Grain Free Taquitos

With a background in nutrition and health coaching, I am always getting asked for healthy swaps for certain foods. One of those main food groups is Mexican food! When you are getting Mexican food from a restaurant, it can have inflammatory oils and lots of unwanted added ingredients. That is why I am bringing you Grain Free Taquitos with Salsa Verde Chicken! Not only are these easy to make, but they are healthy and completely paleo friendly!

These grain free taquitos are made with Siete tortillas that crispy up nicely and have a mild salsa verde chicken on the inside giving them the flavor without too much spice! These can be served by themselves as a meal or as an appetizer to some tacos, chicken tortilla soup, or even some green chili enchilada casserole! I love to serve these at parties, but I also love making extras so that I can air fry them for an easy leftover lunch.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy to make: This recipe only has a few ingredients and takes under an hour to get on the table.

Dietary Restrictions: It is important to me that people have food allergies, sensitivities, or are just choosing to avoid certain foods have options when they come to my house or are cooking for themselves! This recipe is delicious, but also is safe for many people who struggle with the needs of being gluten free or grain free.

Kid friendly: This recipe is very mild so that your whole family can enjoy it! Serve it with their favorite salsa or just plain if they are a bit pickier.

Ingredients You Will Need

Chicken Breast: I love using chicken breast for this recipe because it is a lean protein that is easily shredded and stays very juicy. Lean protein is important to have in your diet because it helps with muscle development and tissue repair.

Grain Free Tortillas: I like Siete Foods almond flour tortillas best because they are completely grain free, made with quality ingredients that are all paleo friendly, and crisp up nicely in this recipe! They can be found at many stores. I find them the cheapest at Costco.

Salsa Verde: This is what I use to cook the chicken in so that it has some green chili flavors to it! I like Trader Joe's Salsa Verde best because it only has 8 ingredients and no added sugars. This version is very mild, but if you like spice, feel free to grab one that has more spice to it or another brand that you enjoy.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. This is a higher temperature than I normally cook on, but you want a very hot oven.

Cook the chicken in the Instant pot with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of Salsa Verde on high for 12-14 minutes. The time may very on the size of your chicken breast. If you don't have an Instant Pot you can also grill or bake the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Shred the chicken completely when it is cooked all the way through. I then like to add 1-2 tablespoon of the cooking liquid from the Instant Pot (or 1 cup Salsa Verde if using another cooking method).

Roll the taquitos. This needs to be done delicately because the tortillas can break easily. Add 2-3 tablespoon of chicken to a flat tortilla and roll it up. Place the open size of the tortilla on a casserole dish. Repeat this step until you have made the desired amount of taquitos.

Bake the taquitos for 20-25 minutes or until the edges of the tortillas are browned. At this point, you can also turn on the oven to broil and broil for about 3 minutes. Be careful to watch the food while you are doing this because they can burn easily. This part is optional but makes the taquitos extra crispy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Troubleshooting: Be very gentle with the tortillas and be sure not to add too much chicken. These tortillas can rip very easily, which is why it is important to handle with care.

Make it faster: You can use any shredded chicken on hand that you have! I often have some that is frozen you can defrost that and add the salsa verde or you can use rotisserie chicken, too!

Serving: I like to serve it with dairy-free sour cream, extra hot salsa verde, or some guacamole! If you are serving them as a meal, I like adding some fajita veggies to the side to be sure I get some veggies on my plate, as well.

Recipe Variations

Alternate tortillas: If you are not eating grain free, you can also use corn tortillas to make this recipe. Cook times may vary.

Air frying: You can also air fry these taquitos! Place them in your air fryer open side down so that they stay closed. Spray with a small amount of avocado oil and cook on 400°F for 12-15 minutes, being sure to check every 5 minutes.

Storage Tips

Once the taquitos are completely cooled, you can store them in an air tight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, I recommend either using your air fryer for 5 minutes or broiling in your oven for 5 minutes, being sure to watch closely because they can burn quickly.

You can also freeze these prior to cooking them in the oven. I place them on a sheet tray in a single layer until frozen then move them to a freezer safe bag or air tight container.

FAQs About Recipe

What are grain free tortillas made of?

They are typically made of cassava flour or almond flour, tapioca flour, water, and sometimes xanthan gum to make them more pliable. I prefer the almond flour tortillas from Siete Foods for this recipe!

Are taquitos healthy?

Healthy is a relative term, so it depends on how you define healthy! I would consider these taquitos healthy because they are grain free and the tortillas are made with high quality ingredients.

Why are my taquitos not crispy?

The first reason may be that your meat or filling has too much moisture, be sure that you are not adding too much liquid from the salsa verde. Another reason might be that you are not cooking at a high enough temperature. For this recipe, I do use a high temperature and have the option to broil at the end.