Baked Chicken Taquitos-my favorite way to use leftover chicken!

When I cook a whole chicken, this is my very most favorite thing to do with the leftover chicken.  Or you can totally just use shredded chicken you already have.  OR, you can make shredded chicken just for this.

I recently learned something I didn't know before.  Maybe you all know this.  You can put chicken, water and some salt in a microwave safe thing (I have used my tupperware microwave cooker as well as my french white stone where). Microwave it for like 20 minutes (or more if you are doing a bunch) and you can totally get it cooked enough to shred.  It works great, and I don't have to babysit a pot.

My favorite way is still the crockpot for a BUNCH of chicken, but for something that you need quick and only need a couple cups of chicken for, this totally works.

So, the recipe for this is almost the same from BEST BITES and from our friend MEL.

The first time I made these, I felt like the onion was overpowering. So now I just do a heaping 1/2 tsp of onion flakes or powder and don't worry about the green onion.

Also I use half a bunch of cilantro.

We like to dip them in guacamole or nacho cheese.  Lyndee eats guacamole with her fingers-and occasionally on chips.

These are also great next day for lunch but I usually eat them for breakfast.

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro-I use half a bunch
• 1 green onion, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal about 2 tablespoons) (i omit this)
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken 
• 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)
• small yellow or white corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.
3. You can prepare this step ahead of time (which I did – I made it the morning of). Just keep the mixture in the fridge.
4. Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don’t crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)
5. Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.
6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or any other combination you can dream up 

Breaded Garlic Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce

I found this recipe a while ago and it was awesome. Super fast, super easy, the only weird ingredient is fresh lemon. And if you used lemon juice in your fridge than I submit that there are no weird ingredients. Which I am always scared to pass judgement on what weird ingredients are seeing that I always seem to have things like fish sauce or green curry on hand but not tomato sauce or cans of beans. Moral of the story: my normal ingredients may not be your normal ingredients, so I get nervous to proclaim things as normal ingredients.

Anyway, fast, easy, and delicious!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/09/breaded-garlic-chicken-in-lemon-butter-sauce.html

INGREDIENTS

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup seasoned flour (1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper)
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely minced (see garlic tutorial here)
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes or 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1 lemon
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the seasoned flour in a large gallon-size ziploc bag. Set aside. In a shallow pie plate, beat the eggs until mixed and add the Parmesan cheese. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Let it begin to heat and sizzle while you prepare the chicken but be careful not to let the butter burn and turn brown.
3. Put the four chicken breasts in the bag with the seasoned flour, close the bag, and shake to coat the chicken in the flour. One by one, take the chicken out of the bag and dip into the egg/Parmesan mixture. Place the chicken carefully in the skillet with the hot oil/butter. Repeat with the other chicken breasts. Let the chicken cook on the first side, without moving or flipping the chicken, for 1-2 minutes until a nice, golden crust has formed. Carefully, using a wide spatula, flip the chicken and let it continue to cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until it is golden brown. The chicken will flip easiest if it has had time to sizzle and cook to form a nice crust.
4. Remove the chicken to a 9X13-inch pan. Set aside while you make the sauce.
5. In the same skillet that you browned the chicken, melt the remaining four tablespoons butter. Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, and parsley. Simmer the sauce for 1-2 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits that were on the bottom of the skillet.
6. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken breasts and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve over noodles, rice or potatoes.