Description
These Air Fryer Taquitos are crispy outside, cheesy inside, and packed with flavorful shredded chicken seasoned with green chilies and spices. Made with rotisserie chicken and warm flour tortillas, they come together quickly and make a perfect appetizer, snack, or main course with a delicious Mexican flair.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, minced
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (rotisserie chicken or Instant Pot cooked)
- 4 ounce can diced green chilies
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
Taquitos
- 12 six-inch flour tortillas (fajita size)
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Heat Oil and Sauté Onion: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the minced yellow onion and cook for 4 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
- Add Chicken and Spices: Stir in 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, diced green chilies, chopped cilantro, and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Cook together for 2 to 3 minutes to blend flavors.
- Incorporate Cheese: Remove the skillet from heat and mix in 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese until combined evenly.
- Prepare Tortillas: Stack the 12 flour tortillas and wrap them in damp paper towels. Microwave for 60 seconds to make them pliable for rolling.
- Roll Taquitos: Spoon about 3-4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll them up tightly with the seam side down to secure the filling.
- Preheat Air Fryer: Set your air fryer to 400°F and let it preheat.
- Arrange and Spray: Place the rolled taquitos in the air fryer basket with some space between each for air circulation. Spray them lightly with nonstick cooking spray to help them crisp up.
- Cook First Side: Cook the taquitos at 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Flip and Cook Second Side: Use tongs to carefully flip the taquitos. Spray again with cooking spray and cook for another 5 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Cook in Batches if Needed: Depending on your air fryer size, you may need to cook in two batches. This recipe yields 12 taquitos, typically fitting 6 per batch in a 5.8 quart air fryer.
- Serve: Once cooked, serve your taquitos hot with salsa, sour cream, chipotle sauce, or guacamole for dipping.
Notes
- Ensure taquitos are rolled tightly to prevent unrolling during cooking in the air fryer.
- If taquitos aren’t crispy enough, cook an extra 1-2 minutes per side and be sure to spray them with cooking spray before air frying.
- Oven Alternative: Bake taquitos at 425°F on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cook for 6-7 minutes per side, spraying with cooking spray before and after flipping.
- For gluten free taquitos, substitute flour tortillas with corn or certified gluten free tortillas.
- Make it spicy by using hot green chilies or adding 2-3 teaspoons of hot sauce to the filling. Cooking minced jalapeno or serrano with onions also adds heat.
- You can substitute chicken with beef, cheese, soyrizo, or beans following the same preparation and cooking steps.
- Uncooked taquitos can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
- Reheat cooked leftover taquitos in the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes per side for best texture.
- When cooking frozen taquitos, add 2 extra minutes per side at 400°F air fryer temperature.
