Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I wish I was the type of person that was good at just throwing things together to make something yummy. I can't do it. When I throw stuff together it usually ends up being really gross. Instead, I use other people's recipes and then share them with you! That's okay as long as I give them credit right? This is another one from http://www.ourbestbites.com/. I am loving their recipes. I also made their French Dip Sandwiches, and Spaghetti & Meatballs this week - all of which have turned out delicious!  I especially enjoyed these taquitos that I made tonight. I served them with a side salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing, and salsa (recipe below) for dipping.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos


- 1/3 Cup cream cheese
- ¼ Cup green salsa
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
- 2 Cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 Cup grated pepperjack cheese
- small corn or flour tortillas
- salt
- cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. Heat a few tortillas at a time in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking 20-30 seconds. Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about ½ inch from the edges. Roll up and place seam side down on baking sheet. Make sure they do not touch each other. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Sorry, I wanted to take pictures...but I was hungry and I just ate them instead.
 
Salsa
(recipe slightly adapted from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/)
 
- 1/2 small red onion, peeled and quartered (I use whatever onion I have on hand - tonight it was green onions and they worked just fine)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup jarred pickled jalepenos (I pour a little bit of the juice in as well, we like spicy!)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I use the juice and all)
 
In a blender, pulse all ingredients except for the tomatoes. Add tomatoes and pulse until combined.

Mexican Casserole

So, I failed. I meant to take a photo of our meal tonight and show you how amazingly yummy this casserole is... but I forgot. And taking a picture of the leftovers in my fridge might turn you off, because cold leftovers never look as appetizing. Oh well. You'll have to picture it and make it yourself! Super yummy, people!

3 cooked, shredded chicken breasts (I just boil mine)

1 diced green pepper (I did about 3/4 of green and 1/4 of red)

1/4 c diced red onion

1 can corn (drained)

1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can tomato sauce

1 c salsa (or you could add a little more salsa or tomato sauce to make it more moist when cooked - ours was a little dry tonight for some reason)

1/4 c chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. Spray a 9x13 pan with pam and put a layer of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom. Layer half the mixture, then some cheddar & monterey jack cheese, then the rest of the mixture, and then top with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

p.s. This is a great drop-off meal if you are making someone dinner. It's super easy to do, but I admit it's a little time-consuming chopping things up, cooking the chicken, and rinsing beans. Anyway, we did that tonight and it made enough for one of those throw-away 8x8 pans to drop off to our friends and then another whole pan to keep for our dinner.

White Chicken Chili

SO I would have to say hands down that this is my MOST favorite soup recipe EVER! I am pretty much obsessed with Mexican Food and so anything that has lime, cilantro and avacados in the ingredients I am a huge sucker for. I tried this recipe a few years ago after finding www.ourbestbites.com and I crave it all the time! It is really quite a simple recipe and it tastes like you have worked a lot harder than you really did! If you like mexican food you MUST try this! I made it tonight, even though it was 100+ degrees outside, and I am sitting here writing this post salivating :) Okay maybe not, but it is that good!



White Chicken Chili
(Recipe by Our Best Bites)

I call this a chili, but it's really a soup consistency.
If you want it thicker, just reduce the amount of broth.


1 T Extra virgin Olive Oil
1 lb boneless chicken, cubed (about 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts)
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Great Northern Beans
1 3.5 oz can green chilies
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t dried oregano leaves
1/2 t coriander (I have never added this)
1/2 t salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 lime
1/2 C chopped cilantro
1 32oz box chicken broth

Condiments: (in addition to measurements above)
Sour cream
Chopped cilantro
Pepperjack or Jack cheese, shredded
Avocado
Tortilla Chips or make your own tortilla strips

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onion and cook for about 2 minutes- just until it starts to become translucent. While onions are cooking, drain beans and rinse with cold water and set aside. Sprinkle chopped chicken with a little salt and pepper and add to pot. Add garlic as well. Cook until there's no more visible pink on the chicken, probably 3-4 minutes.

Then add green chills- along with all of the juices in the can. Add beans, cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper. Stir to combine and then add chicken broth.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the juice from one lime and the 1/2 C chopped cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream. Serve with condiments. If you don't have all those condiments- at least have sour cream! But honestly, it's best with everything :)

Makes about 8 cups of soup.

*Oh, and this freezes well. Sometimes I make a batch and when it cools I put single servings into zip-locks and pop them in the freezer. Makes a great quick lunch.