Chicken Taquitos with Avocado Crema

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Taquitos with Avocado Crema

Crispy Chicken Taquitos with Avocado Crema are a delicious appetizer. Filled with stewed chicken tinga and topped with avocado.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Mexican-American

Diet: Low Lactose

Servings: taquitos

Author: Adrianna Adarme

Cost: $6

Equipment

1 medium pot
1 pair of tongs

Ingredients

Taquitos:

1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs or breasts washed and dried
1/2 white onion peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons Ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano optional
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup beer a light lager works best
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
8 flour or corn tortillas warmed (they're more pliable to roll when they're warm)
Neutral oil for frying

Avocado Crema:

2 ripe avocados
3 tablespoons Mexican creama or sour cream
Juice from 2 limes
1/2 jalapeño minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Garnishes:

2 ounces cotija cheese crumbled
2 radishes cup into matchsticks

Instructions

To Make the Taquitos:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. To a blender, add the white onion, Ancho chile powder, tomato paste, kosher salt, Mexican oregano, dried thyme, dried marjoram, juice from 1 lemon, beer and chicken stock; pulse until smooth.
Place the chicken in a medium casserole dish (I used a 8x8-inch). Pour the tomato mixture atop the chicken; the chicken should be mostly covered--it's ok if their tops are peeking out of the sauce.
Transfer to the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours, until just cooked and chicken is tender. Allow the chicken to cool on the counter until they're cool enough to handle. Using a fork, shred the chicken. Toss the chicken with a few tablespoons of the tomato mixture from the casserole dish.
To warm the tortillas, stack them on a microwave-proof plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Warm them for 20 seconds or until pliable. If you're without a microwave, you can do this in the oven, too. Turn the oven to 200 degrees F, place the tortillas, stacked, on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp paper towel; transfer to the oven to warm for 10 minutes.
In a medium skillet or pot, pour in enough oil until it reaches about 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. To assemble the taquitos, spoon a few tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of each tortilla. Tightly roll up each taquito and transfer to the hot oil, seam-side down.
Pan-fry the taquitos for 2 to 3 minutes, turning them every so often, until they're golden brown and crispy. Drain the taquitos on a bed of paper towels and transfer them to a baking sheet in a warm oven (200 degrees F). Repeat the stuffing and pan-frying process until you've cooked up all of the taquitos.

To Make the Avocado Crema:

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth. (If you don't have a food processor, you can also do this in a bowl, no biggie!)

To Serve:

Serve the taquitos with a dollop of avocado crema, a sprinkling of cotija cheese and sliced radishes.

Nutrition