Baked Taquitos

This is a meal that is a HUGE favorite with my 5 year old!  He LOVES taquitos and these are SUPER easy!  I typically make them with chicken, but have been known to make them for lunch with leftover taco meat from dinner the night before (here's my taco meat recipe).  I have made these with both corn and flour tortillas (although my husband informed me that when they're made with flour tortillas they're not taquitos, they're flautas).  The trick with using corn tortillas is to make sure they are screaming hot because otherwise they won't roll properly and they will tear.  I serve these up with a sour cream and salsa dip.  YUM!

Baked Taquitos

• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I like to use a rotisserie chicken to make life easier- or leftover taco meat)
• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (or sometimes I use cheddar and jack together, or cheddar and pepperjack)
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz mild diced green chilies (you could use hot if you like things spicy)
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder or granulated garlic (I prefer granulated garlic)
• 4 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• 1 tbsp. salsa
• 20 small corn tortillas or flour tortillas
• 1 stick butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with foil (I like to use my stone bar pan). Heat the tortillas according to package directions (for the corn tortillas, I like to wrap them in a damp paper towel and then wrap them in foil and put them in the oven as it preheats.  That usually gets them super hot and they are more pliable).   Mix the chicken and the next 7 ingredients together (or if using leftover taco meat, mix it with the cheese).  To assemble, brush one side of a tortilla with butter, place a heaping teaspoonful of the meat mixture down the middle of the tortilla and roll up.  Line up on the baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Brush the taquitos with butter and bake for 10-15 minutes until very brown and crunchy.  Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or whatever you like!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!