Crispy chicken taquitos filled with a creamy spicy chicken mixture and baked or air-fried to perfection!
Once you learn how to make these flavorful homemade chicken taquitos at home, I promise you will never go back to buying the frozen stuff. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken and will transform it into a whole new dish in under 30 minutes.
They’re crunchy crispy on the outside and creamy and mildly spicy and on the inside. There’s no frying needed because they can be baked in the oven or cooked in the air fryer to make them healthier and I promise they’re still SUPER crispy. 
To make chicken taquitos you will need
- Shredded chicken: You can use any type of chicken you have on hand and shred it or use rotisserie chicken. You can also make this quick shredded chicken recipe here.
- Salsa: any type of Mexican salsa will work. You can also replace the salsa with half the amount of canned jalapenos or chipotles in adobo sauce.
- Shredded Cheese: Mexican or taco blend, Monterey jack, cheddar, OR your favorite melting cheese will work!
- Cream Cheese: Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature or microwaved for 30 seconds to make it easier to mix through.
- Spices: 1 teaspoon of EACH chili powder, garlic powder, cumin
- Tortillas: small corn OR flour taco size (about 4”) tortillas
To make the taquitos simply combine all the ingredients and spread a small amount on a tortilla and roll tightly into a taquito. Next, you can bake or air fry the taquitos. We tried both and air frying is faster by a few minutes.
Crispy Chicken Taquitos(Baked or Air Fried)
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 teaspoon EACH chili powder garlic powder, cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend, cheddar, or your favorite melting cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened or at room temp
- ½ cup salsa of choice
- 12 small corn or flour tortillas
- Oil or cooking spray
- Sour-cream, Guacamole or avocado, tomato, cilantro, lime for topping optional
Instructions
- Combine Shredded chicken, spices, and cheeses in a large bowl.
- Lay the tortillas on a flat surface and divide the chicken and cheese mixture among the 12 tortillas. Roll up each tortilla tightly. Spray all sides or taquitos with cooking spray or brush with a light layer or oil.
- To Bake: Pre-heat oven to 400Place taquitos on a sheet pan in a single layer and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the outside is super crispy.
- To Air Fry: Place taquitos in the air fryer in a single layer without overcrowding. Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until crispy. Open the air fryer after 12 minutes to check on them to avoid burning.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
These were so easy and taste restaurant quality.
My husband loves Mexican food having grown up in south TX but we live far from a decent restaurant. I had made a casserole with corn tortillas last week and had a lot left. He suggested flautas, but of course we didn’t want to deep fry. This recipe was fantastic in the air fryer! It was simple to do, I had all the ingredients already on hand. And he pronounced them Great! Thank you for this recipe!
Happy you and your husband enjoyed them, Pat! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Recipe sounds amazing!!!!! Gonna try these, but was also wondering, could you make, freeze then bake. Would love to have these on hand for snacks.
Thanks
To freeze, let the taquitos completely cool. Then place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer for an hour or so….plus I HAVE to set a timer or I forget them. Once they’re mostly frozen (I like to make them solid so there is no chance of them sticking together), place the taquitos in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until ready to eat.
To reheat them, simply remove from the taquitos from the freezer bag and bake for 10 minutes at 400°F until they’re hot and ready! My kids love me to make extras so they have them to reheat!