We all know taquitos. It’s the easy dinner you pull from that box in the freezer and throw in the oven. Bonus: they taste great if you’re really hungry.

But, the thing is… Taquitos can be so much more than just a box of frozen food from Walmart… (not to disrespect the Walmart frozen taquitos).

Wade and I have only just recently discovered that we LOVE homemade taquitos. When you bite into a homemade air fryer chicken taquito, you taste freshness. You taste love. You taste goodness. You want more. Immediately.

After trying this taquitos recipe, you’ll quickly find that if you’re willing to give 45 minutes of your day to make homemade taquitos instead of thawing frozen taquitos, there will be no going back. This new way of living life, this new form of taquito will come to rule all the taquito-cravings within you. Are you ready to embrace this new life? Read on.

WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

♡ The CREAMINESS of the filling!

♡ The added VEGGIES for extra nutrients :)

♡ An extravagant amount of GUACAMOLE to top the taquitos! (Can you ever really have too much guacamole??)

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST AIR FRYER CHICKEN TAQUITOS

1) Depending on how healthy of a taquito recipe you’re looking for, you will want to vary the amount of olive oil you use to cook the taquitos with. Traditionally, taquitos are fried. However, this recipe uses the airfryer to still get that crunch without all the added oil. If you’re looking for a happy in-between, you may want to try brushing the taquitos with a bit of oil before putting them in the airfrier. You may also choose to opt for oil-free cooking, which will still taste amazing and result in significantly healthier taquitos!

2) Don’t skimp on toppings!! (see the following section on serving ideas)

3) Make the chicken ahead of time! If you’re looking for a time saver tip, try cooking and shredding the chicken before dinner. This fully ready chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and in the freezer for 2-3 months. It’s such an awesome meal prep hack! I like to make my shredded chicken in the Instant Pot because it’s simply SO easy to put a few chicken breasts in with a little bit of water and seasonings. In 15-20 minutes the chicken will be completely cooked and ready to be shredded.

4) HOMEMADE TORTILLAS. These pictures are with my very own hand-made tortillas (hence the reason they look like they’re falling apart haha). Despite not looking perfect, these tortillas taste AMAZING. I recommend trying out this recipe.

SERVING IDEAS

Toppings are seriously one of the most important aspects of this recipe. Wade and I made these one time without guacamole and it just felt like the taquitos were screaming that they wanted something more. There’s sooo many different ways to bring this recipe to the next level, but here’s just a few of our favorites:

- Shredded Lettuce (Iceberg is the traditional one, but feel free to use any kind you like!)

- Diced Tomatoes

- Fresh Guacamole

- Sour Cream

- Chopped Green Onion

- Cotija Cheese: You’ll love this Mexican cheese! If you get the “young” (less aged) Cotija, it’s almost like a milder version of feta and it pairs so well with taquitos and guacamole!

- Fresh Chopped Cilantro

- Lime

Another optional serving idea is to add cheese to the taquito filling. I personally have a bit of a vendetta against cheese (ESPECIALLY melted cheese)... so I don’t ever add any. However, most taquito recipes I see online do add cheese, and I know Wade has added cheese to his taquito filling before and he really enjoyed it. If you would like to add cheese, I’d recommend sprinkling in probably ¾ to 1 cup of cheddar or pepper jack cheese (depending on your preferences).

I’ve also seen recipes where people will add in some chopped spinach to the taquito filling, mostly just for some added veggies and nutrients. If you love the idea of some added greens, feel free to add in spinach!

One last suggestion!! :) We have also done this recipe without the cream cheese, and instead used 3-4 ounces of goat cheese plus ½ cup of Greek yogurt. It’s a super yummy substitution, especially if you’re as big of a goat cheese fan as I am!

STORAGE

If you don’t want to eat an entire batch of taquitos, you may want to try freezing some unbaked taquitos. Simply add the feeling to a tortilla, roll it up, and then place in an airtight container or ziplock bag. When you’re ready to eat these, take them out of the container and place in the airfryer. Sprinkle on some olive oil and roast until the taquito is nice and crispy!

HOW TO…

Begin heating a medium sized nonstick skillet to medium heat. Meanwhile, begin thinly slicing the red bell pepper and a small onion. Add the sliced pepper and onion to the pan with a teaspoon of olive oil.

Continue to saute the pepper and onion over medium heat until the onions begin to look translucent. Remove from the heat and allow the veggies to cool for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix together the COOKED shredded chicken, the cream cheese, cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and lime juice. Add in the sauteed pepper and onion. Combine well.

Begin adding the filling to each corn tortilla. Scoop out a bit of filling and spread the filling out so it creates a thin strip of filling across a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly and secure with a toothpick.

Repeat this process until all the filling is used up. Air fry the taquitos at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, in batches of 6-8 taquitos.

When the taquitos have finished cooking, top with guacamole, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and whatever other topping sounds yummy! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Directions: