Welcome to Day 3 of our cooking series with MYP student Ariana Wilt. Today she’s sharing a Mexican dish. Have you made any of the dishes (Italian or Chinese ) planning to make any this weekend? If so, share finished products with us.

Spicy Cheesy Chicken Taquitos

This dish originated in Mexico in the 1940’s. The modern definition of a taquito as a rolled-tortilla dish was given in 1929 in a book of stories of Mexican people in the United States aimed at a youth audience, where the dish was noted as a particularly popular offering of railroad station vendors. Indio Mexican Restaurant began selling taquitos during World War II. Taquitos were among the early Mexican food items developed as a frozen food.

Ingredients:

ranch
olive oil cooking spray
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ small red onion (peeled, finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (peeled, finely chopped)
1 jalapeño (seeded, finely chopped)
1½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne
2 cups rotisserie chicken (skin removed, shredded)
1 lime (juiced)
1/3 cup cream cheese (softened)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
small (6-inch, if possible) flour tortillas

Directions:

STEP 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray.

STEP 2
Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook another 2 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, cayenne and allow to toast for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the stove and allow to cool completely.

STEP 3
In a large bowl add the cooled onion mixture, chicken, lime, cream cheese and Monterey Jack cheese and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 4
Working with one tortilla at a time, place about 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture at the bottom of the tortilla and roll to close. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet, spray the top with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas.

STEP 5
Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and filling is warmed through. Remove from the oven, garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with Hidden Valley® Original