I cannot tell you how many times, prior to be on the gluten free diet, that I had taquitos that were flavorless! Added garlic, chicken broth and chiles (skip the chiles for gluten free kids) make these gluten free taquitos very flavorful. My oldest sister, who is quite the culinary critic, loved these, evidenced by her second helping. You can make these corn free by using gluten free flour tortillas (see my gluten free tortilla recipe or one brand of gluten free flour tortillas). These would then be considered flautas, not taquitos. Either way, they are delish!
Delicious gluten free taquitos make a wonderful meal or appetizer. Serve with quacamole, sour cream and/or salsa.
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil for frying
- 2 lbs. chicken, cubed or ground beef (or cooked until tender beef stew meat, boneless country style pork ribs)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 4 oz. can mild diced green chiles (I used La Preferida Organic brand. It's gluten free.)
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup gluten free low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 26 (6-inch) corn tortillas (Ensure they're gluten free**.)
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack
- Gluten free salsa
- Gluten free sour cream or dairy-free alternative
- Gluten Free Guacamole
Instructions:
- Add oil to a large pot. Preheat and add meat, cook on medium high to brown a bit. Add onion and cook until tender; add garlic cook 1 minute; add chiles (do not drain) and cumin; and add enough chicken broth to cover the top of the meat. Some meat may produce more liquid than others, therefore the amount of broth may vary. Cook until meat is tender. For beef stew meat, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours; chicken and pork ribs much less, about 30-45 minutes, and ground beef about 10-15 minutes. The use of a pressure cooker will speed this up. Cool and shred the meat with your fingers, keeping some onion and chiles in the meat mixture, but not any of the juices (wet meat is okay).
- Warm about 8 tortillas at a time, in a stack, in the microwave on reheat. Warm them until they are hot to the touch, not just warm. This will prevent cracking during the rolling.
- Preheat a pan of at least 2" of oil or a deep fryer to 350°F.
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of shredded meat and 1/2 - 1 tablespoon cheese to the bottom of an open tortilla; roll up and insert toothpick to keep closed. Repeat until you have 3-4 completed. At this point you may refrigerate your gluten free taquitos and fry and serve the next day.
- Deep fry them for about 4 minutes for a crisp, yet a bit of chewiness or 5 minutes for a tortilla chip crispiness. Allow excess oil to drip from taquito; set on plate lined with several paper towels to drain more.
- Serve with salsa, sour cream, gluten free Greek yogurt and/or guacamole sauce.
Tips
*If you are gluten intolerant, ensure you check with the manufacture for gluten cross-contamination. And instead of using corn tortillas use gluten free flour tortillas and fry until crisp. **Because gluten cross-contamination is an issue: Mission brand corn tortillas state on their website that they take care to avoid cross contamination because they also process wheat tortillas. I used Guerrero brand which is marked gluten free, but I did not check with manufacturer any possible cross contamination issues. One reader mentioned that several people have not become ill when using Delmex brand.
My whole family would LOVE these!!!! THanks!