Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

Air frye r chicken taquitos are my family’s favorite dinner! With juicy, flavorful chicken, warm melted cheese, and a delightfully crispy shell, it is hard not to love these.

And here’s the great news! These chicken taquitos are easy to make. First, you’ll cook the chicken with fresh salsa and a touch of chipotle peppers in either the Instant Pot or the Crock Pot. Next, you’ll shred the chicken and set up a little assembly line of warm corn tortillas, shredded chicken and cheese. Then, you’ll roll up the tacos, fit them into the air fryer basket and spray with a little olive oil. Finally, air fryer until golden and crispy, about 12 minutes.

For dipping, we love cilantro lime sauce, avocado salsa verde, or sour cream. For side dishes, blended black beans and simple white rice or cilantro lime rice are our favorites.

Want to see a step-by-step video tutorial? This video will walk you through the process: Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos. Hope you get to try them!

Looking for some other air fryer recipes? Check out our air fryer stuffed mushrooms, air fryer salmon cakes, or air fryer meatballs. If you don’t have an air fryer yet, I highly recommend this one: Instant Pot Vortex 6 QT Air Fryer. It’s high quality, works very well, and is much quieter than other models I’ve tried.

Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients

1 lb. (454 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup (240 g) Julio’s mild fresh salsa
2 teaspoons chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
8 oz. (226 g) shredded Mexican blend cheese
24 corn tortillas
Spray olive or avocado oil

For serving: guacamole, cilantro lime sauce, salsa

Instructions

Make chicken tinga filling using an Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.

Instant Pot: Place chicken breasts in the instant pot in a single layer. Add chipotle to salsa and stir to combine. Pour over chicken. Lock lid and set valve to sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 9 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 1-2 minutes, then quick-release any remaining pressure.
Slow Cooker: Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker in a single layer. Add chipotle to salsa and stir to combine. Pour over chicken. Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, or HIGH for 2-3 hours, until chicken is very tender.

Transfer cooked chicken to a bowl (reserve cooking liquid for later) and shred chicken with two forks or a Kitchen Aid stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
To the shredded chicken, add back about ½ of the cooking liquid. (The liquid adds flavor, but too much will cause chicken to be soupy.) Discard remaining cooking liquid or use as a base to flavor beans or rice.
Wrap 8 tortillas in a damp, clean dish towel. Microwave for 1 minute. Place warm tortillas (still in damp dish towel) next to a cutting board. Working with one tortilla at a time, place 1 Tablespoon shredded cheese and 2 Tablespoons chicken across the bottom third of the tortilla. Tightly roll up the tortilla and secure with a toothpick.
Fit 8 taquitos into the basket of the air fryer, gently pressing the toothpick through both the taquito and one of the holes in the basket. (This technique will keep taquitos from rolling around or spilling open.) Spray taquitos with olive oil.
Air fry at 350 F for 10-12 minutes, removing the toothpick halfway through. While taquitos are cooking, repeat steps 4 and 5 above with remaining chicken and cheese. Use tongs to transfer taquitos to a platter. Serve immediately.

Make-Ahead Tip: Taquitos can be made ahead and frozen. Fully cool taquitos and then freeze 1-2 hours on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer to a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, seal and label with date. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave taquitos for 1 to 2 minutes, then air fry at 350 F for 2 to 3 minutes to re-crisp the tortilla.

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