Baked Barbecue Chicken Taquitos

One thing I love about living in Northern California is that we can grill practically year round. I have to admit, there’s times I’m envious of my friends that get to experience a white Christmas or actually see all four seasons. However, I remember our beautiful weather and how fortunate we are to go outside and grill during what is typically the coldest winter months, and I thank my lucky stars.

No matter which team you were rooting for this past weekend, I think we can all agree that many of our favorite game day foods are typically made on an outdoor grill.

In January, Kraft Barbecue Sauce celebrated the launch of their newly revamped line of of sauces with a new package design and improved recipes that include ingredients that are high in quality like tomatoes, sweet molasses, cider vinegar and cane sugar. When it came time to make over their sauces Kraft discovered that quality ingredients and bold flavors were what consumers really wanted. Kraft also switched to cane sugar when they discovered that most consumers are shying away from high fructose corn syrup. The new Kraft barbecue sauces include:

• Original
• Hickory Smoke
• Sweet Honey
• Mesquite Smoke
• Sweet Brown Sugar
• Sweet & Spicy
• Spicy Honey
• Thick & Spicy

In celebration of the new Kraft Barbecue Sauces, some really cool grilling innovations were developed for the winter release of these sauces, just in time for game day across the country. At a time when many people are experiencing cold weather, rain and snow, the Evergriller Grill ‘N’ Flip Mitt is the perfect accessory for Evergrillers – those barbecue lovers that fire up the grill no matter what the weather conditions are like. For some really great cold weather grilling tips, check out Grillin Fools top five cold weather grilling tips.

I’m familiar with Evergrillers, because I just so happen to be married to one. I recall when we had our first apartment together and it had this really nice sized enclosed patio. We had this teeny tiny little barbecue pit that wasn’t even a foot off the ground and my man would go out there and make some of the best barbecue chicken I’ve had in my life. There were days it was freezing and raining out there, but we just had to have our chicken and he made it happen on this little piece of equipment. I knew he’d love the Evergriller Grill ‘N’ Flip Mitt because not only does it keep his hands protected from the heat of the grill, it also keeps his hands warm when it’s cold outside.

The mitt covers the entire hand and has a pocket that allows you to just slip your grilling tools inside. The velcro on the mitt keeps it locked closed and you’re able to grip the tools and get the job done without risking the weather. It’s the perfect invention for the grill master in your life.

We tried it out on game day and it was a hit! My honey made his chicken just how I love and these new sauces enhanced the flavor even more. I was so struck with how good those sauces were that I decided to create another fun finger food recipe with the leftover chicken and a little bit of extra sauce. Both recipes would be a hit at your next get-together, no matter the weather! The flavor of the chicken taquitos is just amazing, the barbecue sauce adds a sweetness you’ll enjoy that contrasts well with the kick in the pepper jack cheese and the crunch of the oven baked taquitos.

Barbecue Chicken Ingredients:

• 4 pounds of chicken (picnic pack)
• 1 tablespoon chicken rub
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon seasoning salt
• Kraft Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce and/or Kraft Sweet Honey Barbecue Sauce

Directions:

Begin by removing the skin from the chicken, patting it dry and seasoning it.

Heat up your grill to a medium/high heat and position your chicken on an oiled cooking grate with the larger cuts over the hottest part and the smaller pieces on the outside of the heat source. Close the lid and check in a few minutes.

Once the meat begins to get a golden color, flip the meat to the other side. Close the lid and check again in a few minutes.

Once a nice char beings to develop and the meat is pretty golden on all sides, brush with barbecue sauce. We put the sweet honey on the drumsticks and the hickory smoke on the thighs, just for variety.

Turn the chicken over and brush the other side with the sauce and let it cook in a bit. Total cook time will be about 30 minutes or so, depending on the heat of your grill and the size of your chicken.

This chicken came out amazing and all of our game day guests were pleased. Everyone was raving about how good this chicken was and they were shocked to learn that it was a bottled sauce. The taste was so flavorful with a wonderful sweetness.

Baked Barbecue Chicken Taquitos Ingredients:

• 2 barbecued chicken thighs
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 slices of an onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup Kraft Hickory Smoke Barbecue Sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• corn tortillas
• sour cream (optional)

Directions:

The day after game day, I used some of the last of the barbecued chicken to make some baked taquitos. I used the thighs and removed the meat from the bone then shredded it.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and get a saute pan with a bit of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute just until fragrant, then add the shredded chicken. Pour in some more of the barbecue sauce (I used the same one that we brushed on the thigh meat when it was on the grill), just enough to cover the shredded chicken mixture and stir it up over low heat.

Warm up a few corn tortillas in the microwave to make them pliable, then pour about a spoonful of the meat on them, and top with about 1-2 tablespoons of shredded pepper jack cheese.

Roll the tortilla up tight and place on a baking sheet covered in foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Once all the taquitos are rolled, spray all sides of the rolled tortilla with the cooking spray and bake in the preheated oven for about 15-18 minutes.

Serve on a platter with some sour cream and shredded lettuce so your guests can help themselves.

Enjoy!

Kraft barbecue sauces are available at most retailers nationwide with a suggested retail price of $1.99 per 18-ounce bottle. Select flavors are also available in 28, 40 and 82.5 ounce varieties.

Which Kraft Barbecue Sauce flavor are you most interested in trying?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and provided product samples by Kraft Foods, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.