Chicken & Cheddar Taquitos

Not only is roasted chicken one of the most popular choices for dinner, it provides the most useful leftovers. To streamline your next meal, roast two at once. It takes the same amount of time and energy as just one, and guarantees enough extra to recycle for lunch the next day. Any meat roasted on the bone is more flavourful than that which is cooked on its own, so any that’s not eaten for dinner is easily transformed into sandwiches and casseroles.

Try these simple chicken taquitos – shredded roast chicken tossed with grated cheddar, chili powder and salsa, and rolled up into corn tortillas. Then bake until crisp. They make a delicious alternative to the usual sandwich, are as tasty cold as they are warm, and are easy to eat by hand. For an added touch, pack small containers of salsa and sour cream for dipping.

Ingredients

2 cups (500 ml) leftover shredded roasted chicken or turkey
1 cup (250 ml) grated old cheddar or Gouda
1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder
1/3 cup (85 ml) salsa
6–8 small fresh corn tortillas
canola oil, for cooking
extra salsa and sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, toss the shredded chicken and cheese with chili powder to coat; add the salsa and toss to combine. Warm two tortillas at a time in the microwave for about 20 seconds, until soft and pliable. Place a couple spoonfuls of filling in a strip down the middle of each tortilla and wrap like a cigar (no need to fold over the ends like a burrito); place seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Brush each with oil and bake for 1520 minutes, until the edges are turning golden and the cheese is bubbling out each end. Serve warm or cool completely before wrapping and packing for lunch. Makes about six taquitos.

Per taquito: 201 calories, 8 g fat (3.2 g saturated fat, 3.3 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 51 mg cholesterol, 11.8 g carbohydrate, 19 g protein, 1.7 g fibre.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, February 2014.