Weeknight Meal - Baked Taquitos

When I say easy, these are easy.

Mix up the filling, spread a couple of spoonfuls into a tortilla, roll up, & bake for a few minutes. 

The result?  Crunchy, baked taquitos.  Add homemade pico de gallo and a dab of sour cream.  And some guacamole if you've got an avocado or two (and my photo could have used some green, don't ya think?).

Chicken Black Bean Taquitos

My neighbor had been talking about these making their way into her family's rotation of regulars, which was good enough incentive for me to try them. 

Since of I have one of those kids who doesn't like cream cheese and can spot a drip of it in her food a mile away, I had to modify from the original. 

The same resourceful neighbor also modified the recipe, using half chicken and half black beans and then starting making a double recipe and freezing half.  Genius; now you've got an even easier dinner planned in a week or two. 

Here's my version adapted from her version.  
originally adapted from  here

Baked Chicken Black Bean Taquitos
1 c cooked, shredded chicken*
1 c black beans, drained*
3/4 c salsa (homemade or jarred)
1 T fresh lime juice
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c shredded cheese (pick your favorite kind)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
8-10 eight inch flour tortillas**

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix all ingredients together except the tortillas.  

Separate the tortillas and spread them around on a plate (so they're not stacked) and put in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.  This will make them easier to work with.

On your work surface, take a tortilla and fill with about three tablespoons of filling.  Spread across middle.  Roll tortilla up and place seam side down on the baking sheet.  Continue until all are rolled (don't let them touch).

Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle each with a few grains of kosher or sea salt.  Don't skip the salt - you will know why when you taste them.

Bake 15-17 minutes, until golden brown.  

Serve 'em up with the condiments of your choice.  

If you don't make your own salsa or pico de gallo, you are missing out.  It only takes a few minutes while dinner is in the oven.  I use what I have, so don't have a recipe, but it's some combination of this:
Tomatoes (any variety)
Onion (white, yellow, red, green)
Jalapeno or serrano pepper if I have
salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and garlic salt/powder to taste.  

Dice as fine as you want and mix together and try on a chip and refine until you like it.  I usually add a pinch of sugar.  It only keeps in the frig a day or two, so I make just what we'll need.

You can also put in the blender or food processor if you don't like chunky salsa or want to save time.  

* This is a great chance to pull frozen beans or chicken out of the freezer that you've prepped ahead.  Instructions from my former blog post here.
 ** Use good tortillas (not Mission or the other thicker ones)