Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos

Happy St Patrick's Day!  Are you doing anything special to celebrate?  Nothing too exciting over here - we'll be eating our corned beef and cabbage for dinner, but otherwise, it's business as usual.  I have a few bottles of Guinness in the fridge for Shane but since he's running his first race of the season (a half-marathon in New Bedford) on Sunday, I doubt he'll take me up on that offer.  I'm not much of a Guinness fan myself, but maybe I'll whip up one of those homemade shamrock shakes I've seen floating around the blog world this week.  I tried a shamrock shake from McDonald's for the first time this year and didn't love it as much as I'd hoped; maybe I'll have better luck with a homemade version :)  



But anyway, today I'm actually not sharing a St Patrick's Day recipe.  Instead, we're going with a Mexican theme.  Shane and I are both big fans of Mexican food but I don't know that we've ever had authentic taquitos.  When I saw this recipe on Josie's blog a few weeks ago, I bookmarked it immediately and was so excited to finally try it.  I roasted a chicken earlier this week and used the leftovers for the filling in the taquitos but I think shredded pork would be equally delicious.  I love that this recipe can be made in advance and frozen, and the next time I make the taquitos I'm definitely planning to prep extra and do that.  There's no question there will be a next time as Shane and I both loved this recipe.  It's flavorful and fun, a definite change of pace for us.  Whatever you do, don't skip the salt sprinkled on the taquitos before they're baked.  Those bites were the very best!  



Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos
adapted from Pink Parsley Catering, originally from Our Best Bites

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa verde
juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, chile powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic, parsley, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt.  Add the chicken and cheeses and stir until evenly distributed.  Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 2 tortillas at a time on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel.  Microwave for 25 seconds, or until the tortillas are soft and pliable.  Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly.  Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden.  (I loved them served with sour cream!)