Cheesy Chicken and Bean Taquitos

These versatile chicken and bean taquitos are the perfect snack or dinner for busy weeknights. The creamy filling is elevated with refried beans making it more filling with an extra punch of protein. Use whatever ground meat you have on hand for these - and don't skip out on the honey chipotle crema!

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Cheesy Chicken and Bean Taquitos

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 20 taquitos

INGREDIENTS

For the Taquitos

• 1 white onion, minced

• 1 jalapeño, deseeded and minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tbs olive oil

• 1 lb ground chicken or beef

• 3 tbs taco seasoning

• Salt to taste (adjust amount depending on how much salt is in taco seasoning)

• 1 can (14 oz) refried beans with diced chilies

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 cup cheddar cheese, cut into very small cubes

• 20 small flour tortillas

• Oil for pan frying (I used light olive oil, but you can use vegetable or canola as well)

For the Honey Chipotle Crema

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 2 chipotles peppers in adobo sauce (if not using a food processor, finely mince to a paste)

• 1 tsp honey

• Juice of 1 lime

• Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. To a large pan over medium high heat, add 2 tbs of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced onion, jalapeño, and garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins, stirring often.

2. Add the ground chicken/beef and taco seasoning. If your taco seasoning has no salt in it, add some in this step too.

3. Sauté ground chicken for 7-8 minutes to brown it, breaking up the meat and stirring often. Once the meat has browned, add the refried beans and water. Mix well, and cook until most of the water has evaporated and you're left with a thick, creamy filling. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

4. While the meat filling is cooling, prepare the honey chipotle crema. Add all of the ingredients for the crema to a food processor or blend, and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and keep in fridge until ready to use. You can also do this crema by hand - make sure you mince the chipotles to a fine paste, then mix all of the ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl.

5. Once the taquito filling has cooled completely, stir in the cheddar cheese. I like to cut the cheddar into small cubes rather than grating it, so you get small bursts of melted cheese when eating the taquitos. You can also simply grate the cheese and it will melt into the filling while cooking.

6. Divide the filling equally between 20 flour tortillas. To assemble, dollop the filling to the bottom of the tortilla, and roll up. You can use a little filling to 'glue' the tortilla shut. Repeat with all tortillas.

7. In a large pan, heat up some oil. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and come up about a quarter inch. Heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add taquitos to the pan, seam side down, making sure not to overcrowd. Pan fry on each side for 45 seconds to 2 minutes. Make sure to get the sides as well for an even golden brown. Repeat until all taquitos are cooked.

8. Serve immediately with the honey chipotle crema for dipping.

NOTES

• For a gluten free version of this dish, use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Make sure you cover them with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds before rolling, or they crumble and don't hold shape

• You can use any type of ground meat you'd like for this recipe

• If you can't find refried beans with diced chilies already in it, use regular refried beans and then add 2 tbs of diced chilies separately