My SIL asked me for this recipe, and it just seemed easier to post it to the blog at the same time so I could include pictures with my explanations. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Ingredients (Makes approximately 16 taquitos)
3 large chicken breasts (usually one regular sized package), boiled and shredded
8 oz cream cheese
1 can mild Rotel, blended to eliminate chunks
1-2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup hot sauce (Texas Pete)
Olive oil
6" Flour Tortillas
In a large pan or electric skillet, pour oil about 1/4 inch deep and begin heating over medium heat. You'll know it's hot when it starts to have waves or squiggly lines in it.
Meanwhile, combine the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Rotel, and hot sauce in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. I use a large fork for this. At this point, use a separate fork to taste the mixture. If it tastes a little bland, add more hot sauce.
Then load each tortilla with a small amount of the mixture and roll. I have a tendency to over-stuff mine by accident. You just have to eyeball it and play with the amounts. It's probably no more than a half cup of the mixture. You want the tortilla to have a good amount of overlap when rolled tightly so it stays closed well. Place them seam down while preparing the rest.
I don't measure anything when I make these. If I have two chicken breasts already cooked, I'm not cooking a third one. I just scale back the rest of the stuff by eyeballing it. In fact with three chicken breasts, 8 oz of cream cheese is on the high side, but I end up just throwing in the whole block. With two chicken breasts, I would definitely use less. I usually use the whole can of Rotel no matter what because if not, it's not easily saved. I might drain the water off before blending, though, if I'm making a smaller batch.
All of these ingredients can be adjusted to your liking. If it's too creamy, back off the cream cheese or fork shred the chicken rather than blending. We really like the softer texture of the filling that comes from shredding the chicken very finely in the Magic Bullet.
If it's too rich, back off the cheddar and maybe use more Rotel. Just know that the Rotel adds water unless you drain it. Hot oil does not like water. Not at all.
I use mild Rotel so that I can use more hot sauce. To me, that is the real flavor kicker in this recipe. If you have original or hot, it can just be spicier or you can use less hot sauce because you might not like hot sauce as much as I do.
I have seen similar recipes with buffalo wing sauce, which sounds amazing to me, but my family doesn't like buffalo sauce. They do like hot sauce so that's why I use that.
I have only tried frying, but I might try baking them one time because it would be healthier. I just want to have the same crisp/crunch! Have you ever tried baking? How do you get them crispy? Coat with a little oil? I have also thought about Greek yogurt rather than cream cheese--just trying to think of healthier options. Thoughts?