These Healthy Instant Pot Airfryer Chicken Taquitos are such a quick and easy dinner for the whole family. Just prep some Salsa Lime Chicken in your Crock Pot or your Instant Pot and easily make taquitos either in your oven or in your Airfryer! This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
I’m having a moment here with my Airfryer and really, really loving it and loving experimenting with it. Like…hmm…what can I throw in there to make all crispy delicious? I’m trying Brussels Sprouts later and I cannot freaking wait.
But that’s a post for another time.
Today we are talking Chicken Taquitos because corn tortillas are so darn delicious when they have been air fried!
They go in slightly warmed and come out with the perfect crunch!
I absolutely love this recipe because it uses my Instant Pot | Crock Pot Salsa Lime Chicken which is stupid easy to prep and I often make it on Sundays and Mondays just because it’s so simple and it always saves me during the week from ordering a pizza or having cookies for lunch.
It’s literally three ingredients: chicken, a jar of all natural salsa, and some lime. And you throw everything in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.
No chopping. No sautéing. Just dump and go.
And then you have this shredded, delicious chicken that works so well in tacos, bowls, salads, and…of course…taquitos.
Of course if you want to you can add some seasonings or whatever. But really, you don’t have to, so why???
Check out the super simple process with this video:
Easy right? And kid/family friendly, too! You can also make Taquitos with my leftover 21 Day Fix Pork Carnitas, Hidden Cauliflower Taco Meat, or even extra Turkey Taco Skillet. So many options!
And if you need a side dish, my 21 Day Fix Cauliflower Rice with Lime and Cilantro would be perfect!
What kind of tortillas do you use for these Airfryer Chicken Taquitos?
I use gluten-free corn tortillas because, well, we are gluten free…AND you can have TWO corn tortillas for one yellow on the 21 Day Fix. You can, however, sub flour tortillas if you want! Corn tortillas can be little tricker to work with, but you get such a nice crisp at the end, it’s worth it!
Wrap 4 corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. **Note – if your tortillas are crumbing, wrap again and heat them longer! Try wetting your paper towel more, too. **Update – Another way to heat these tortillas is to heat them in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes. Spray them with olive oil spray and heat on a baking sheet until just pliable.
What toppings do you add to these 21 Day Fix Chicken Taquitos?
I love adding some fresh pico to add some extra green, as well as some plain Greek yogurt to round out the red. You can actually add Greek yogurt into the chicken mixture if you want! We don’t because I like to keep the chicken dairy free for my son. I also love to top mine with avocado or extra cheese if I still have some blue left.
Can you freeze these Healthy Airfyer Chicken Taquitos?
Yes! You can freeze the Salsa Lime Chicken alone or make your taquitos and freeze them for a quick meal or snack! Just be sure to lay them flat on a baking pan first and until frozen and then place in a freezer bag. You can easily thaw and crisp up again in the Airfryer or oven.
I don’t have an Airfryer. Can I make these Chicken Taquitos in the oven?
Of course! I included oven directions in the recipe card!
Which Airfryer should I buy?
I have this Phillips Airfryer and I do love the way it cooks, but now that I own one, I my advice is to look at both the quart size of the actual cooking basket and the reviews on all the air fryers in your budget and see which one has the largest cooking capacity. A small cooking basket (like I have) would be difficult if you are cooking for a larger family.
Here are some of my Readers’ favorite Airfryers:
Power Air Fryer XL AF-530-5.3 5.3 QT Deluxe – This popular air fryer is larger at over 5 quarts, but this brand actually has a six quart version, as well!
Philips HD9630/98 Avance XXL Twin Turbostar Airfryer (3lb/4qt) – Like mine, but larger.
NuWave Brio 6 Quart Digital Air Fryer – Black with NuWave Brio Air Fryer 3 Piece Gourmet Accessory Kit – 6 Quart – I love the accessories this one comes with. And this brand has a 10 quart!!!
GoWISE USA GW22731 1700-Watt 8-in-1 Digital 50 Recipes for Your Air Fryer Book, 5.8-QT– This is an awesome price point for a nice sized air fryer!
Ninja Foodi TenderCrisp Multi-Cooker and Fryer All-in-One (OP305) – This is the kitchen appliance of my dreams! It’s BOTH a pressure cooker and also an air fryer (among other things!). If I didn’t have three instant pots and two air fryers, I would totally get one.
What other food can you cook in an Airfryer?
I’m testing all sorts of recipes, but we have made eggs, french toast sticks, chicken breast, potatoes, veggies, even FROZEN veggies in the Airfryer. Like I said, it’s really growing on me! My favorite thing about the air fryer isn’t even how crispy it makes everything, or how little oil you use, it’s how FAST it cooks! You know me – I LOVE fast and easy :).
The BEST Healthy Air Fryer Recipes [21 Day Fix | WW]
Healthy Instant Pot Airfryer Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins
- 1 jar organic salsa
- 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese of your choice
- 12 corn tortillas or sub gluten-free or whole wheat flour tortillas
- Olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon salt free taco seasoning optional
Optional toppings:
- Small container of greek yogurt
- Fresh pico de gallo
- Avocado or guacamole
- Cilantro
Instructions
Chicken:
- Place chicken in your Instant Pot.
- Top with Salsa. Lock lid and hit the poultry button or use the manual/pressure cook button and set for 15 minutes.
- After cook time, natural release.
- Shred chicken and squeeze on some fresh lime juice. Taste and add a pinch of salt and/or 1 T of salt free taco seasoning, if desired.
Taquitos:
- Wrap 4 corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. **Note - if your tortillas are crumbling, wrap again and heat them longer! Try wetting your paper towel more, too. **Update - Another way to heat these tortillas is to heat them in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes. Spray them with olive oil spray and heat on a baking sheet until just pliable.
- Working one by one, place 2 Tablespoons of chicken on the top edge of the tortilla and add 1.5 tablespoons of cheese. Gently roll tortilla into a taquito shape, using a toothpick to hold them together. **Optional add in - stir in some greek yogurt to your chicken mixture before rolling.
- Spray basket of airfryer so shells don’t stick, or cover with parchment.
- Spray shells with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt. Air fry in batches of 2-4 at a time on 390 for a few minutes or until your taquito is crisp.
- Repeat steps with remaining corn tortillas.
- Garnish with avocado/guacamole (or more cheese), fresh pico, cilantro, and a drizzle of Greek yogurt if desired.
- **To make the Taquitos in the oven, just follow the instructions above, but instead of Air Frying, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake your Taquitos for 12-14 minutes at 400 degrees.
Taylor says
These turned out great! I added some diced onion and jalapenos to the inside of my taquitos and baked in the oven at 400 for 8 min then broiled for a minute. Love this recipe!
Nancylynn says
Oh yum!! Thank you for your comment!
Katrina says
I’m wondering if you can prep these and freeze them? Have you tried that yet?
Nancylynn says
Yep, great idea! There’s a couple freezing tips in the post 🙂
Natalie says
WHY AM I JUST NOW MAKING THESE?? Nancy, these are AMAZING! Fresh tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds in a damp napkin worked perfectly for me. These taste like such a treat. I might be making these weekly! I even made some smaller ones for my toddlers. Love it!
Nancylynn says
That’s amazing!! Thank you for this comment!
Jennifer says
I’ll try this with ground turkey tonight
Vilma says
This recipe is very flavorful. Tortilla needs to be fresh. I air fried spraying a little bit of oil and it also tasted good as is in the recipe.
Lindsey says
I love this chicken, it is so delicious, everyone loves it!!
I was wondering what the cook time might be if the chicken is frozen?
Kelsey Cunningham says
This was a terrible recipe. The tortillas broke in half for the 20seconds listed. Tried 40 seconds and they continued to fall apart. The recipe ended up being inedible and we resorted to eating spaghetti. Trying to eat low carb but had to scrambled for something easier and quick since this recipe was a complete fail!
Nancylynn says
I’m sorry the tortillas didn’t work for you. What kind did you buy? Was the chicken also a complete fail? I would think that even in a terrible tortilla emergency, the chicken would still be yummy on it’s own and very low carb!
Carol Kinney says
Absolutely delicious! Used my tortilla warmer (a must have) and put a wet folded paper towel on top. Taquitos held their shape and the chicken recipe was amazing. I used mild Sprouts brand of salsa which has only 1g of sugar. The only bad thing I did was to use boneless chicken thighs. I had some in the freezer that needed to be used. These taste like you are cheating!!
Nancylynn says
And now I am on amazon looking at tortilla warmers, lol!!! Thank you SO much for the awesome comment and rating! So happy this was a hit for you guys!
Kathryn Morrison says
How do you keep the tortillas from falling apart? Mine started fraying as soon as I started rolling them and they broke open further in the air fryer.
Nancylynn says
Did you follow the warming instructions? I think maybe yours need to be warmed longer!
Devon says
What size jar of salsa?
Nancylynn says
16 oz! I will update