Chicken Taquitos

   O.M.G.  These are without a doubt my new favorite meal. I could easily eat them 7 days a week and never get tired of them!  Thanks to Annie's Eats (here) for supplying Recipe Tuesday's latest recipe, creamy chicken taquitos. But don't let the name fool you, they're not creamy like creamed corn... yes, there is cream cheese in the filling but it's more of a smooth chicken filling.  And the crispy crunch of the tortilla balances the filling perfectly.
   To save time and make this a quick weekday meal we use rotisserie chicken. 

No, wait. That's not true. 
    

     We're officially addicted to Market Basket's incredibly flavorful rotisserie chickens.  No need to season the chicken, pull out the Foreman Grill, stink up the house, wait for the chicken to cool before shredding it and then clean the grill.  It's so much easier to pick it right off the bone and they taste SO GOOD.  Of course, there's a little sampling going on as I pick the bird but I want to make sure it's quality chicken before I serve it.  

A piece for me... a piece for the recipe... a piece for me...
    
     Aaron and I love chunky

salsa and when we don't have time to make it ourselves we found Newman's Own Blackbean Salsa is the perfect substitute. It's a little on the warm side but when mixed with the rest of the ingredients it gives the filling just the right amount of kick (and I'm not a fan of hot/spicy foods).
     And there's a bonus: these scrumptious little treats can be frozen until ready to use!  Just freeze assembled taquitos for 30-60 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to freezer-safe container or freezer bag.  To bake, simply add a few minutes to the 15-20 minutes baking time. 

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened (low fat is ok)
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
• Salt
• Cooking spray

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  In large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese.  Mix until thoroughly combined.

2.  Place tortilla on work surface and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla.  Roll tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam-side down on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet.

3.  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of salt (Annie strongly recommends you don't skip this step and I concur!).

4.  Bake 15-20 minutes of until crisp and brown.  Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.  Enjoy!