Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

Amazing Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

Ok, we had one of those days when you just wanted to play in the kitchen and come up with a new recipe.  It was either play in the kitchen with a new recipe or go out for lunch.  Either way, I wanted Chicken Taquitos and Amy wanted Chicken Flautas.   We had just grilled several Chicken Breasts and it was supposed to rain all day.  Perfect timing for us to pull out the Air Fryer and figure out if we could actually make "Diet Friendly" Taquitos.    I know, you're thinking, "REALLY Diet Friendly???"  Yes!!  And they are crazy good. Oh, and the best part, they're easy to make.  We actually videoed the entire process of how we came up with the final recipe and all the laughs in each version of the recipe.  So, this yummy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos Recipe was created.

Difference between Taquitos and Flautas

As we discovered, the difference between a Taquito and a Flautas is the size of the Tortilla.  Both are filled, rolled, and topped with all the favorites like cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and/or guacamole.  Since we had the small Corn and Flour Tortillas we made Taquitos.  We did call them Flautas in the video. . .I think because Amy wanted Flautas!  Haha we both won!!!  I was the real winner since the Corn Taquitos had fewer calories than Amy's Flour Taquitos!!!  Either way, they were both amazing.  And are both diet-friendly.

Final Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

The final recipe reminds me of the Taquitos we get at our local Mexican Restaurant, also (I think) they are better than the frozen ones from the grocery store.  Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos are so simple to make and did I mention they are "Air Fried," so fewer calories with an amazing amount of flavor?  I know, it's really convenient to purchase the already-made Taquitos from the grocery store, but these are so easy to make and you control the ingredients, so it's a much healthier option to make them at home.  Plus, they're a ton of fun to make.  The best part... it's less expensive to make homemade Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos than it is to buy them.   They can be made ahead of time and frozen. Then you can pull them out and pop into the Air Fryer for a nice snack or meal.

First Try on Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos

So, we thought we wanted Tomatillo Salsa with the Taquitos.  We grilled Tomatillos and made some really amazing salsa.  But, as it turned out, the salsa was too sweet.  The Taquitos were good, but we had to use two corn tortillas, so it kind of defeats the idea of cutting calories!  If you watch the video you'll see we left them in the air fryer a tiny bit too long.  But they were still good.  And yes I managed to burn my month because I can't seem to wait for anything to cool before touching or eating.

Second Try

We pulled out a jar of regular salsa from the pantry and added it to the chicken.  We wrapped the Taquitos just like before.  This time we cooked them in the air fryer for 7 minutes.  They were perfect.  But a little dry this time.

Third Try

In the second try, the corn tortilla fell apart a little so on our third try, we layered two corn tortillas for each taquito and for the flour taquito just used one flour tortilla.  This time we also added some cheese to add some additional creaminess.   They turned out great but we still weren't completely satisfied.

The fourth Try was a Winner!!!!!

In the first three tries the things we discovered were:

1.  We love the shredded chicken
2. The Red Salsa was delicious
3. Adding cheese helped add creaminess.

The one thing we wanted was more creaminess but we didn't want to add too much cheese.  Extra cheese would defeat the challenge of cutting calories.  This time we shredded cheese and mixed it with cream cheese and salsa.  We then mixed in the chicken.

The other key change we made was with the corn tortilla.  We placed them on paper towels for a few hours.  This helped the corn tortilla stay together.  So we didn't need to spray the tortillas.  We just sprayed the Air Fryer with cooking spray.  They were cooked in the Air Fryer for 7 minutes.

Great Dinner, Treat, party appetizer, or snack!

Chicken Taquitos are surprisingly filling.  I was full on two taquitos.  You can make this a family dinner and everyone can put on their favorite toppings like melted cheese, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, more salsa, cilantro or just plain.  Making a mixture of Corn and Flour Tortillas gives everyone in the family their favorite taquito flavor.  Also, the Taquitos can be placed in the freezer or refrigerator for quick snacks or when a friend stops by for an unannounced visit (those are always fun!).   Kids will love them as a snack and it's better than a bag of potato chips or candy.

We love sports so this is exciting for us.  Air Fryer Chicken Tortillas for Football and Hockey season!!!!  They aren't messy and they are the best finger food.

One Chicken breast goes a long way when making this recipe, and it's a great way to use leftover chicken!

Air Fryer recipes

Other of our favorite low-calorie Air Fryer recipes are Steak and Cheese Taquitos,  Buffalo Chicken Taquitos, Shrimp and Snow Peas, Chicken Nuggets, and Sesame Chicken Wings.  All of these recipes are so delicious and we would love to get your feedback on them.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.