Taco Thursday

Baked Chicken Taquitos with Roasted Red Pepper

Cook's notes: A taquito is Spanish for "small taco" or "rolled taco." It's  a Mexican dish most often consisting of a small rolled-up tortilla and some type of filling including beef, cheese or chicken. The filled tortilla is then crisp-fried. The dish is often topped with condiments such as sour cream and guacamole. This is a family friendly supper. Pair with your favorite Mexican condiments and a dish of sorbet for a satisfying meal.  Taquitos are the perfect appetizer for a Cinco de Mayo party. The filling can be made the night before for easy assembly.  

This recipe calls for baking instead of deep-frying, making the taquitos substantially healthier than what you’d get at a restaurant. Consider this...one order of deep-fried, rolled-up tacos at a restaurant can set you back almost 1,000 calories with 60 grams of fat!
Serve the baked chicken taquitos with your favorite salsa, guacamole and reduced-fat sour cream and you can cut the calories. The recipe makes 12 taquitos. A rotisserie chicken from the deli is a time saver. Roasted Red Peppers often are found in produce dept. Traders Joes has a product I really like with a bit of zip and zing.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 oz. low fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 TB. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 TB. chopped cilantro
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 1-2 roasted red peppers, finely diced, patted dry on a paper towel
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese or shredded Mexican Fiesta Cheese, divided
• 10-12 6-inch flour or corn tortillas
• Optional:reduced fat sour cream and additional salsa

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking pan  with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients listed before tortillas. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
• Warm the tortillas wrapped in paper towels in the microwave to soften, about 15 seconds. Place each tortilla on a work surface spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly in the baking pan.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray.

• Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Turn once during baking time.  Serve with condiments and remaining cheese.