Air fryer chicken taquitos
Crunchy rolled tortillas stuffed with creamy, cheesy salsa chicken, crisped in the air fryer and made for dunking in guacamole.
- 55 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.19 a serving
- 560 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 cup Mexican blend cheese
- ½ lime, juiced
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup guacamole (optional)
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 4 cups water
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 560 calories, 39 g protein, 41 g carbs and 28 g fat, and costs about $2.19 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No guacamole? Avocados work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the chicken in a medium with the water and ½ teaspoon of salt and bring it over high heat.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to low, cover, and gently 12 to 15 minutes, until the thickest breast reads 165°F.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 14 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
the chicken with two forks and it with the cream cheese, salsa, cheese, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, lime juice and the rest of the salt.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
the air fryer to 400°F. Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 45 seconds, until soft.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 45 sec
Dolly’s tip: Keep them wrapped while you roll. Corn tortillas crack as soon as they cool.Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling along one edge of each tortilla, roll it up tightly, and set it seam side down.
Heaping. Heaping means a rounded mound piled above the rim of the spoon or cup, not leveled off. It’s a little more than the measure, on purpose.
How you’ll know: The pile sits above the edge of the spoon, and you leave it there instead of scraping it flat.
Brush the taquitos with the oil and air fry them in batches, seam side down, 7 to 9 minutes, until and .
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 8 min
Serve with guacamole and sour cream for dipping.
Dolly’s tip: To freeze, cool uncooked rolled taquitos on a sheet pan, then bag them. Air fry from frozen for 12 to 14 minutes.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
