Baked Taquitos

Finding things my kid will reliably eat on a regular basis ranges from a torturous chore to an exciting challenge and excuse to experiment in the kitchen. My latest experiment is the baked taquito.

My kid loves taquitos but I wanted to find an unfried alternative I could feed to him on a regular basis. 

The basic ingredients are simple and healthful but, when you deep fry them in whatever they use in the restaurants, you make a big mess and you've just got lots of extra fat. 

Here's my alternative:

Ingredients: 

makes 3 taquitos

3 tortillas (so far I've only tried flour)

1/2 cup cooked shredded or chopped chicken 

1/4 cup zucchini grated

1/2 tsp seasoning salt or taco seasoning

1 egg (for an egg wash)- it's super easy, I promise!

After you've chopped, shredded, and grated your meat (it's a great use of leftovers or grocery store rotisserie chickens) and zucchini, mix them in a bowl with the seasoning. If your kid isn't the King of all Picky Eaters, this would be a great place to add some shredded cheese or even beans! King Picky doesn't eat cheese nor does he abide the sight of it so, no cheese in our taquitos. Thankfully he didn't notice the zucchini. (I know, I know, green stuff but not cheese? Teeeelllll me about it!)

Then comes the fancy part. I kept having trouble with the round shape of the tortilla. It just wouldn't stick together enough to hold so I cut off the curves (use scissors or a pizza cutter) and made it a rectangle. Much easier for rolling! The extra bits can go in the oven right along with the taquitos, no egg wash needed and you get tasty chips!

Next, whisk your egg with a teaspoon of water for an egg wash. This will help get your tortilla extra crispy, and will stick the layers together. Brush the egg around the edges of the tortilla. 

Take about 1/4 cup of the filling and lay it in a longish mound. Try to smush it together with your fingers. The more tightly packed the filling is, the better the tortilla will roll up,

Now roll 'er on over. Get it as tight as you can without the tortilla tearing and lay down a little extra egg was at the end to stick it all together. You can brush the outside with a light layer of egg for an even crispier finish.

I stuck it under the broiler, not too close, on a low setting and watched it carefully. I turned it with tongs every 2 minutes or less until it was nice and golden. Took about 5 minutes. 

During the 5 minutes in which you are tied to the open oven, your kid(s) will probably have found your lipstick, a sharpie, and the molasses and are probably about to figure out how to let themselves out of the front door. Thank goodness this time mine only found some water to play with. 

Once you've gotten them back and made sure the house isn't burning down, you'll have a great meal that everyone can feel good about! 

Tip: once they've been toasted, crimp the ends once with your fingers to keep the filling from spilling out.