Air fryer chicken taquitos are a delicious and healthy air fryer dinner recipe! Your family will love this easy and healthy kid-friendly air fryer recipe. Crispy and crunchy taquitos made with shredded chicken, hidden veggies, and tortillas, and then air-fried to perfection! Done in just 10 minutes and freezer-friendly!
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Jump to:
- Why You Need to Make These Homemade Chicken Taquitos
- Ingredients to Make Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos:
- How to Make Taquitos in the Air Fryer:
- Storage, Freezing, Make-Ahead, and Reheating Tips
- Expert Tips for Making Homemade Air Fryer Taquitos
- What to Eat With Taquitos
- Recipe FAQs
- Other Taco Night Recipes You Will Love!
- Kid-Friendly Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
Why You Need to Make These Homemade Chicken Taquitos
Here are the top 10 reasons to make one of our favorite kid-friendly air fryer recipes:
- Simple ingredients and super easy to make with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.
- Perfect way to save money on groceries and use up what you have on hand instead of going to the grocery store.
- Easy dinner that is a great way to feed the whole family - even the pickiest eaters!
- The perfect picky eater recipe for kids and toddlers - just like our taco pizza, ground chicken enchiladas, and crispy chicken tenders.
- They can be made ahead for dinner and frozen - cook straight from the freezer (great party appetizer!)
- A quick meal to make in less than 20 minutes - a great simple recipe for busy weeknights.
- Healthier option than traditional taquitos (deep fryer version) - full of protein, and hidden veggies!
- Delicious cheesy chicken filling made with Greek yogurt and no cream cheese.
Ingredients to Make Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos:
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
Traditionally, these rolled tacos made with flour tortillas are called air fryer flautas. If made with small corn tortillas, they are called taquitos.
Flour or corn tortillas work well for this recipe. Generally, flour tortillas are easier to roll than corn tortillas (unless they are the extra thin corn tortillas).
Rotisserie chicken is the easiest option if you are looking for a quick solution. Leftover shredded chicken, cooked chicken breast, or canned chicken works too.
Ranch seasoning like Hidden Valley Ranch or Simply Organic Ranch works for this recipe. Chili powder, garlic powder, homemade taco seasoning, or onion powder also work well.
Greek yogurt or sour cream provides a creamy base for the chicken and adds even more protein.
Carrots are a great hidden veggie. You could also use zucchini or spinach. I used carrots because of their mild flavor and appearance.
How to Make Taquitos in the Air Fryer:
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe with the best results. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1
Add the ingredients to a large bowl (microwave-safe). Warm the tortillas in the microwave (especially if you are using corn tortillas). Then mix the ranch seasoning and Greek yogurt. Add in the shredded cheese and carrots.
Step 2
Stir in rotisserie chicken.
Step 3
Use a small cookie scoop to add little dollops of the chicken mixture to the tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla and seal by spraying the end with a little cooking spray or avocado oil spray.
Step 4 - How Long to Cook Taquitos in the Air Fryer
Place taquitos seam down into the basket in a single layer. Air fry at 370 F for 8 minutes per side or until the outsides are golden brown.
Storage, Freezing, Make-Ahead, and Reheating Tips
- Storage: Store leftover air fryer taquitos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Assembled uncooked taquitos and put them in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months and make them baked straight from frozen - no need to thaw.
- Make Ahead: Ingredients may be assembled for up to 1 day before air frying. You may consider rolling the tortillas the day of cooking to ensure the tortillas do not get soggy.
- Reheating: Air fry leftovers for about 3-5 minutes at 370F for 3-5 minutes or until heated through.
Expert Tips for Making Homemade Air Fryer Taquitos
- Heat up tortillas in the microwave with a damp paper towel for 30 seconds before assembling. This makes them easier to roll.
- When assembling homemade taquitos, mix the chicken with the Greek yogurt dip. Don't layer them in the tortilla or else the chicken will dry out.
- Do not over-fill the tortillas or they will not roll.
- Flip taquitos over halfway to crisp both sides.
- Use a corn tortilla to make air fryer taquitos or flour tortillas to make air fryer chicken flautas.
- Line the air fryer basket with a piece of parchment paper to avoid messes.
- Check out these breakfast recipes for kids as well as some lunch ideas for teens and Bentgo lunch ideas if you need some more inspiration for getting your picky eaters fed!
What to Eat With Taquitos
- Serve with dipping sauces like salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.
- Side dishes like grilled corn, a simple side salad, or simple steamed broccoli are all great side dishes for cheesy chicken taquitos
- Meat: Making beef taquitos with lean ground beef, turkey, or pork also works.
- Spicy: To make spicy, add some hot sauce, adobo sauce, green chiles, or chopped jalapenos.
- Vegetarian: Substitute chicken for black beans, pinto beans, tofu, corn, or tempeh.
- Vegan: Use plant-based meat, refried beans, tofu, vegan yogurt, vegan ranch, and vegan cheese.
Recipe FAQs
Air fry taquitos for 8 minutes per side at 370F. Frozen taquitos need to be cooked for 11-13 minutes per side at 370F.
If the tortilla is not crispy you have not cooked them long enough. Add more time in one-minute increments until the tortillas are crispy and golden brown on the outside.
Air fryer taquitos can be made straight from the freezer by adding an additional 3-5 minutes per side or until heated through.
Do not overstuff as that makes the homemade taquitos harder to roll and they do not heat through thoroughly.
Spray the end of the tortilla with a bit of cooking spray to seal the taquito. Also, ensure that you place them seam-side down in the basket.
The air fryer is my favorite way to make homemade air fryer chicken taquitos!
The crispy and warm tortilla combined with melty cheese and chicken makes such a delicious finger food. It is one of the best things to make in the air fryer.
Other Taco Night Recipes You Will Love!
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Kid-Friendly Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken cooked
- 2 medium carrots diced extra fine
- ½ packet Ranch dressing
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup shredded taco cheese
- 10 taco-sized flour tortillas
Instructions
- Mix ½ Ranch dressing mix with 1 cup of Greek yogurt to create a ranch dip. Set aside.½ packet Ranch dressing, 1 cup Greek yogurt
- Clean carrots and dice using a food processor. Dice extra fine for a smoother texture. Add carrots and ½ cup cheese to the prepared Greek yogurt dip to combine.2 medium carrots
- Chop rotisserie chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Combine with 1 cup of Greek yogurt dip and carrots.2 cups rotisserie chicken
- Add ¼ cup chicken mixture to each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Roll the tortilla tightly and spray the end with a bit of cooking spray to hold a seal.10 taco-sized flour tortillas, ¾ cup shredded taco cheese
- Air fry at 370F for 8 minutes, turning halfway. Taquitos will be done when they are golden brown.
- Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Notes
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danni says
really good simple recipe. no air fryer so i made these in the oven at 370, 10 minutes each side. also replaced the ranch with taco seasoning. brushed a little bit of butter on the outside of the tortillas as well. i pretty much made a fancy baked chicken taco, but it was still good, nice crispy tortilla shell.
grandma says
Can you bake in the oven? (no air fruer)
Lyndsey Piccolino says
you can! I would try baking for 10 minutes and then flip for another 10 minutes. I haven't tried it but I think that will work.
Courtney says
Just made this tonight and it was a hit. All the kids and even the hubby enjoyed it. Easy to assemble, and great for a quick weeknight meal! I used left over chicken from the rotisserie chicken we had last night.
Lyndsey says
I'm so glad your family liked it Courtney! Thanks for your review and comment!
Natasha says
This was so delicious, and easy. I rarely find something everyone enjoys and this was a hit all around!
Lyndsey says
I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Nancy says
What size tortillas?
Lyndsey says
I usually use the taco-sized but you can use whatever you have on hand. Smaller ones may take a little less time and burrito-sized ones may take longer. Hope that helps!
Desirae Bleth says
Do you think sour cream would be an ok substitute for the greek yogurt to try and cut out more carbs?
Lyndsey says
absolutely! I think it would work just as well.
Chloe says
Made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!! My 3 year old loved!!!
Lyndsey says
That is awesome!!! Thank you for sharing this with me.
Sutton says
Did you mean ranch dressing dip in step one, not Greek yogurt dip? If so, what do we do with the yogurt?
Lyndsey says
the Greek yogurt dip is made with ranch dressing mix and Greek yogurt then mixed together with the other ingredients. You will use half in the rollups and can reserve half for later use. Hope that helps!