These Baked Chicken Taquitos are quick, easy and terrific tasting. Make them once and I guarantee they’ll become part of your regular repertoire!

Would someone please explain to me how there seem to be less hours in the day this summer?!! Isn’t it supposed to be a more carefree, laid back time? So why does it feel like I’m running around like a chicken without a head, never quite managing to get all the things I need to do done? Like, I had every intention of getting this post out to you yesterday, and somehow, I just couldn’t find the time (or brain power) to eke it out.

Which makes the easy deliciousness these Baked Chicken Taquitos even more critical! Dare I say lifesaving? Crunchy, fun and filled with a simple cheesy chicken mixture, they’re a busy mom’s dream!

You can even use a store-bought rotisserie chicken to whip these up!

Anyhoo, once you’ve mixed together the very pantry-friendly ingredients, you simply roll them in corn tortillas that have been slightly warmed between two damp paper towels in the microwave to make them more flexible for rolling— (file away this amazing kitchen hack!!)

And then bake.

Less than half an hour later, you’ve got yourself a substantial tray of extremely crowd-pleasing taquitos! Yay! And because they’re baked and not fried, you don’t have to feel bad about serving them. Double yay!!

And you can top them with whatever you like—chopped tomatoes, scallions, sour cream, more cheese, salsa, guacamole—whatever you like. Toss together a simple salad and dinner is served. Whew! We made it through another day!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Makes at least 10 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

• About 2 cups shredded chicken (I usually roast a couple of chicken breast or you can use rotisserie chicken to make it even easier)

• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder

• Large pinch or two of kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• Pinch of black pepper

• The juice of 1 lime

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese ( I usually use a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)

• Large package of corn tortillas (I usually get at least 20 out of this mixture—often more)

• Chopped tomatoes, scallions, sour cream, salsa etc. for toppings (optional)

The Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF and spray a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, pepper and lime juice and stir well to mix. Add in the shredded cheese and mix well again.

3. Dampen two paper towels and place 2 tortillas on one. Top with the other sheet and place in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Place a well rounded tablespoon of the mixture in the middle of each tortilla and roll up tightly, placing it seam side down in the dish and nestling the tortillas closely next to each other. Repeat the microwaving and rolling up process until you run out of tortillas and chicken mixture.

4. Spray the tops of the tortillas with cooking spray and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy. Serve as is or topped with chopped tomatoes, scallions, sour cream, more cheese, salsa or whatever else you can dream up.

Enjoy!