Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

This recipe and photos were provided by Sally Roeckell of Table and Dish and were originally published at 365Barrington.com.

These easy-to-make Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos can be served as an appetizer, a side dish with salsa or as an entrée topped with lettuce, tomato, olives, sour cream, etc.  I’ve made this dish several times in the past week while developing and perfecting the recipe and no one has gotten tired of it, but the recipe below is the way we liked it best. The chicken, bacon and cream cheese mix with the ranch seasoning and green onion creates a flavorful center in a crispy baked flour tortilla.

Spraying the outside of the roll-ups and sprinkling them with salt before baking the edges gives the tortillas a toasty brown and crispy texture with a soft and crunchy exterior and an interior that is creamy and slightly spicy. If you’re a big fan of heat, add jalapeno peppers or a dash of your favorite hot sauce, or try dipping the roll-ups in a spicy chipotle cream sauce.  This recipe can be easily customized to your own preferences. Don’t be afraid to get creative and make it your own!

The fact that they’re crispy also makes them perfect as an appetizer because they can be easily picked up and eaten. For appetizers, I prefer to use the small street soft tacos. You can use any size soft tortilla, or even corn tortilla if you prefer. The size of the tortilla and the amount of filling you put in each will affect how many you get in a batch.

Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos

Ingredients 

• 1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 (1 ounce) pkt. dry Ranch Dressing mix
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 3-4 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 20 (6-inch) flour tortillas
• Salt, to taste
• Nonstick cooking spray (I use spray olive oil)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment or foil, spray lightly with cooking spray.
3. Mix together cream cheese, bacon, chicken, cheese, and green onions.
4. Add in about 1/2 of the dry ranch dressing mix, or more if desired. Mix well.
5. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto each flour tortilla and roll it up.
6. Place taquitos seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat about 20 times or until all of the filling is used.
7. Once finished, spray the tops of the taquitos with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.
8. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges and tops are golden.
9. Let cool slightly and serve with ranch dressing or salsa.

Note: If you like the idea of dipping these in a chipotle cream sauce simply whisk together the following: equal parts Hellman’s mayo and either sour cream or plain greek yogurt. Both are good, it just depends on what we have on hand. 1/2 cup of each will work. To this mixture add the following: the juice of 1/2 of a fresh lemon, 2-3 cloves of crushed fresh garlic and 2-4 tablespoons of hot sauce, We like Frank’s or Cholula and, to be honest, we’re pretty heavy-handed with the hot sauce. Mix well and refrigerate. This dip is also great on roasted sweet potatoes.

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