will love helping you roll up each taquito (and will probably sample the filling as they work).
Place around 1 ½ tablespoons of the chicken filling down the middle, top with another 1-2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese and roll them up! Place the rolled taquitos on a parchment lined baking sheet seam side down. When all the taquitos are rolled up, it’s time to bake!
In a hot oven preheated at 425 degrees F, bake the taquitos for roughly 8 minutes. Then flip and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until perfectly crisp. DONE.
Serve these taquitos with sour cream, avocado and any desired toppings.
Looking for more unique taco Tuesday favorites? Be sure to try these Korean Inspired Street Tacos with Caramelized Kimchi!
Did you love this recipe? Be sure to leave me a comment below, I love hearing from you! 🙂 Also be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss a delicious recipe.
You can also find the Butternut & Sage Facebook page here.
On Instagram? Be sure to snap a picture of your creations and tag #butternutandsage blog!
Recipe
Bake Chipotle Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
For the Enchilada Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 ½ tablespoons ground chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the Taquitos:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or olive oil) + more for basting the tortillas
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cups shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken
- 16-20 corn tortillas (5 inch street taco size)
- 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- ½ cup homemade enchilada sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, monterey jack or Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
For the Enchilada Sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk the 3 tablespoons of flour with the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and oregano. Have the can of tomato paste open and the chicken broth ready as well, because it goes quick once you get started.
- In a medium pot add 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour/spice mixture and whisk constantly for 1 minute, until the spices are fragrant. Add the tomato paste and toast for an additional 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Gently pour in the chicken broth whisking well to prevent clumps. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium high heat, and allow to simmer for 5-8 minutes, stirring often until slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt. Set aside to cool.
For the Taquitos:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large skillet heat the 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is fragrant and translucent. Next add the chipotle peppers, shredded chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until the chilies become fragrant. Add ½ cup of the homemade enchilada sauce, and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt if needed. Set aside to cool while you oil the tortillas.
- Place parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. In the microwave, heat the corn tortillas for 60 seconds so that they become soft and pliable enough to roll up.
- After the tortillas are warmed up, taking a basting brush oil the tortillas all over with either avocado oil or olive oil. Make sure each tortilla is oiled front, back and all around the edges. We want those taquitos perfectly crispy! Once the tortillas are oiled, it's time to start rolling them up! Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of the chicken filling down the middle, top with another 1-2 tablespoons of the shredded cheese and roll up each taquito. Place the rolled taquitos on the parchment lined baking sheet seam side down.
- Bake the taquitos in the hot oven for 8 minutes, turn and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until perfectly crisp. Serve with sour cream, avocado, salsa, fresh chopped cilantro and any desired toppings!
These look AMAZING! Will be making them this week! So much healthier with the homemade sauce. My husband has to stay away from prepared foods and I can adjust the sodium. Thank you for the recipe!
I am so excited to hear how these turn out for you!! The homemade enchilada sauce is indeed so much healthier and so much more flavorful than store bought! 🙂
I made these tonight and they are wonderful! Love the enchilada sauce and the slight smokiness from the Chipotle peppers. This recipe makes a lot and I’m really happy because tomorrow we have leftovers!