Pulled Pork Taquitos with Chipotle-Ranch Dipping Sauce are a delicious and fun crock pot recipe. Perfect for game day, or dinner tonight!
It’s finally fall and with the changing leaves and cozy clothes comes televised football games every day that ends in an -ay.
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em — that is to say, watching football is much more tolerable when I get to simultaneously scarf Pulled Pork Taquitos with Chipotle-Ranch Dipping Sauce!
Corn tortillas are rolled around crock pot pulled pork and shredded cheese, baked until crisp, then dunked into smoky Chipotle-Ranch Dipping Sauce before devouring.
They are perfect game-day food. Toss a batch of taquitos onto a platter then let the gang dive in!
Even better? This recipe is not only gluten-free but freezer friendly too, so you can prepare a batch ahead of time then pop them into the oven right before kick off. That’s right — these taquitos are baked, not fried.
Serve a sizzling stack with smokey, Chipotle-Ranch dipping sauce and cold guacamole. Heaven!
Start the taquitos by slow cooking the pulled pork. Pick up a 3-3.5lb boneless pork butt roast then trim off as much fat as you can. Don’t make yourself crazy over it, but if there’s a big thick layer anywhere on the roast – get rid of it!
Cut the roast into 8 big hunks then toss them into the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot.
Next add seasonings and spices including 1 chopped onion, 6 peeled garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons each cumin and chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 can chicken broth.
Pop a lid on the crock pot then cook on high for 5-6 hours, or low for 8-10 hours, until the roast shreds easily with two forks.
Place the shredded pork into a bowl then combine with 1/2 cup cooking liquid and discard the rest.
Meanwhile, shred 8oz queso fresco cheese, which I find by the refrigerated tortillas in the grocery store. Queso fresco is light and mild-tasting, kind of like a harder mozzarella, and pairs fantastically with the garlicky pulled pork.
If for some reason you can’t find queso fresco, use shredded monterey jack cheese, or a Mexican blend cheese.
Next, warm 18 corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are notorious for cracking when rolled or bent unless they’re super fresh, which most grocery store tortillas aren’t. An easy way to get them pliable is to wrap 6 at a time in a damp paper towel then microwave for 30 seconds.
To the center of a warm corn tortilla, place 3 Tablespoons pulled pork (eyeball it) then top with 1 Tablespoon shredded queso fresco. Roll then place seam side down on a foil-lined, nonstick-sprayed baking sheet.
Spray the tops with nonstick spray then bake for 13-15 minutes at 425 degrees, or until golden brown and crispy.
Alternatively, freeze the taquitos un-baked then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from the freezer at the same time and temp!
While the taquitos are baking make the dipping sauce by combining 1/2 cup Ranch Dressing with 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, plus 2 teaspoons of the sauce in a food processor then processing until smooth.
Alternatively you could finely chop the peppers then stir into the dressing.
Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapenos and they add a fantastic, smokey flavor to the dipping sauce. So good, and pairs perfectly with the theme of the meal.
Crunchy, cheesy, and mouthwatering, you and your friends and family will devour these taquitos. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 - 3.5 lb boneless pork butt, also called pork shoulder
- 14 oz can chicken broth
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz shredded queso fresco, or Monterey Jack or a shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 18 gluten free corn tortillas, Mission Super Soft recommended
- For serving: guacamole, salsa
For the Chipotle-Ranch Dipping Sauce:
- 1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce + 2 teaspoons sauce
Directions
- Trim fat from pork then cut into 8 pieces and place into the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot. Add chicken broth, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt then stir to combine. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours, or until the pork shreds easily with two forks. Shred the pork then place it into a large bowl with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and stir to combine. Discard remaining cooking liquid.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a half sheet pan with foil and spray well with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Wrap 6 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel then microwave for 30 seconds. Place 3 Tablespoons shredded pork into the center of each warm tortilla (just eyeball it) then top with 1 Tablespoon shredded cheese. Roll then place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients then spray tops of the tortillas with nonstick spray and bake for 13-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown and crunchy.
For the Chipotle-Ranch Dipping Sauce:
- Combine ranch dressing, chipotle peppers, and sauce in a food processor then process until smooth. Alternatively, finely chop peppers then stir ingredients together to combine.
To freeze:
- Freeze taquitos on a baking sheet then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake the same way frozen as fresh (ie do not thaw.)
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Oooh! I love a good taquito – especially if I can freeze the extras for a quick dinner/snack later!
This was sooo good. My husband asked where I bought it from. Lol
Made these today and they were a huge hit! Now I am sharing the recipe with friends and family. Sooo yummy!
I could only find a 6.5 lb pork butt. If I doubled the recipe, how long should it stay in the crockpot? Double the time?
That’s probably what I’d do, and move the beef from the bottom to the top halfway through so it cooks evenly.
I am making this today for a fun Friday night dinner! And pork was one sale at Hy Vee this week, so all the better. :)
I almost always have chipotle in adobo sitting around my house (it’s my husband’s favorite flavor for things) so I love when I see new ways to make it. And that ranch dressing looks like it would be good on so many things.
After 4 hours in the crock pot they are finally in the oven- can’t wait! Tried to make them yesterday but didn’t have a crockpot liner!
Yum !!!!
Hi…Yesterday before leaving for work I had stuck a pork roast in the crock pot, and then read your blog with the Taquito recipe. So I stopped by the grocery store on the way home to pick up some cheese, chipoltle peppers and tortillas. Could not find the queso fresco cheese at my local HyVee, so substituted with Monterey Jack. Also, used the low carb flour tortillas (fewer WW points). My hubby really liked the dipping sauce! I did love the cruchiness of the tortillas after baking. Will definately make these again. Thanks for the recipe…as a fellow Iowa “girl”, I enjoy following your blog.
Oh goodness – these taquitos look like they’d be addicting! I would have about 12 in a single sitting! And that ranch dipping sauce is the best!
my life may never be the same after eating these! I wish it wasn’t almost midnight or I’d run to the store right now! these look so good!
Love the look of these so much! PERFECT for my weekend sports-viewing spread!
chipotles in adobo are my favorrrrrrittttte!! these look so good! although i might rather be enjoying them on a sunny summer afternoon, whyyyy do i not love fall like everyone else?! ;) oh ps got this text from my mom tonight “IGE chicken and wild rice soup….amazing” — looks like i know where i’ll be stopping by for leftovers! haha but really :)
These look like a tasty made-ahead meal for a crowd. Fortunately, I live in an area of the country where I can get fresh corn or flour tortillas in just about every grocery store so plan on making these. Another really easy dipping sauce is to mix salsa and sour cream. But, I drain the extra juice off the salsa before adding it to the sour cream. That way, it doesn’t get too runny. I just put the salsa in a fine sieve, press with a fork and drain off all the excess liquid. Just mix with the sour cream to your taste. You can also try plain Greek yogurt for extra calorie/fat savings.