Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos with Jalapeno
When it comes to the best game day food, it doesn't get much better than taquitos and jalapeno poppers! What if you could combine the flavors of both those delicious appetizers into one amazing snack? With this easy air fryer chicken taquitos recipe, you can bring the flavor of jalapeno poppers to classic taquitos. And since they're made in the air fryer, they're ready to eat in minutes.
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What Do I Need to Make Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos?
All the delicious flavor of a jalapeno popper packed in a taquito - what could be better than that? And even though these crunchy snacks are packed with spicy flavor, you don't need a long list of complicated ingredients to prepare them. To make your own spicy chicken taquitos in your air fryer, you'll need:
- Cooked, shredded chicken
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Diced jalapenos
- Ground cumin
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Fajita-size flour tortillas
- Monterey jack cheese
How Do I Make Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos?
Making taquitos in the air fryer is one of the easiest ways to prepare this yummy appetizer. You get the crispy, crunchy texture that comes with frying your taquitos without needing messy oil! The best part about this simple recipe is that you can prepare it in just three easy steps.
Step One: Mix the Filling
Combine the shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Monterey jack cheese in a medium bowl. Stir to combine the ingredients until smooth and creamy and well incorporated.
Step Two: Roll the Taquitos
Place around two tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each tortilla, spreading it slightly off center. Roll up the tortilla around the filling as tightly as possible without ripping it.
Step Three: Air Fry the Taquitos
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees and grease the basket of your air fryer with nonstick cooking spray. Place the rolled-up taquitos in the prepared basket seam side down and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, flipping them halfway through the cooking time. Your taquitos are done with the tortillas, which are crispy and golden brown, and the cheese in the filling has melted.
How Do You Keep Taquitos from Cracking?
Rolling your tortilla around the creamy filling tightly is the key to getting perfectly crispy taquitos. But that can be difficult if your tortillas keep cracking as you roll!
Tortillas typically crack because they're too dry. Luckily, it's easy to solve this problem by heating them up in the microwave. Wrap your tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat them in 30-second increments until they're softened.
Keep the damp towel on top of the tortillas as you work to trap the warm air and moisture inside. This will help keep the tortillas from drying out as you roll them all up.
How Do I Keep My Taquitos from Coming Apart as They Cook?
Another issue many people encounter while making taquitos in the air fryer is the taquitos cracking at the seam. To prevent your air-fried taquitos from breaking apart, try wetting the seam with a small amount of water before rolling them.
Lightly press along the dampened edge to seal it in place. The water will help create a glue-like substance along the seam to keep it from coming apart as the tortillas get crispy.
Can I make Taquitos with corn tortillas?
Corn and flour tortillas can easily be swapped in this recipe, depending on which type of shell you prefer. Keep in mind that corn tortillas often rip more easily than flour tortillas. That's why warming up your corn tortillas before you start rolling is always a good idea.
Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave according to the package instructions. To prevent the tortillas from drying out, keep the damp paper towel covering them while you work.
Can I Make Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos in the Oven?
While using your air fryer is a quick and easy way to get crispy taquitos without frying, it's not the only way to prepare this simple appetizer. Your jalapeno popper taquitos can also be cooked in the oven.
Follow the recipe instructions for filling and rolling your taquitos. Then, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the rolled-up taquitos in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top and sides with vegetable or canola oil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tortillas are crispy.
What to Serve with Jalapeno Popper Chicken Taquitos?
Since these delicious air fryer snacks are like two appetizers in one - taquitos and jalapeno poppers - there are so many fun ways to enjoy them! Try serving your taquitos with some of these dips and sides to round out your meal:
- Cheese sauce
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Queso dip
- Guacamole
- Refried beans
- Bean dip
- Shredded lettuce
- Pico de gallo
- Spanish rice
Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos with Jalapeno
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 8 ounces canned diced jalapenos, drained (2-4 ounce cans)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper if desired
- 20 fajita size flour tortillas
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Prepare the basket with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, blend the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, seasonings, and Monterey Jack cheese.
- Place about 2 tablespoons of the chicken off-center in each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla as tightly as possible without tearing the tortilla and place on the air fryer basket with the seam side down.
- Cook in the air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the wattage of your air fryer, flipping halfway.
- Serve with salsa verde, sour cream, salsa, or guacamole.
