As a child with a Mexican mom, her declaring she is to prepare taquitos was joyous news and nothing else can quite compare. The crispy, rolled-up pockets of goodness were an every day thing because it wasn't difficult for her to prep over the course of the day in addition to taking care of two daughters. It was still one that was exclusive but didn't seem to take much time.

My younger sister and I joined her when we were much younger but as we became older we became moreving in food preparation. We rolled the taquitos, washed the toppings, chopped (with time practicing the skills we gained), and made salsa in the blender using dried chile arbols or fresh serrano chilies with garlic and tomatoes cooked on a stove.

This is also a good chance to attract your family to the process as well in case you have one. Fortunately, this is a very simple dish that anybody can prepare.

What are Taquitos?

For a long time now, taquitos are made from corn tortillas, which have lots of stuffing like, chicken beef, cheese, beans, shrimp, and many others. They are then fried and topped on, and this is done till they are crispy.

All these three forms of foods; taquitos, flautas, and tacos dorados may or may not be the same depending on cook and area. Flautas are generally much bigger, that is why they are called so (which means 'flute'). Some of them are realized by rolling two tortillas with each other or by using a large flour tortilla called a burrito.

Tacos dorados are also known as taquitos]. However, they can be tortillas that are little (patty-like), filled and then folded to half with a repetitive circular motion rather than rolled and fried until the outer most layer is a beautiful gold brown.

When to Serve Taquitos

Taquitos are perfect snack food, appetizer, or even a dish you can be proud to serve your guests. As you know, both the taquitos and all the toppings are quite heavy therefore the only side dish my mum used to prepare was the black beans.

It is still one of my favorite meals now I make them with my daughter. She rolls them even better than I do them.

A Flexible Recipe

With this taquitos recipe, you can easily adapt it to any preferential taste and diet requirements and with toppings everyone can adjust it. Don't like chicken? Use cheese. Don't like corn tortillas? Use flour. It could be taken as a week night meal and also as a meal for a huge crowd during a celebration.

These are a colossal leftover helper and can nearly transform completely vegetarian instantaneously. The creamy mashed potato filling is perfect to fill with the leftover mashed potatoes, or shredded pot roast from the previous night, grated cheese or a combination of both. I've used these even with over ripened string cheese that I wanted to do away with and believe you me, those children ate them up.

I also prefer cooking in doubled quantities and then storing the remainder in the freezer. These always come in handy for the kids and the adults as a quick meal right from the freezer.

Tips for Easy Prep

My mom made this recipe work for her because she would split the tasks in between being a mom, and doing whatever it took. She would make some chicken breasts in the morning and prepare shredded chicken. Then, later on, she would roll the taquitos and use toothpicks to make sure they'd stay closed than put them into the refrigerator to fry the next time.

Some people, for example, my mom, would take toothpicks to roll the sheets ahead of time, but you don't have to. You can grab the rolled taquitos using the tongs placing them with the seam facing down into the frying oil. But toothpicks are preferable in the event that you are not very experienced in the rolling of the taquitos because the taquitos require to be held together. But you should ensure that you remove them before you serve the food.

They should immediately be served with lots of garnishing from fresh shredded lettuce to chopped coriander, chopped white onions, crema and homemade salsas.

Taquitos Enchiladas!

In case you are very lucky to have excess of taquitos you want to know what to do with the leftovers, well I suggest that you try the enchiladas. Spread enchilada sauce on canned or homemade sauce and sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 375°F till bubbly and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

For the taquitos

• 24 corn tortillas
• 1 1/4 cup of the cooked shredded chicken breast weighing approximately 3 cups when packed.
• 1 quart canola or vegetable oil for frying, additional amount may be required

Optional toppings

• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 bouquet fresh Coriander – chopped
• classic salad toppings; 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups crema Mexicana or sour cream
• 1 (10-ounce) package queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 1/2 cups store-bought, or homemade salsa or hot sauce

Method

1. Heat the tortillas:

   With the tortillas, cover with a clean dish cloth and then put in the microwave and steam the tortillas to make them softer. Incidentally medium to high heat in 30 second intervals until these are adequately warmed. Just don't bake them or they will be too brittle to handle.

2. Fill the tortillas:

   Put two dinner plates on the counter. 1 is working platform and the other one is for rolled up taquitos. Take a warmed tortilla and place it directly on your empty dinner plate, next, place approximately 2 tablespoons of hen or chicken in the Mexican strip right in the middle of the tortilla. Do not overfill. Wring up but do not twist the tortilla apart.

   Either lay the seam-side down on top of the plate or hold the tortilla in place by poking a toothpick right through the seam of the taquito as if pinning a diaper. Do the same with the rest of the tortillas and chicken.

3. Fry the taquitos:

   Place 1/2 inch of canola oil to 12 inches canola frying pan, the temperature must be set to midrange. Insert an instant read thermometer into the meat and it should cook at 350°F. Place the baking sheet or platter lined with paper towels.

   When the oil is hot, you want to stand 5 to 6 taquitos seam side down in the frying pan and when you placing the taquitos in the frying pan, do not use your hand; use tong instead. This is something important not to over stuff the pan because the taquitos will not be able to get the golden brown side.

   Usually when the edges become slightly brown, it takes approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side, then using a tong or a couple of forks flip the food and fry until the other side has the same browning.

   With tongs take out from the pan and put in a baking sheet or platter to eliminate the excess oil. Bring more oil up to a 1/2 inch up the pan and let the oil heat up in between batches, if necessary. Repeat with the remaining taquitos before they are no longer desireable.

4. Serve with toppings:

   Remove the toothpicks. For garnishing chop onions, cilantro, lettuce, crema, crumbled queso fresco, and salsa should be placed on top. Serve hot.

   The additional taquitos without garnishing should be wrapped in a zip-top freezer bag and stored in the freezer for up to four months or in an airtight behind for two days in the refrigerator.

   While I know you don't have to warm them, and have subsisted on cold potatoes straight out of the refrigerator, they do warm up rather nicely on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 Degree F for 5 minutes or so or until one can see the surface sizzle. If they are pulled out of the freezer, the temperature should be set to 350°F while the duration may take between 10 and 15 minutes.