Chicken Taquitos: Smoky Chipotle and Green Chile

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Chicken Taquitos: Smoky Chipotle and Green Chile These chicken taquitos begin with chicken slow cooked alongside diced green chiles, chipotle, garlic powder, onion powder, chicken base, and pickled jalapeño juice. The recipe allows for chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination, so the filling can be built around the chicken pieces you have chosen.

Watch How to Make It

After the chicken becomes tender enough to pull apart easily, it is shredded and tossed with part of the cooking juices. That step keeps the filling flavorful and juicy while avoiding a wet filling that could make the rolled taquitos harder to manage.

The shredded chicken is layered into briefly warmed tortillas with cheese, rolled tightly, and finished in either the oven or air fryer. Once golden and crispy with melted cheese, the taquitos can be topped with jalapeños, tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, green chiles, shredded cheese, or any combination you want.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The slow-cooked filling has several built-in choices without changing the overall method. Use chicken breasts, thighs, or both, and choose between chipotle powder or finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo for the chipotle element.

Several ingredient amounts are given as ranges, including the diced green chiles, chipotle, chicken base, pickled jalapeño juice, and chicken broth. The butter is optional, and the broth is added only as needed to keep the chicken moist during cooking.

The filling is also handled with a clear balance in mind after shredding. Returning the chicken to some of its juices gives it moisture, but the instruction is specifically not to drown it, keeping the mixture suitable for rolling inside tortillas.

The finishing method is flexible as well. Bake the taquitos at 400°F or air fry them at 375-400°F, using the method-specific timing and checking instructions to reach a golden, crispy exterior and melted cheese.

Ingredients You'll Need

For the chicken filling, start with 2-3 pounds of chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination. Add 1-2 small cans of diced green chiles, plus either 1-2 teaspoons of chipotle powder or 1-2 finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo.

Garlic powder and onion powder are each used in an amount of 1 1/2 teaspoons. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then add 1-2 tablespoons of chicken base or Better Than Bouillon and 1/4-1/2 cup of pickled jalapeño juice.

A 1/2 cup of butter is optional for the slow cooker. Keep 1/2-1 cup chicken broth available, adding only enough to keep the contents moist; the recipe notes that it will not take much.

For assembly, the instructions call for tortillas, the shredded chicken filling, and your desired amount of cheese. The tortillas are warmed briefly before rolling so they are flexible.

For the final cooking step, lightly spray or brush the outside of the rolled taquitos with oil. Topping options include jalapeños, shredded cheese, tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, and green chiles.

How To Make It

Cook the chicken:. Add the chicken to your crockpot along with the green chiles, chipotle, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, chicken base, and jalapeño juice. Add the butter if using and enough chicken broth to keep everything moist.

It won’t take much.

Slow cook

Cook until the chicken is completely tender and easily pulls apart. Depending on your crockpot and chicken pieces, this will generally take 4-6 hours on LOW or 2½-4 hours on HIGH. Chicken should reach 165°F internally.

Shred it: Remove the chicken and shred it really well. Return it to some of the cooking juices and toss it together. Don’t drown it-you want flavorful, juicy chicken without a wet filling.

Build the taquitos

Warm the tortillas briefly so they’re flexible. Add a layer of shredded chicken and your desired amount of cheese. Roll: Roll each tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam-side down on a baking sheet or in your air fryer.

Get them CRISPY

Lightly spray or brush the outside with oil. Oven: Bake at 400°F for about 15-20 minutes, turning if needed, until golden and crispy and the cheese is melted. Air fryer: Air fry at 375-400°F for about 8-12 minutes, checking toward the end, until crispy and golden.

PILE ON THE GOOD STUFF: Top with jalapeños, shredded cheese, tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, green chiles, or whatever makes your heart happy.

Serving & Variations

The recipe provides variation through the chicken choice, the chipotle choice, and the amount of cheese used in each tortilla. The diced green chiles, chipotle, chicken base, jalapeño juice, and broth also have provided ranges, while butter remains optional.

For finishing, choose from the listed toppings according to what you want on the taquitos. Jalapeños, tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, green chiles, and extra shredded cheese can be used individually or together.

The oven and air fryer are both supported finishing methods. Follow the separate temperatures and timing ranges for the method selected, turning oven-baked taquitos if needed and checking air-fried taquitos toward the end.

Wrapping Up

These chicken taquitos pair a slow-cooked, shredded chicken filling with a tightly rolled tortilla and cheese. Finish them in the oven or air fryer, then add the toppings you want after they are golden, crispy, and the cheese has melted.

Recipe created by Xena’s Kitchen for Trust Me Try It.

Chicken Taquitos: Smoky Chipotle and Green Chile

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 6 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• For the chicken:
• 2-3 lb chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
• 1-2 small cans diced green chiles
• 1-2 tsp chipotle powder OR 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Salt & black pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tbsp chicken base or Better Than Bouillon
• 1/4-1/2 cup pickled jalapeño juice
• 1/2 cup butter, optional
• 1/2-1 cup chicken broth, as needed

Instructions

• Cook the chicken:
• Add the chicken to your crockpot along with the green chiles, chipotle, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, chicken base, and jalapeño juice. Add the butter if using and enough chicken broth to keep everything moist. It won’t take much!
• Slow cook: Cook until the chicken is completely tender and easily pulls apart. Depending on your crockpot and chicken pieces, this will generally take 4-6 hours on LOW or 2½-4 hours on HIGH. Chicken should reach 165°F internally.
• Shred it: Remove the chicken and shred it really well. Return it to some of the cooking juices and toss it together. Don’t drown it-you want flavorful, juicy chicken without a wet filling.
• Build the taquitos: Warm the tortillas briefly so they’re flexible. Add a layer of shredded chicken and your desired amount of cheese.
• Roll: Roll each tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam-side down on a baking sheet or in your air fryer.
• Get them CRISPY: Lightly spray or brush the outside with oil. Oven: Bake at 400°F for about 15-20 minutes, turning if needed, until golden and crispy and the cheese is melted. Air fryer: Air fry at 375-400°F for about 8-12 minutes, checking toward the end, until crispy and golden.
• PILE ON THE GOOD STUFF: Top with jalapeños, shredded cheese, tomatoes, cheese sauce, sour cream, green chiles, or whatever makes your heart happy.