Baked Chicken Taquitos with Chipotle and Tomatillo Dipping Sauces

That's a long title.  It should be called "EAT THIS NOW" but while that does give pretty explicit instructions, it might be a little vague. 

But really, EAT THIS NOW. 

Last Thursday was Cinco De Mayo and I had to work late so I didn't get to celebrate as I would have liked (read: margaritas).  To make up for this, on Friday I decided to buy some Corona and make chicken tacos and have a post-Cinco De Mayo celebration I so cleverly named Seis De Mayo. 

I'm both bilingual and a wordsmith, I know. 

My taco plan lasted up until I found this recipe.  It wasn't even a question, rather more of a revelation: I was always going to make these taquitos.  These taquitos and I were made for each other. 

Ree over at The Pioneer Woman does a Wednesday post called Web Deliciousness in which she featured this taquito recipe from Pink Parsley who originally adapted it from Pennies on a Platter who originally adapted it from Our Best Bites.  The fact that so many bloggers have raved about this recipe is a testament to how fantastic it is.  It's fantastic. 

Let's make taquitos! 

For the creamy chicken filling, I started by baking three seasoned chicken breasts in a foil packet for about 30 minutes.  This method of cooking chicken, also from Pink Parsley, is fool proof.  The chicken came out moist, flavorful, and perfect for shredding, which is what I did.

While the chicken was baking, I made a creamy chipotle dipping sauce to go with the taquitos.  I combined Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, minced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, the actual adobo sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne and paprika.

I mixed that all up and let it refrigerate for about an hour so the flavors got acquainted.

Meanwhile, the chicken came out of the oven and I shredded it with a fork and set aside.

Then, in a larger bowl, I combined softened cream cheese, tomatillo salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder and the chicken then stirred to combine. 

Then I added a handful of cilantro then grated cheddar and pepper jack cheese. 

Again I stirred to combine.  Everything gets all creamy and delicious.  This would be amazing on a sandwich just like this.  It's like Mexican chicken salad.  Yum.

To make the taquitos I took some corn tortillas, added some chicken mixture to the first 1/3 of the tortilla, then rolled very tightly.

But then I realized that my corn tortillas were stale and weren't rolling well at all, so instead I used flour tortillas, which I had bought for the tacos that got rejected once this recipe came into my life.  Flour tortilla taquitos are the bomb.

I rolled all the taquitos up and placed on a baking sheet that had been sprayed with cooking spray.  I also sprayed the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkled a little bit of Kosher salt on top and baked them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I don't have a picture of this.  Use your imagination.

Then I made an avocado and tomatillo salsa dip which combined two avocados, mashed, with about 1/4 cup of tomatillo salsa, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Easy.

We ate our taquitos with dipping sauces for a meal, and we were stuffed afterward.  However, if you wanted to make this a more balanced meal, some beans or rice or both would be great on the side.  This would also be a great party appetizer as you can make most of it before hand (except for the avocado dip, which needs to be made right before eating because it will turn brown).  You can also freeze the pre-made taquitos and pop them in the oven whenever you feel like it! 

Personally I don't see how anyone could have the will power not to eat these immediately. 

Here's the recipe!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup tomatillo salsa
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
flour or corn tortillas
cooking spray
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Combine softened cream cheese, tomatillo salsa, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Stir to combine then add the shredded chicken, then the cilantro and then the cheese.  Combine well.

Heat tortillas in a microwave to soften them, then place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture 1/3 away form the edge of the first tortilla.  Roll tightly and place seam side down on the baking sheet.  Repeat for the remaining tortillas until there is no more chicken mixture left.  I got an even dozen out of this recipe.

Spray the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and the ends start to brown.

Creamy Chipotle Dip

2 chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you are sensitive to spice)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Stir all ingredients together and taste for seasonings.  Let sit in refrigerator, covered, for at least an hour so the flavors meld.

Avocado Tomatillo Dip

2 avocados
1/4 cup tomatillo salsa
salt
pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Mash avocado and mix with the tomatillo salsa and seasonings.  Taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!