The summer after freshman year of college, Dan and I both spent the summer in Madison, working in research labs. Work-wise, it wasn’t the best experience – my advisor would disappear for days at a time, and it was over a month before I actually received any training for what I was hired to do. But in all other aspects, it was one of my favorite summers: we spent our evenings and weekends riding our bikes around Madison, attending various festivals and events and watching movies at one of our sublets (usually mine. Dan lived with three guys who weren’t the most hygienic, so we both preferred to hang out at the house where I was subletting a room).
It was our first summer on our own, away from our parents and the dorm dining halls, and we didn’t know how to cook much. So we always kept a box of taquitos in the freezer, and ate them for dinner a few times a week, usually with baby carrots or some frozen vegetables.
As I taught myself to cook and started paying a little more attention to the nutritional value of what I was eating, the taquitos slowly got phased out of our freezer. We hadn’t eaten them in years, up until the week before we left for Jamaica last month.
I was trying to empty out our freezer, since we were going to be away for nine days. The Wednesday before we left, I grabbed a big container of salad greens and a box of taquitos to get us through some of the last few pre-vacation dinners.
While the taquitos were less unhealthy than I expected them to be, and still pretty tasty, I knew I could make something even better. So as soon as we got back, I challenged myself to come up with an even better taquito recipe…and with these chicken tinga taquitos, I’m pretty sure I succeeded!
And this avocado cream? It is more of an avocado ranch dip. And I just want to use it on everything – as a dip for taquitos, sure, but also on salads and in scrambled eggs. It may just become a regular staple in our refrigerator. While it does contain some mayonnaise, much of the mayo and all of the sour cream and buttermilk from a typical ranch dressing is replaced by avocado and fat-free Greek yogurt, making it much lighter and healthier. So I don’t have to feel quite as guilty for using it on everything!
The spice of these flavorful chicken taquitos is tempered by an avocado ranch sauce. If you'd like to make them less spicy, cut back on the chipotle puree. They can also be made with corn tortillas if you'd prefer, though I've found that they are more likely to tear and leak.
Filling adapted from Tacos by Mark Miller.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 12 ounces chorizo sausage
- 12 ounces crushed tomatoes, with juice
- 1 7-ounce can chipotle chilies in adobo, pureed
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 20- 6" flour tortillas
- 1 avocado
- 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Cover the chicken breasts with the 4 cups of water in a large stockpot. Put the lid on, and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside. When it is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks.
- Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper and poblano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Crumble the chorizo into the skillet and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Return the vegetables and chicken to the skillet. Add the tomatoes, chipotle puree, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until much of the liquid is absorbed and the filling is heated through. This should take 10-15 minutes.
- Grease a 9x13" baking pan. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling into a tortilla in a single line about 1/3 of the way from one edge. Roll tightly, and place seam down in the pan. Repeat until the pan is full (you will have extra filling and tortillas).
- Brush the tops of the taquitos with oil, and bake at 450F for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Either cook the rest of the filling into taquitos, or allow it to cool completely before sealing in an airtight freezer-safe container and freezing for later.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely mixed.
Make Ahead and Storage
Extra filling can be frozen for up to 3 months for future use.
This week on #SundaySupper, we’re talking about our favorite stuffed, wrapped and rolled foods. Check out what everyone else made!
Starters and Snacks
- Easy Apple Dumplings by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Endive Stuffed with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Honey by Shockingly Delicious
- Filipino Turon (Banana Lumpia) by Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Arepas de Queso (cheese stuffed cornmeal cakes) by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Chicken Tinga Taquitos with Avocado Cream by Savvy Eats
- Eggy Rice Wraps by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Puff Pastry and Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Onigiri by Brunch With Joy
- Stuffed Pierogie Shells by Seduction in The Kitchen
- Scotch Eggs with Sriracha Dipping Sauce by Run DMT
- Celery Root Lettuce Wraps with Beluga Lentils by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Entrees and Mains
- Rouladen by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Stracci di Antrodoco by Manu’s Menu
- Eggplant Rollatini by MealDiva
- Chicken Cordon Blue by The Foodie Army Wife
- Stuffed Whole Baby Savoy Cabbages by Food Lust People Love
- Chicken Taco Egg Rolls by Table for Seven
- Shrimp Tempura Rolls by Small Wallet, Big Appetite
- Lemon and Herbed Stuffed Salmon by Nosh My Way
- Tamales de Rajas y Requeson (Roasted Poblano Tamales) by La Cocina de Leslie
- Bademjan Shekam-por – Persian Stuffed Eggplant by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Mascarpone Blueberry Stuffed French Toast by gotta get baked
- Korean-style Meaty Stuffed Potatoes by kimchi MOM
- Strawberries and Cream Pancake Roll by Curious Cuisiniere
- Creamy Goat Cheese Quinoa Stuffed Tomatoes by Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Rolled Greek Meatloaf by Kudos Kitchen By Renee
- Shrimp Burritos Con Queso by Cooking On The Ranch
- Bee-Bim Bop Sushi Rolls by NinjaBaking.com
- Angel Hair Shrimp Lettuce Wraps by Family Foodie
- Genoa Salami and Kalamata Olive Calzones by The Texan New Yorker
- Zucchini Boats by Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Girl’s Camp Breakfast Burritos by Hot Momma’s Kitchen Chaos
- Crab Louie Stuffed Chicken by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Rustic “Wrapped” Tart with Ramps by Delaware Girl Eats
- Potato Roll Stuffed with Ham and Cheese in Red Sauce by Basic N Delicious
- Ham, Turkey and Cheddar Turnovers by Magnolia Days
- Crispy Chipotle Shrimp Burritos by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
- Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts by Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Pizza Pockets by girlichef
- Ham and Cheese Crescent “Roll” Stromboli by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
- Beef Wellington Braciole by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Greek Salad Wrap by The Messy Baker
- Cabbage Venison Lettuce Wraps With Fresh Herbs by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
All things Sweet
- Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls by Chocolate Moosey
- Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach by Desserts Required
- Chocolate Cake Roll by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cannoli Stuffed French Toast by Momma’s Meals
- Lemon Poppyseed Swirl Cookies by What Smells So Good
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Egg Rolls by Melanie Makes
- Raspberry and Lemon Curd Mascarpone Stuffed French Toast by La Bella Vita Cucina
- Chocolate Chip Banana Sweet Rolls by Big Bear’s Wife
- Orange Chocolate Swiss Roll by Noshing With The Nolands
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies by Alida’s Kitchen
- Flourless Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies by Pies and Plots
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.
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Oh my goodness! These taquitos sound divine!!!
omg everything about this sounds delicious. Chicken, chorizo and balsamic=yum. Pinned! And I’m swooning over that Avocado cream sauce. I’ll be trying that very soon. I tried to make taquitos once and couldn’t get them small enough, they looked silly. But this recipe has inspired me to give it another try. Thanks for sharing.
Your taquitos look delsih! I am so loving the avocado cream sauce! Yum!!
The filling sounds great especially with the chorizo! Lovely photos!
These Taquitos looks sooo good!! I can not wait to try this recipe.
My mouth is watering! I love this! Can’t wait to give it a whirl!
Sometimes it’s okay to eat less unhealthy and why not their taquitos. Love them.
I love avocado! I want make this right now, I think I got an avocado in my fridge 🙂
Our family loves taquitos! Love the avocado cream, great idea!
Love taquitos and yours look fabulous!! You sealed the deal with the avocado cream!!
These indeed look healthy and delicious! What fun impromptu meal –
Yeah, I have a feeling your homemade taquitos are WAY better than the boxed version. And your avocado cream sounds amazing!
These look fantastic Julie. And I love that they’re baked instead of fried !
Your Taquitos looks just amazing!
How ironic – I just moved from Madison last June! Love the avocado cream sauce on these – delish!
Seriously might fine crunchy goodness going on here. Wow. And what a dip too.
Those taquitos look crispy and delicious!
I want to dive face first into that avocado cream! Actually instead I’ll take those taquitos and dive them into it!
Ohhhhh, how much do I love tequitos?? and why haven’t I had them in forever? Very cute story, too. 🙂
These taquitos look amazing but the avocado cream looks out of this world. A great combination!!
I love taquitos so much so I am rather surprised I haven’t actually tried making it at home before. Can’t wait to give your recipe a try.
I need a big plate of these right now!
Oooh you had me at taquito! These sound wonderful. I wish I wasn’t allergic to avocados because I think I would bathe in that sauce!!!
Whoa! I know some people here who would be *very* happy with you!
Nice job, Julie! The crispy exterior of the taquitos looks perfect and I’m in love with your avocado cream sauce. I bet thees taste a thousand times better than the frozen stuff!