I really like to cook. I started making dinner for my family at a very young age and generally enjoy doing it. As I’ve gotten older, I really enjoy cooking for my friends. I’ve also discovered that offering to make dinner for a group on a weekend night is a really cost effective way to go. I make the food, the friends bring the booze and we all save a boatload of money in transportation and tip money.

Fortunately or unfortunately, many of my friends can be described as “picky eaters.” This means that exotic proteins and spicy seasonings are usually out of the question. Also, if I’m going to want onion (my favorite aromatic) in anything, I had better make sure that it is pulverized beyond all recognition. Still, I have managed to find some genuine crowd pleasers.

Like these chicken taquitos.

My good friend Stevie came to visit from Nashville for a week and I remembered that she enjoyed these taquitos when I used to make them down south. They’re a little labor intensive, but they make for good leftovers, so I was game to make a batch.

The first step is simple. Throw three chicken breasts, a packet of taco seasoning and a scant cup of water in the crockpot on low. Then, go walk around downtown Chicago for 6 hours.

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When you get back from your adventures, find out that you have an angry client to deal with and turn over all food preparation responsibilities to your husband. Your husband should do the following steps:

  • Take the chicken out of the crockpot, discard the liquid and shred the meat.
  • Put the shredded meat in a bowl with one block of cream cheese and one bag of shredded cheese.
  • Stir the cheese and chicken mixture into submission.
  • Grab a stack of tortillas and fill each with a golf ball sized lump of the cheese and chicken.
  • Smoosh out the meat/cheese and fold over the tortillas.
  • Fill up a baking sheet with taquitos and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
  • Feed stressed-out wife.

Here’s how they look when they come out of the oven:

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And here is the “cut it in half so you can see the inside” shot that bloggers do:

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These turned out really well, which was a little unsettling for me because I like to think that I’m the only one who can pull off complex recipes. We served them with sour cream and salsa, but you can use whatever condiment that you want.

Here are a few things to consider:

  • You can bake these or pan fry them in oil. I’ve done it both ways and I prefer the oven because they get nice and crispy without getting greasy that way.
  • If you’re into gluten-free food, you could switch the tortillas out for corn. (I’ve never done that so I can’t verify if it’s any good.)
  • These are not particularly healthy, but I’d bet that you could modify them in a number of different ways to improve the nutritional facts.
  • They reheat really well, so they’re good for lunches the next day.