These Buffalo Chicken Taquitos are the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer! Cheesy buffalo chicken filling is rolled up in flour tortillas and baked until crispy. Serve with an easy buffalo ranch and sprinkled with green onions and blue cheese crumbles!
This is one of my Appetizer recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
If you’re a buffalo fan, this recipe is for you! The tangy spiciness is kind of irresistible right?
Buffalo chicken gets a lot of the hype, and I can’t deny, this buffalo chicken dip is always the first one gone at a party. But other things can easily be “buffalo-ized”.
Maybe that’s not a word, but I maintain it should be!
These buffalo chicken taquitos are basically a buffalo chicken dip that’s rolled up in a tortilla and baked until deliciously crispy. Then they can be dipped into a super easy 2 ingredient buffalo ranch sauce that tames the spice, yet adds just a hint of that tangy heat.
Instead of having to work over a skillet of hot oil, these taquitos are baked. I know, most things that are baked instead of fried really aren’t as crispy and amazing as the fried version… but these taquitos are.
They’re perfectly crisp and golden brown, can be prepped ahead, and the filling can even be frozen… making these the perfect simple appetizer or fun dinner idea!
How to make buffalo chicken taquitos?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Combine cream cheese, wing sauce and ranch. I find using a hand mixer is the best way to really mix these ingredients well. You don’t want little pockets of cream cheese that didn’t incorporate.
- Stir in chicken and cheeses. That’s right, two kinds of cheese!
- Make taquitos. Add some filling to a tortilla and roll it up like a log. Repeat.
- Bake. Baking these at a higher temperature for less time results in the crispiest taquitos.
- Make dipping sauce. Buffalo ranch is the perfect accompaniment, and it’s only 2 ingredients.
Helpful Tip!
The easiest way to make this recipe is to use shredded rotisserie chicken. I buy them when they’re on a good sale, remove the skin and shred the meat, then freeze the shredded chicken. The meat will stay good for up to 6 months, so I always have a bag of cooked shredded chicken on hand!
Variations of this recipe
- Buffalo sauce – I use Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, but there are other varieties of buffalo sauce, so feel free to use your favorite.
- Cheese type – this recipe uses two main types of cheese, cheddar and blue cheese. If you’d like to switch things up, you can use monterey jack cheese, colby cheese, etc.
- Tortillas – my family really likes these when they’re made with flour tortillas, but if you like corn tortillas instead, feel free to use them in this recipe.
- Fried – if you’d like to fry these taquitos in an air fryer, please see the air fryer directions down in the “Chef Tips” section right below the recipe card.
- Air fryer – if you’d like to make these taquitos in an air fryer, please see the air fryer directions down in the “Chef Tips” section right below the recipe card.
FAQ’s
I’ve seen the names used interchangeably, but from my research it seems it really comes down to the type of tortilla used. Traditionally, taquitos are made with corn tortillas, while flautas are made with flour tortillas. I use flour tortillas for this recipe because that’s what my family likes and prefers, but feel free to use whichever type of tortilla you like best.
In this recipe, since the taquitos are baked, you just place them seam side down on the baking sheet. If you’re frying them, I’ve read you can mix up a mixture of half water, half beaten egg and brush that on the last part of the tortilla before you finish rolling. This seals the seam, and they should stay together during the frying process.
Making chicken taquitos ahead of time
Unfortunately I don’t recommend making the taquitos entirely ahead of time, since they lose their crispiness. I also don’t recommend assembling them ahead of time, since they get soggy.
However, you can absolutely make the filling ahead of time. Just mix it up, cover it and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Then when you want to make the taquitos, half the work is done for you!
Storage
Leftover taquitos should be refrigerated in an airtight container and eaten within 3 days.
Freezing
You can freeze the assembled taquitos, or you can freeze the filling.
To freeze the assembled taquitos:
- Add taquitos to a wax paper or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Freeze the whole baking sheet for about an hour or two, until taquitos are frozen solid.
- Transfer frozen taquitos to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To freeze the filling:
- Transfer filling to freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
My Favorite Baking Sheets!
These half sheet pan is the perfect size for making these taquitos. I’ve had multiple of these baking sheets for years and they hold up so well!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce I use Franks red hot buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken from a rotisserie chicken or leftovers
- 1 1/3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 12 fajita or soft taco sized flour tortillas
- cooking spray I like to use an avocado oil spray
- additional blue cheese crumbles for garnish
- sliced green onions for garnish
Buffalo ranch dipping sauce
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 2 – 3 Tbsp buffalo wing sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, wing sauce, and ranch dressing and beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. You could try using a whisk here, but I found a hand mixer incorporated the ingredients better.
- Stir in shredded chicken, blue cheese, and shredded cheddar. Stir until well combined.
- Microwave tortillas for about 10-20 seconds, until warm. They’ll be easier to roll this way, with minimal breaking.
- Place about 2 1/2 Tbsp of the chicken filling in a line on the tortilla. Starting with the bottom edge, roll the tortilla up towards the top, rolling it up into a cigar-like log shape.
- Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Spray with cooking spray.
- Bake in preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. Flip taquitos over and bake another 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
- While taquitos are baking, whisk together ranch dressing and 2-3 Tbsp of wing sauce.
- Serve taquitos with buffalo ranch dressing, additional blue cheese crumbles and sliced green onions.
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Chef Tips
- Recipe makes 12 taquitos.
Air Fryer Directions
- Assemble taquitos as directed.
- Air fry in a single layer at 400°F for about 12 minutes, turning over halfway through.
- If your air fryer basket won’t fit all 12 in a single layer without overcrowding, split the cooking process up into 2 batches.
Frying Directions
- Assemble taquitos as directed.
- Heat about 1/2 – 1 inch of vegetable, canola, avocado, or peanut oil in a large deep skillet, over MED heat.
- While the oil is heating up, add some paper towels to a baking sheet and top that with a wire cooling rack. Set this relatively near your stove.
- Test the oil by either using a candy/frying thermometer (you’re looking for 350°F), or tearing off a small piece of a flour tortilla and adding it to the oil.
- If the tortilla sinks to the bottom and doesn’t bubble, the oil isn’t ready yet. If it gets golden brown really quickly, the oil is too hot.
- When the oil is ready, add 4-5 taquitos at a time into the hot oil, seam side down. Fry for about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or 3 minutes total, until golden brown and crispy.
- Set aside on the cooling rack and repeat with any remaining taquitos.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Krystle says
These are perfect for game day! My crew devoured them!
Amanda Livesay says
Oh, these are SO GOOD! The whole family loved them.
Sandra says
Everyone at my house loved this!! So flavorful and easy to make!
Kimberly says
Can’t get enough of these, it was a total family hit!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says
This is such an amazing appetizer!! I need to try these asap!
katerina @ diethood.com says
Can’t wait to make these for our next party. My friend and family will LOVE these!! SO delish!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
These Buffalo Chicken Taquitos are most definitely an EPIC appetizer!