Chicken and Pepper Jack Cheese Taquitos
These Slow Cooker Chicken Taquitos are made with crispy corn tortillas stuffed with tender taco-flavored shredded chicken and a creamy, cheesy, salsa mixture.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, I earn a small commission. Thank you! Read our disclosure policy here.
Chicken Taquitos are an easy dinner recipe that goes with so many other dishes. They'd complement various types of Mexican food, and they're perfect to grab with some Loaded Carnitas Nachos and would be great with Slow Cooker Smothered Chicken Burritos or any other great recipes you enjoy for Taco Tuesday dinners.
Why You Need To Make These Taquitos
This taquito recipe takes the stress out of mealtime. It's made with simple pantry staples and is so simple to just toss together. They’re freezer-friendly, kid-approved, and perfect for busy weeknights or game day snacks. I love how many things you can pair these taquitos with.
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders
- Taco seasoning: Grab a packet or use some Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Jarred salsa: A thick salsa is best to prevent it from being to watery.
- Cream cheese:
- Shredded cheese: Monterey Jack cheese, Colby Jack cheese, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, or other shredded cheese options
- Corn tortillas: Flour tortillas can also be used if you prefer.
- Oil for frying: Vegetable, canola, or avocado oil.
How To Make Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
- Step 1: Add chicken breast to the Slow Cooker with taco seasoning, cream cheese, and salsa. Cover and cook on high.
- Step 2: Use two forks to shred the creamy chicken filling. Add shredded cheese. Use tongs to mix cheese into the meat mixture.
- Step 3: Warm corn tortillas so they're easier to work with. Spread some of the taquito filling on the tortillas before rolling them up.
- Step 4: Heat oil in a skillet and carefully place the rolled taquitos in the hot oil, seam side down. Cook until they're golden brown. When taquitos are cooked, place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess grease before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Serve with guacamole, homemade salsa, a drizzle of salsa verde, or sour cream for dipping. These also go great with a side of cilantro lime rice or refried beans.
- Use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another meal for an even quicker prep time. Just heat it in the slow cooker with seasonings for a shorter time.
- Squeeze some fresh lime juice over taquito meat mixture for another pop of flavor if desired.
- Any leftover taquitos should be put in an airtight container and can be kept in the fridge for a few days. The tortilla may lose its crispiness overtime.
- You can make the taquito filling up to one day in advance. Make the chicken mixture and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then warm up the tortillas and assemble before frying them.
Recipe Faq's
Corn tortillas give that classic taquito crunch, but small flour tortillas can be used for a softer, easier-to-roll option. I also suggest warming up the tortillas to help make them more pliable for this chicken taquito recipe. If you want to use larger tortillas, you may not get as many taquitos as you would with the smaller tortilla option, but it could still work out nicely for these cheesy chicken taquitos.
Yes! Assemble taquitos and freeze them before baking, or you can freeze leftovers. You can lay them flat on a baking sheet to freeze individually before popping in a freezer-safe bag or container.
Yes! Air fry at 400°F for about 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy.
It’s best to use thawed chicken for food safety reasons. If using frozen, make sure your slow cooker reaches a safe temperature quickly and cook on high.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes
Make sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for all my latest recipes!
Chicken and Pepper Jack Taquitos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breast or 6 chicken tenders
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup jarred salsa I use chipotle salsa
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese shredded
- 24 (6 inch) corn tortillas I prefer the thin tortillas
- 1/2 cup oil
Instructions
- In a slow cooker add the chicken, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and salsa. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
- Shred chicken with two forks, and add shredded cheese. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and let the cheese melt for 5-10 minutes.
- Warm a few tortillas at a time in the microwave for 20 seconds so they don't split. Spread 2 tablespoons of the mixture on the tortillas. Roll up and set seam side down in oil.
- Heat a skillet with oil on medium-high heat. Cook until golden brown. Set on paper towels to drain.
- Serve warm with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole!
The flavor combination in this recipe is fantastic! The cream cheese and salsa gives the chicken such a delicious flavor! It turns out so moist when cooked in the crock pot and then the crispy tortillas put it over the top! I served it with sour cream and green onions over a bed of iceberg lettuce and it was SO GOOD!! Will definitely be making this one again!!
Not sure what you mean by fallen apart crack?You need to warm them in the microwave between to damp paper towels before rolling.
Just made this and while the filling was yummy, all my tortillas have fallen apart before I could get them into the freezer. How do I stop that from happening? I've never worked with corn tortillas either so I'm sure I did something wrong.
Correct! That info is included in the recipe.
We have made similar dishes forever as a mexican family. The trick is to slightly warm the tortilla, but not fully heated, so it can bend enough to fry it.
I use Mission tortillas, the extra thin ones and they seem to work the best.
What brand corn tortillas do you recommend? No matter what brand I use, and if I warm them in the microwave, they split when I try to roll them. And by the time they go into the skillet, I have a mostly broken mess. The end result is still delicious, just not very pretty. Thanks!