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My homemade Air Fryer Taquitos feature a creamy, spiced chicken filling rolled up into corn tortillas and cooked to crispy, crunchy perfection. When I serve them with sour cream, salsa, queso, or guacamole, they are a guaranteed hit!
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Pin ItEasy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
Homemade chicken taquitos are a texture lover’s dream! I love how crunchy they are on the outside and creamy on the inside. Made in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients, these taquitos are always a winner on those busy weeknights when I don’t have loads of time to prepare dinner. I’ll often mix up Taco Tuesday and prepare a batch of these taquitos instead of traditional tacos.
What I love about taquitos is that they are rolled tacos filled with meat, cheese, and other ingredients, and then deep-fried to crispy perfection. The frying adds that layer of crunch I’ve come to love, but in this recipe, I decided to cook them in an air fryer to lighten them up a bit. I still get all the crunch, but with less of the grease. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can prepare these chicken taquitos instead.
Air Fryer Taquitos Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken rotisserie chicken also works
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1 tbsp chipotle sauce or 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 15 corn tortillas 6" work best
- queso fresco, salsa, and crema for serving
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
- While the air fryer preheats, make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, chipotle, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and salt together using a hand mixer or mixing spoon.3 cups shredded cooked chicken, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 tbsp chipotle sauce, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Add the shredded cheese and mix well.2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Warm the tortillas. Cover the tortillas with a paper towel (or place them on a plate and flip a bowl upside down to cover them) and microwave for 30 seconds. If the tortillas aren’t warm and pliable, heat again in 10-second intervals.15 corn tortillas
- Working with one tortilla at a time, scoop 2 tbsp of filling along one edge of the tortilla and roll it up right. To prevent the taquitos from falling apart, use a bit of water to seal them before placing them seam-side down in the air fryer. Try not to let the taquitos touch, so they get crispy on all sides. Once the air fryer is full, spray the tops of the taquitos with nonstick spray.
- Cook for 5 minutes and flip. Spray with nonstick spray and cook for another 2 minutes. Check after 2 minutes and if they aren’t crispy enough, cook for 1-2 additional minutes.
- Remove and repeat with the remaining taquitos. Serve and enjoy with queso, salsa, and crema.queso fresco, salsa, and crema
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos Step by Step
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes. Gather your ingredients.
Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine 3 cups shredded cooked chicken, 8 oz. cream cheese, 1 tbsp chipotle sauce, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp kosher salt together using a hand mixer or mixing spoon. Add 2 cups Mexican cheese and mix well.
Prepare the tortillas: Cover the tortillas with a paper towel (or place them on a plate and flip a bowl upside down to cover them) and microwave for 30 seconds. If the tortillas aren’t warm and pliable, heat again in 10-second intervals.
Working with one tortilla at a time, scoop 2 tbsp of filling along one edge of the tortilla and roll it up right. To prevent the taquitos from falling apart, use a bit of water to seal them before placing them seam-side down in the air fryer. Try not to let the taquitos touch, so they get crispy on all sides. Once the air fryer is full, spray the tops of the taquitos with nonstick spray.
Cook taquitos: Cook for 5 minutes and flip. Spray with nonstick spray and cook for another 2 minutes. Check after 2 minutes and if they aren’t crispy enough, cook for 1-2 additional minutes.
Remove and repeat with the remaining taquitos.
Serve: Serve and enjoy with queso, salsa, and crema.
Variations
- For a vegetarian taquito, omit the chicken and replace it with 2 cups of black beans or pinto beans.
- Use ground beef for beef taquitos.
- Make seafood taquitos and use cooked shrimp or leftover cooked fish—any type works.
- Change up the cheese and use what you’ve got on hand, or a mix of your favorite cheese.
- Stir in diced jalapenos or add a sprinkle of red chili flakes for spicier taquitos.
How to Store
If you want to get a head start, you can prepare the filling up to a day in advance, but assemble and cook just before serving. Leftovers tend to become very soggy.
If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer to crisp up again.
Serving Suggestions
Taquitos and dip are a match made in heaven! I love pairing chicken taquitos with creamy guacamole or white queso, but tangy dips like homemade salsa are also an option. To make these taquitos a complete meal, I’ll prepare refried beans and rice as well.
