Chicken Taquitos in a Tomatillo Sauce

I love just about anything I can put hot sauce on, which is why I seem to really enjoy food with Latin flare. I was inspired by The Galley Gourmet's Chicken Flauta's in a Roasted Tomatillo Sauce. I planned on following this recipe for everything including the tomatillo sauce. When I was getting ready to roast the vegetables for the sauce, I remembered that my broiler doesn't work. So I had to modify a bit, I used the tomatillo sauce from my Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas instead. I also decided to make this recipe a bit healthier by baking instead frying these in oil.

Chicken Taquitos in a Tomatillo Sauce 

Tomatillo Sauce

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
8 oz fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and halved.
1/2 medium white onion, quartered
3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 jalapenos, quartered (for a milder taste remove the seeds and membrane)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cumin


Taquitos

1 Tbs Canola Oil
1 medium Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1-15 oz can of Refried Black Beans
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 tsp Cumin
Kosher Salt to taste
Pepper to taste 
12 Corn Tortillas
Cooking spray  

Tomatillo Sauce 

• Combine all ingredients into a medium sauce pan on high. 
• Cover once boiling and reduce to a simmer, medium-low heat, until all the vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. 
• Put into a blender or food processor and puree. 
• Set sauce aside.

 Taquitos

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  
• Saute onion in oil for 5 minutes, until translucent. Remove from heat and put in a large bowl to cool. 
• Add chicken, beans, cheese, cumin, salt and pepper to the onions. Stir until well mixed. 
• In small batches (I did three at a time), microwave tortillas for 15 seconds. Then fill the middle tortilla with a strip of the bean and chicken mixture, roll into a cigar like shape. Then place seam down on the tray. 
• Continue above step until all tortillas are filled and rolled.  
• Lightly spray cooking oil over the top of the taquitos.
• Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on how crispy you want them. 
• Serve with Tomatillo Sauce. You can also garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, guacamole, hot sauce and/or sour cream.  

Not sure to how to cook the chicken? I lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the raw chicken breasts and then put on a lightly oiled frying pan on medium heat. Every three minutes rotate from one side to the other until cooked all the way through. Then I take two forks and shred the chicken. You could also put it on the grill it or broil in the oven.

I have tried making taquitos before and while I loved the pairing of flavors, I usually ended up with a big mess of chicken and beans and unrolled corn tortillas. I had never thought to use refried beans. The ingredients for the filling in these taquitos make a paste that kept the taquitos folded together. These were really easy to make and I will definitely make them again. If you are short on time or don't want to make the tomatillo sauce, any tomatillo salsa will work. I would warm it up a little as to not chill your taquitos.  

I love comments! Let me know what you think about this dish or any other recipes I have on my blog.