Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
Our Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos are crispy on the outside and filled with a creamy, flavorful chicken filling on the inside. They are easy to make perfect for those busy weeknights. You can even air fry taquitos from frozen with our instructions.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- All ages love them. Kids and adults will gobble these up.
- Like Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, you can air fry them straight from frozen. They make a great freezer meal for busy nights.
- You can cook your chicken in the slow cooker or Instant Pot or use rotisserie chicken from the store. So many options!
- It’s high in protein. We explain how important protein is in our Round up of High Protein Slow Cooker recipes. Our chicken taquitos have 25 grams of protein per serving.
Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients you will need to make air fryer chicken taquitos:
- Chicken – You can cook it any way you like or grab rotisserie chicken from the store. (Then check out these recipes for leftover rotisserie chicken.)
- Taco seasoning – Either store-bought or use 2 tablespoons of our homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- Cream cheese – A great dairy-free substitute is KiteHill Vegan Cream Cheese. It’s awesome.
- Salsa – Your choice of spice level. I love Mateo’s medium salsa the best.
- Tortillas – You can use whole wheat or white flour tortillas or corn tortillas will work, too.
- Shredded cheddar – Pepper Jack cheese can make it a little spicier.
Prep the Chicken Taquitos for the Air Fryer
Cook the Chicken
Seasoning the chicken with taco seasoning. Add to the slow cooker or instant pot and add some broth. Water works fine too.
- Slow Cooker Instructions: Cook on low for 2.5-3.5 hours.
- Instant Pot Instructions: Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and quick release the pressure.
Chicken should be a minimum at 165 degrees.
Shred the Chicken
Once that chicken has cooked, grab two forks and give it a good shred. Then drain off any excess liquid from the cooker you used.
Shortcut Tip
Instead of cooking the chicken, grab a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred it. Then, combine with the taco seasoning and the rest of the filling ingredients in the next step.
Make the Creamy Cheesy Filling
Add cream cheese and salsa to the shredded chicken and stir until cream cheese is melted.
Assemble the Taquitos
Add a small scoop of chicken filling and top with 2-3 tablespoons shredded cheese.
Roll up the taquitos and place seam side down so they don’t open up.
To help them brown up, you will need to give them a coat of cooking spray. I like to use avocado oil spray.
Preheat the air fryer to 375°F.
Once air fryer is preheated, place them seam side down, spacing out enough to allow airflow around each taquito.
Air fry for 6-8 minutes, until hot in the middle and crispy on the outside. No need to flip or turn them.
How to Freeze Taquitos
Freeze For Later: Make the filling and roll up the tortillas (through Step 4). Then, place rolled up tortillas side-by-side in a single later in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal tightly and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: When ready to cook them, you have two options:
Method 1 (Thawed): Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or in the microwave using the defrost setting. Cook in the air fryer as directed.
Method 2 (From Frozen): Fully cook and freeze the taquitos. Preheat air fryer to 350°F (this is lower than from fresh). Spray air fryer and taquitos with cooking spray and air fry for 12 minutes.
Tip: Freeze Leftover Tortillas
If you have leftover tortillas, did you know you can freeze them? Here is the best way to freeze tortillas for later.
FAQs
Yes, corn tortillas will work but it’s a good idea to warm them up first so they roll easily.. However, we don’t recommend corn tortillas if you plan to freeze the taquitos. They don’t hold up well after freezing and thawing.
This gives the filling time to thaw and reheat without browning the outside of the taquito too much.
Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts)
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning (sub: a 1-ounce package of all-natural taco seasoning)
- 3/4 cup water or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup cream cheese (light works fine)
- 1/4 cup mild or medium salsa
- 8 (8-inch) whole-grain tortillas (Whole wheat, flour, and gluten-free tortillas will work, but corn will not.)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
- Cooking Spray
- Optional toppings: sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salsa, Guacamole, Avocado Lime Salsa ()
Instructions
- Cook Chicken: Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Rub both sides of the chicken with all of the taco seasoning. Add water or broth. Cover and cook on LOW for about 2.5 – 3.5 hours, until it shreds easily. (Note: Chicken should be 165°F internally when done.)
- Shred Chicken: Shred the chicken with two forks and stir, so the seasoning is evenly distributed. Drain off any excess liquid in the slow cooker.
- Make Filling: Add cream cheese and salsa to the shredded chicken and stir until cream cheese is melted.
- Roll Taquitos: Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture, leaving a little room at the edges so the filling doesn't spill out. Top chicken mixture with 2-3 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Roll up tortillas tightly.
- Air Fry: Preheat air fryer to 375°F. Spray the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray. Once air fryer is preheated, spray it with cooking spray and place prepared taquitos into the insert, seam side down so they don't open up during cooking. Air fry for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown and warmed through.
- Serve: Serve warm. Suggestions: Top with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, salsa, guacamole, or our avocado lime salsa.
Freezer Instructions
Notes/Tips
- You can use rotisserie chicken as a shortcut. Just heat it up and mix it with the taco seasoning, a splash of broth, cream cheese, and salsa and follow the cooking instructions.
- You can use corn tortillas but it’s a good idea to warm them up first so they don’t break when rolling. They also won’t air fry as long, since they are smaller.
- There is no need to flip the taquitos half way through.
- Some tortillas may cook faster than others. This is why we give a cooking range.
- Here’s where we get our organic chicken.
Nutrition
Some photography by Whitney Reist from Sweet Cayenne.
We make a triple batch of these because it is SOOOOO easy for my teens to throw these in the air fryer… after school, late night snack, lunches, dinners, pretty much whenever they’re hungry! So much healthier, tastier, and cheaper than buying the store-bought versions.
Triple batch! That takes some dedication. Glad you found a repeat winner for your family!