Baked Spicy Chicken Taquitos

Spicy Baked Chicken Taquitos

Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Resting Time: 15 minutes | Total Time:1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Filling:

• 2 bone-in, skin on chicken breasts (500 g)
• 3 teaspoons avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ cup white onion, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups Red Barn Market Smoked Jalapeño Monterey
• 2 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
• ¼ cup sour cream (14%)

For the Taquitos & Toppings:

• 12 corn tortillas (I used 1 package of Adriana’s Corn Tortillas)
• ½ cup Red Barn Market Smoked Jalapeño Monterey
• ¼ cup avocado oil
• ½ head green lettuce, finely chopped
• 2 cups fresh salsa (such as pico do gallo)
• ¼ cup cilantro, whole leaves
• 2 limes, quartered, for garnish
• 6 radishes, sliced, for garnish

Directions:

To Prepare the Chicken Filling:

1. Begin by preparing the chicken breasts. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Add the sea salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and oregano into a bowl and mix to combine.
3. Place the chicken breasts on the parchment-lined baking tray skin side up. Coat both sides with 2 teaspoons of avocado oil and then season both sides of the chicken breasts with the spice mixture.
4. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes in the oven, or until fully cooked. Once cooked, remove from the oven, and let cool for 15 minutes before shredding the chicken. Remove the skin and shred the chicken meat using your hand or two forks and place the chicken meat into a mixing bowl. Discard the bones and the chicken skin.
5. While the chicken in baking, cook the onions. Add the chopped onion to a small frying pan over medium-high heat along with 1 teaspoon of avocado oil. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes to allow the onion to soften and start to turn golden brown. Once softened, set aside, and let cool completely.
6. Add 1 ½ cups of Red Barn Market Smoked Jalapeño Monterey to the bowl, along with the cooked onions, chopped jalapeño peppers, and sour cream. Mix to fully combine and set aside.

To Prepare & Roll the Taquitos:

7. Heat a cast-iron pan (or any heavy-bottomed pan) over medium heat on the stove. Place one corn tortilla in the pan and toast it for 30 seconds per side. This helps to add flavour to the tortilla and make it more pliable for filling.
8. Remove the tortilla from the pan and lay it flat on a cutting board. Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken filling onto the lower third of the corn tortilla in a line, reaching to each edge of the tortilla. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Red Barn Market Smoked Jalapeño Monterey on top of the chicken filling.
9. Roll the tortilla up around the chicken filling and cheese, making sure to roll it as tight as possible. Place the rolled taquito seam side down on a separate cutting board. Repeat the process for the rest of the tortillas.

To Bake & Serve the Taquitos:

10. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Line another baking tray with parchment paper.
11. Brush the parchment paper with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Place the taquitos seam side down on the baking tray, spacing them 1-inch apart to ensure they do not touch. Brush the top of the taquitos with the remaining avocado oil.
12. Bake the taquitos for 15 minutes in the oven, or until golden brown and crisp.
13. Remove the taquitos from the oven and serve them on a bed of lettuce. Top the taquitos with fresh salsa, sour cream, and a garnish of sliced radish, lime wedges, and cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

• You can also make this recipe with flour tortillas as well, but instead of taquitos, they are called flautas!
• You can make these taquitos as spicy or as mild as you want. Simply add or remove the jalapeño peppers or the cayenne pepper from this recipe to adjust to your liking.