Shredded Chicken Taquitos

Apparently there is a big football game coming up in a couple of weeks.  And apparently people like snack foods for said football game. Lucky for people these taquitos make a great snack food.  The filling can be prepped ahead and the taquitos baked on demand, which makes them an easy make-ahead option.

This is a great appetizer, but you can serve it with a side salad and a bit of rice to make it a full meal.  This is one of my fam’s favorites, and even our tween and her picky friend loved them the first time we made them.  I typically make the meat and cook just enough taquitos for dinner.  Then I refrigerate the meat and bake more over the next few days as we want a snack.

Start with some chicken, fresh Anaheim green chiles, and onion.  You are going to cover and simmer this for about 20 minutes or so, or until the chicken is cooked through and ready to be shredded.

Once the meat is cooked, remove it and shred it.  Next, you will strain the liquid from the pan, keeping the onions and chiles.  You will add a bit of the liquid and all of the onions and peppers back into the meat mix, so don’t toss any of that good stuff.

Once the meat is all ready, you just assemble the taquitos and bake.  To do so, you will need to start by warming the tortillas to make them pliable.  You either warm them in a skillet with a bit of oil or cooking spray, or microwave them (2-3 tortillas at a time) wrapped in a damp paper towel to keep them moist.  Then you lay the tortilla flat, spread with cream cheese, then with meat.  Roll tightly, place on the baking sheet, and repeat.

Looking for more great low sodium snack foods for Superbowl Sunday?   Try these favorites:

• Popcorn!  Newman’s Own sells an unsalted microwave popcorn, or you can pop it yourself.  We use a Lekue popcorn maker and love it.  Try adding butter+nutritional yeast; butter+black pepper; or butter+curry powder to dress it up a little.
• Nuts!  You can buy roasted, unsalted peanuts in the shell which make a great snack.  Another option is Blue Diamond lightly salted roasted almonds, which are really yummy and only 40 mg per ounce.
• Peanut Butter Apples!  You can get unsalted peanut butter (or grind your own at the grocery store), but it isn’t Joe’s favorite so we usually stick with a natural brand, like MaraNatha.  MaraNatha creamy peanut butter is only 70 mg per ounce (compared with 135 in my favorite brand).
• Other yummies from this blog!  If you haven’t yet, try the Quick and Creamy Herb Dip (great with unsalted potato chips, low salt Ritz, or fresh cut veggies).   I’ve also posted the Philly Cheesesteak Braid, which can be sliced thin and snacked on.  Or try the Twice Baked Potatoes with Chipotle Sour Cream or the Creamy Jalapeno Popper Chicken Dip.

Shredded Chicken Taquitos

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SODIUM COUNT: 184.5 mg per serving (three taquitos); 738 mg in the entire batch

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

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Chicken:

• 20 ounces chicken breasts ((trimmed))
• 1 cup Swanson unsalted chicken broth
• 1 Aneheim green chile ((chopped))
• ½ medium onion (chopped))
• 1 tsp unsalted chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp original Tabasco
• Black pepper ((to taste))

Assembly:

• 12 corn tortillas ((I used Mission brand extra thin))
• 4 Tbsp cream cheese

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Instructions

Chicken:

1. In a skillet with a lid, place the chicken, broth, green chile, and onion. The liquid will not cover the chicken. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes or until the chicken can be shredded with two forks. Remove from heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and shred with two forks. Do not return the chicken to the skillet yet.
4. Strain the juices from the skillet into a large measuring cup or bowl, reserving the onion and green chile. Return the reserved onion and green chile to the empty skillet along with the shredded chicken and ½ cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Note that if you do not have ½ cup of liquid, you can add water to make up the difference.
5. Put the skillet on medium low heat and stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, Tabasco, and black pepper. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors settle. You want most of the liquid to cook away, but if the meat becomes dry you can add back more of the reserved liquid.*

Assembly:

1. Warm the corn tortillas by wrapping 2 or 3 in a damp paper towel and microwaving for about 20 seconds. This will steam them so that they are pliable.
2. Working quickly, lay one warmed tortilla flat. Spread one teaspoon cream cheese in an inch-wide strip down the middle of the tortilla. Place about ¼ cup meat in a strip atop the cream cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down on a baking sheet. If necessary, you can use a toothpick to hold the taquito closed.
3. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
4. Spray the tops of the rolled taquitos with cooking spray and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30** minutes, turning after ten minutes.
5. Enjoy with sour cream!

Notes

* At this point you can reserve the shredded meat and bake your taquitos later. It will keep in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a couple months. Just thaw, assemble, and bake when you are ready.

**The less taquitos that you have on the pan, the less time they need. If you are cooking 3-6 taquitos, they will likely need 18-20 minutes. If you bake all 12 at once, they will need closer to 30 minutes. Check on them every 10 minutes to see how they are coming along.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Yield: 4 servings, three taquitos each Sodium: 184.5 mg, Calories: 385.5, Total Fat: 9.3 g, Saturated Fat: 4.2 g, Cholesterol: 97.9 mg, Carbohydrates: 34.1 g, Fiber: 5.5 g, Sugar: 5.3 g, Protein: 38.7 g.