Chicken Taquitos - Baked

I have become addicted to Pintrest.  I found a food blog that I really like. I got this recipe from there. It is melskitchencafe.com   I have never been very fond of taquitos because they are fried and not healthy, but these are really good and make enough for several meals for Jud and me.  I think I may use some of the filling tomorrow to put on hoggie sandwiches. Who says they have to go in corn tortillas and baked.  Not me. 





Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal 2 tablespoons
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (Mel makes large batches of chicken in the crockpot with chicken broth and salt, shred it and freeze it for meals like this) (I used some left-over grilled chicken and put it in the food processor to make fine pieces. It was great)
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)  I did this
Method:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. In a medium-size bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese. Mix to combine well.
You can prepare this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the refrigerator.
Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwafe for 35-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don't crack while rolling. I put one at a time and microwaved for 20 seconds. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of Mel's wanted to rebel and come unrolled so he stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight).
Place filled taquitos seam-side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don't touch each other. When ready to bak, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher  salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in salsa, sour cream, gucamole, or any other combination you can dream up (Mel's kids like ranch dressing - go figure).

This is what I did with the left-over taquito mix

I just took the mixture that I had left-over from the taquitos and put it in the poblano that I cut in 1/2 and removed the seeds and vein. I baked it for about 25 minutes and then poured some of the green salsa mix over and cooked it an additional 5 minutes.  I think I liked it this way better than the taquitos.