BBQ Pulled Chicken Taquitos

Make a plate of BBQ Pulled Chicken Taquitos for dinner tonight! Corn tortillas stuffed with a (crockpot) bbq pulled chicken, fried till crispy and topped with guacamole and pico de gallo.

Honestly i think i may make these again for dinner tonight! (Yesterday we made these Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks)……Taquitos are just too fun to eat! I tried them for the first time as a late lunch for myself and fried up some fresh for my husband when he walked in the door from work. Sometimes, i think i need myself a wife! HAHA!

While there are a couple components to these taquitos, they all come together very quickly and the filling is a dump-and-go situation. Perfect for family dinner! I leave them plain so the kids can grab them from the plate with no toppings, and everyone can add what they like. If serving at a dinner party, follow our tips to freeze these taquitos, fry them fresh, and plate away.

BBQ Chicken Taquitos

For the simplest, saucy chicken filling we make a crockpot or pressure cooker pulled chicken.

BBQ Chicken Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ sauce 
• 1 cup orange juice 
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika (can use regular paprika as well)
• ½ Tbsp garlic powder 
• 1 ½ tsp salt 
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chilli flakes(optional)

Add all the ingredients to a pot, bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Shred using two forks.

MAKE AHEAD: shred the chicken the day before and place with the sauce in a container in the fridge. 

Corn Tortilla Taquitos

You can use corn or flour tortillas for your taquitos, but i personally love the nutty flavor that corn tortillas give!  I always say- use what you have!

To make sure the tortillas stay closed while being fried, secure the edges together with a toothpick(see picture). Simply thread the toothpick through the edges of the tortillas and make sure to remove them after frying!

Taquito Toppings

The best toppings are simple- a creamy guacamole to go with the crisp tortilla, and a vibrant pico de gallo(chopped tomato salsa). If you are making a platter of taquitos, lay them out next to each other on the plate and spread guacamole on the tops, then top with salsa. It looks beautiful and they are SO GOOD!

To Make ahead:

If you want to make taquitos and freeze them, ready-to-fry: make the recipe, fill the tortillas, and secure them with toothpicks. Roll each one in a small piece of parchment or in a plastic sheet/bag(this prevents them from sticking to each other when frozen). Place into a container or freeze bag and freeze while warm.

When ready to serve, heat up oil, fry, and serve as normal.

Try these other delicious dinner ideas:

BBQ Pulled Chicken Taquitos

Estee

Fried taquitos filled with bbq pulled chicken and topped with guacamole and a simple pico de gallo salsa.

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Total Time 40 mins

Servings 14 taquitos

Ingredients

  

• 14 small corn or flour tortillas
• Toothpicks for threading tortillas

For the chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika can use regular paprika as well
• ½ Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chilli flakes optional

For the guacamole:

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 lime

For the Pico de Gallo:

• 2 to matoes diced
• 4 Tbsp white onion diced
• 2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
• 2 tsp jalapeno minced(optional)
• 1 lime
• Salt to taste

Instructions

 

Prepare the chicken:

• To a pressure cooker or pot add chicken breast and pour over BBQ sauce and orange juice. Season with spices. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, until tender. You can make this a day in advance- store in the fridge.
• Remove from the sauce and use two forks to shred the chicken into thin strips. Place in a bowl and pour over about ¼ cup of the sauce from the pot(you can eyeball this- you want the chicken to be flavoured but not overly covered in sauce or it will drip out when rolling up the taquitos).

Prepare the Guac:

• Blend or mash very well the avocado until creamy, and drizzle with the juice of half a lime and some flaky salt. Mix again.

Prepare the Pico De Gallo:

• Finely chop all vegetables and mix to combine in a small bowl.

To assemble:

• Warm up the tortillas in a skillet or the microwave until they are soft and pliable. If they are fresh or very soft already, skip this step.
• Lay out one tortilla at a time and spoon on to the centre of the tortilla 2 tablespoons of shredded chicken. Roll up into a cigar shape and thread with a toothpick to keep it closed. Repeat to fill all tortillas.
• Heat 1 cup of oil in a skillet until it reaches 180ºC, or until the oil shimmers.
• Use tongs to place as many rolls into the oil as will fit comfortably without touching. Fry until golden in color- 1-2 minutes per side.
• Transfer to a paper towel or paper bag and let cool a bit.
• REMOVE THE TOOTHPICKS! Please remember this!

To serve, place a dollop of guacamole on each roll and top with pico de gallo. I usually leave some plain for my kids.

• Serve with any extra guac and salsa at the table.