Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

A tasty dish with flavors that the whole family will love. Crispy on the outside, melty cheese on the inside, but healthier than the fried alternative.

crispy taquitos on a plate

Toss a handful of on-hand pantry ingredients with your boneless chicken and let it slow-cook all day. Then when it’s ready just shred the chicken, assemble the taquitos, and pop them in your air fryer.

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 8 hrs
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder, to taste or preferred level of spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 16 oz. jar of your favorite salsa, mild, medium or hot, as desired
  • 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (about 8 oz.), white or yellow cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, or a combination
  • 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc., for dipping

Instructions

  1. Season your chicken with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder, and place in your slow cooker.
  2. Pour salsa over the chicken.
  3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
  4. Shred the chicken with forks and stir in the rinsed and drained black beans.
  5. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
  6. Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds or until soft and pliable. Lay out on your work surface. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup shredded cheese onto each tortilla and scatter a thin layer (about 2-3 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture on each.
  7. Roll up tightly and place seam side down in the air fryer basket. Brush lightly with olive oil.
  8. Once you have 4-6 taquitos in the basket, air fry at 400°F for 5-6 minutes. You may want to check after 2-3 minutes to see if any are unrolling, then just reroll and continue cooking.
  9. Serve with your favorite dips.

Notes

You will only need about 1-1½cups of the chicken mixture to make 8 taquitos. You can always make more, or save the rest to make tacos, nachos, etc. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. Or freeze for up to 2 months.

For conventional oven increase temperature 25 degrees to 425° F and cook about 9-10 minutes.

Recipe courtesy: Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips