Chicken Ranch Taquitos with Cilantro Jalapeño Crema

There’s truly not much that’s more crowd pleasing than taquitos in this house!  These fly off the plate in a flash and are great for a hungry house!  They couldn’t be easier to pull together, especially with a rotisserie chicken to speed up prep!  Short on time?  Skip our cilantro jalapeño crema and grab a store bought one.  

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

5 cups shredded chicken (I like to use a rotisserie chicken)

8 oz block cream cheese, softened

1 packet hidden valley ranch seasoning

4 scallions, chopped 

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

20-24 tortillas (corn or flour), no larger than 6” in diameter 

Vegetable or canola oil 

To Serve:

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Green onions, chopped

Cilantro jalapeño Crema (see below)

Cilantro Jalapeño Crema:

1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed

1/2 jalapeno (remove seeds if you want it less hot)

2/3 cup sour cream

2/3 cup avocado mayonnaise 

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch of salt

Directions:

If using cilantro jalapeño crema, prepare it first.  This can also easily be substituted with a store bought option.  In a food processor, combine all ingredients for cilantro jalapeño crema and process until smooth.  Set aside.  

In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, softened cream cheese, ranch seasoning and scallions.  Mix until well incorporated.

Heat roughly 1/2” oil over medium low heat in a large fry pan.

While oil is heating, prepare the taquitos.  Microwave tortillas for 20-30 seconds to warm so they become more pliable.  Work in small batches, warming 4-8 tortillas at a time.  The warmer they are, the less likely the are to break.

Spread first batch of tortillas out on a workspace.  Work on the bottom 1/3 of the tortilla.  Spread 2 Tbsp mixture.  Top with sprinkle of 1-2 Tbsp shredded cheese.  Gently roll up, using a toothpick to close, if necessary.

Place seam side down in oil to fry.  Cook until golden brown, roughly 4-5 minutes.  Rotate with tongs.  Cook with top side down until golden brown, roughly 4-5 minutes.  Repeat until all are cooked.  It may be best to work in batches.  I heat my tortillas right before rolling and place in oil in batches of 4 or 8, depending on my pan size.  If your oil becomes too shallow, gently add a bit more to keep cooking.

Place cooked taquitos on a plate lined with paper towels.  This will help absorb any excess oil.

When ready to serve, plate taquitos.  Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, scallions and fresh cilantro.  Dress with either salsa or cilantro jalapeño crema.  Serve with rice or beans!