Tortillas are filled with an irresistible creamy chicken filling and air fried to crispy perfection. These homemade Air Fryer Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos are so easy to make and better than store-bought deep fried taquitos.
This easy air fryer chicken taquito recipe is a great way to avoid the temptation of store bought frozen food. They take just minutes to assemble and cook quickly in your air fryer. No air fryer? No problem! They will bake up crispy and golden brown in your oven too.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese – Make use of 1/3 less fat cream cheese to cut the fat and calories in this recipe.
- Salsa – Use your favorite red or green salsa. I love the flavor of green salsa combined with the creamy filling but red is great too!
- Sour cream
- Taco seasoning mix – You can use store-bought seasoning or make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix so you can control the amount of sodium.
- Shredded chicken – Using fully cooked chicken is what makes this recipe so fast and easy to make. You can use leftover cooked chicken or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- Tortillas – Look for 6-inch tortillas in either flour, corn, or a 50/50 blend. Flour and blend tortillas that include flour or wheat are more flexible and less likely to crack after rolling than corn. Corn tortillas will roll easier if you warm them slightly in the microwave first.
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Propellant free nonstick cooking spray – I use Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray.
- Optional for Serving – Shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.
How to Make Air Fryer Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos
Make the Filling
- Add the cream cheese, salsa and sour cream to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth.
- Add the taco seasoning and chicken and mix again to combine.
Assemble and Cook the Taquitos
- Warm a stack of tortillas between paper towels in your microwave for about 30 to 45 seconds, or until they are soft and pliable.
- Place one tortilla on a cutting board or other work surface. Coat it well with propellant free cooking spray, flip it over so that the oil coated side is down. Add about 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling down the length of the tortilla closer to one end. Top with some of the cheese.
- Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling and tightly roll it up. Place it seam side down on your work surface and repeat with the remaining tortillas, filling, and cheese. Spray, flip, fill, wrap.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. Place the taquitos in one layer in the basket, seam side down. It’s okay if they touch but they shouldn’t be layered or too tightly packed. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisped to your liking.
How to Cook Chicken Taquitos in the Oven
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. If preferred, you can skip the foil and just coat the baking sheet.
- Follow the directions above to assemble the taquitos and transfer them to the baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and using tongs, flip each taquito over to brown the other side. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until nicely browned and crispy on both sides.
How to Serve Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
Serve the taquitos over a bed of shredded lettuce garnished with salsa. Or, just place them on a platter and serve them with the toppings on the side. Include salsa, sour cream and guacamole for dipping.
Storing Leftover Taquitos
Refrigerator – Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezer – Place cooked and cooled Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen taquitos to a freezer-safe plastic storage bag and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months.
Reheating Leftover Taquitos in an Air Fryer
To warm and re-crisp leftover taquitos, preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees F. Spritz the taquitos with a little additional nonstick cooking spray and cook taquitos for 2 to 3 minutes, or until warmed through. Plan on doubling the cooking time if they are frozen. They can be reheated in the microwave but will not be as crispy.
More Easy Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- For another easy taquito recipe and more tips, check out my Air Fryer Beef Taquitos recipe.
- It doesn’t get any easier than these Rotisserie Chicken Tacos.
- This Beef and Vegetable Taco Bake is loaded with veggie goodness!
- Turkey Tacos are one of my favorite busy day meals.
Air Fryer Cream Cheese Chicken Taquitos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ⅓ less fat cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup salsa, red or green
- ¼ cup light sour cream
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning mix
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 14 6-inch tortillas, flour, corn, or 50/50 blend
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- propellant free nonstick cooking spray, I use Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Spray that I get at Costco.
Optional for Serving
- guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, salsa, hot sauce
Instructions
For the Cream Cheese Chicken Filling
- Add cream cheese, salsa and sour cream to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add the taco seasoning and chicken and mix again to combine.
For the Tortillas
- Place a stack of 6 tortillas (or however many will fit in one batch in your air fryer) between paper towels on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 35 to 45 seconds (flour warms more quickly than corn). Tortillas should be warm, very soft and pliable.
Assembling and Cooking the Taquitos
- Place one tortilla on a cutting board or other work surface. Coat it well with propellant free cooking spray, flip it over so that the oil coated side is down. Add about 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling down the length of the tortilla closer to one end. Top with some of the cheese. Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling and tightly roll it up. Place it seam side down on your work surface and repeat with the remaining tortillas, filling, and cheese. Spray, flip, fill, wrap.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 degrees F. To keep the cooked taquitos warm while cooking subsequent batches, preheat your oven to 200 degrees F and place a foil-lined baking sheet in the oven.
- The tortillas are already coated with a little oil and it should be enough to prevent them from sticking to the air fryer basket, but, if you are concerned they will stick, you can spritz the basket with a little oil (be sure to use a nonstick spray with no propellants). Place the taquitos in one layer in the basket, seam side down. It’s okay if they touch but they shouldn’t be layered or too tightly packed. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisped to your liking. I like to set my air fryer for 8 minutes and check on them frequently after 6 minutes. Transfer cooked taquitos to the baking sheet in the oven to keep them warm. Repeat with remaining taquitos. Subsequent batches may cook more quickly so watch them closely.
- Serve over a bed of shredded lettuce garnished with optional toppings or alternately, serve with toppings on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home. All information provided regarding nutrition on this website is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Content related to nutrition is not medical advice nor is it intended to replace medical advice. The website is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, or treat any disease, condition, illness, or injury. Before beginning any diet program, modifying your diet, or making changes to the diet of a child in your care, including following the nutrition information available on the website, you should seek advice from a licensed professional.
I used canned chicken since I already had some, it came out really good! I would definitely make again. I didn’t use all the filling so I saved it for the next day and ate it like a dip with tortilla chips. Yummm