You need to prepare these air fryer tacos made with corn tortillas with juicy chicken and cheese in the air fryer for maximum doneness.
Last summer, Mike and I were lucky enough to go on a road trip through New Mexico. We went camping in White Sands National Park, spent a thankfully air-conditioned afternoon inside Meow Wolf (highly recommended!), and ate ALL the cheeseburgers and green chile tacos. It was truly a place of enchantment. I never knew New Mexico would touch me so deeply, but it did. I have been forever changed by its stark beauty, its serene sunsets, and its food, of course. I have a great appreciation for New Mexican and Southwestern food.
While the green chile burgers were the highlight of our trip, we also had plenty of tacos, especially the crispy chicken tacos. If you’re ever in New Mexico, get the crispy chicken tacos at El Parasol. They are the best crispy chicken tacos I have ever had. The chicken is juicy, the tortillas are crisp, and the guacamole is the perfect creamy counterpoint to it all. These crispy air puff tacos are inspired by those tacos.
How to make chicken tacos
- Marine. Skinless boneless chicken thighs in a marinade consisting of orange juice, vinegar and spices for 2 hours.
- Cook. Lightly oil the air fryer basket and cook the chicken, turning once. We like to undercook our chicken because it will cook again when the taco is assembled, so the extra juiciness is great. After the chicken is cooked, grate or cut it into small pieces.
- Collect. Warm up your tortillas – this is key so they don’t split or break – wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them for a while. Oil the tortillas on both sides, then top with the chicken and cheese and fold carefully.
- Fresh. Place the folded tacos in the air fryer basket and fry them, turning once. They tend to get a bit crispier as they cool, so you can remove them once they feel crispy. Top the tacos with the toppings of your choice and enjoy!
Why air puff tacos?
Did you know you can make your own crispy hard shell tacos at home? Like homemade tortilla chips, homemade hard shell tacos are super easy, barely fussy. All you need are corn tortillas. You can fry or bake the tortillas for that crunch you’re looking for, but really, frying is the way to go. Less oil, less mess, more crunch. Everything you could want in a homemade taco.
Do I need an air blower?
Technically, you don’t need an air fryer because an air fryer is really just a very small convection oven that heats up super fast. So if you have convection mode on your oven or don’t mind waiting for your oven to heat up, you can bake these tacos for the same crispiness. However, we love the current air fryer we have because it has such a giant fry basket and cleaning is so much easier than washing baking trays.
How about soft tacos?
Sometimes you just want the hug of a soft taco — especially if you have some flour tortillas on hand. For chicken soft tacos, add 2 minutes of cooking time to the chicken in the air fryer to cook the chicken. Heat up your tortillas then top with shredded chicken and hello super juicy tender chicken tacos!
Why Homemade Taco Seasoning?
You may notice that there is a lot of seasoning in the ingredient list when I could have just specified taco seasoning instead. The reason is that taco seasoning is not only deeply unhealthy (it’s like 3 types of salt), but it’s not as tasty compared to homemade. The taco seasoning you end up making here is good not only for chicken but also for beef or pork, once you try it you’ll never go back to store bought!
Chicken Taco Ingredients
- Corn tortillas. If you want crispy crunchy tortillas, you’ll want corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are also great, but they don’t fry the same way in the air fryer. We usually like small street taco-sized corn tortillas (about 4 inches), but we also use slightly larger corn tortillas, ones that are about 6 inches. We have a local tortilleria where we get tortillas, but you know, Mission street taco corn (or flour) tortillas work well too!
- Chicken. Air-fried chicken thighs are incredibly juicy. Plus, I love the fact that everything is made in the air fryer. You can also go for pork chops or steak if you’re not feeling chicken.
- Spices. For extra flavor, the chicken is marinated in orange juice, vinegar, garlic, chili powder and a bunch of spices for an extra kick. The orange juice and vinegar softens the chicken making it super juicy.
- Cheese. Cheese is optional, but who doesn’t love cheese, especially when it’s melted?
- Filling. You can go wild here. The classic is onion and cilantro of course, but maybe you like El Parasol and add some guacamole? We went with some lettuce, avocado slices, hot sauce and a few limes to squeeze in for some tart freshness.
Green Chilean Chicken Tacos
It’s Hatch green chile season and I just added some green chile to these chicken tacos and they are amazing. Just had to share.
All you have to do is omit the chili powder and add 1/2 cup of chopped green chili instead.
Marinate 2 kg boneless skinless chicken thighs in: 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup green chilies (I used fresh roasted chiles), 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon neutral oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar white, 2 tablespoons each ground coriander, smoked paprika, dried oregano, and dried cumin, 1 tablespoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Let it marinate for no more than 2 hours. Air fry the chicken according to the recipe below and follow the rest of the instructions to make crispy air fry tacos. Serve with some salsa verde on the side and you’re in heaven!
Air Fried Chicken Taco
Crunchy and crispy air puffed tacos perfect for taco night.
It serves 4
Chicken for tacos
- 1/2 CUP Orange juice
- 3 carnation garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder chimayo chile powder preferred, optional
- 2 SPOON ground coriander
- 2 SPOON smoked paprika
- 2 SPOON dried oregano
- 2 SPOON ground cumin
- 1 SPOON black pepper
- 1 SPOON kosher salt or for taste
- 2 £ boneless skinless chicken thighs see notes for other meats
Tacos
- 12 4″ Corn Tortilla
- 2 CUPS grated cheese Favorite Mexican cheese, optional
- 1/4 clutch fresh cilantro torn apart
- 1/4 medium onion diced
- guacamole optionally
- avocado dicedoptionally
- salsa optionally
- hot sauce optionally
- Lime cut into pieces
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In a large plate, bowl, or ziplock bag, whisk together the orange juice, garlic, oil, vinegar, chili powder, coriander, pepper, oregano, cumin, pepper, and salt. Add the chicken thighs and marinate covered in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Do not marinate for more than 4 hours or the chicken will begin to spoil.
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Remove the chicken from the marinade, brush the basket with a little oil and place the chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 360°F for 12 minutes, turning halfway through.
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Remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer and shred or shred. If the chicken is undercooked, don’t worry, it will cook again (see notes).
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If necessary, heat your tortilla shells in the microwave to make them pliable. Brush both sides with oil (or spray with cooking spray), layer the top half of the tortilla evenly with chicken and a layer of cheese (if desired). Gently fold the tortilla in half and place it in the air fryer basket, flat.
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Toast at 400°F for 6-7 minutes, turning once, or until tortilla is crispy and cheese is melted. Repeat as needed. The tortillas will continue to brown as they cool. Let rest on a rack while you prepare your remaining tacos.
To substitute beef: Cut 1 lb choice steak into strips, marinate up to 2 hours, air fry 5-6 minutes at 400°F.
To substitute pork: Cut 1-pound-thick pork chops into strips, marinate for up to 2 hours, air fry for 8-10 minutes at 375°F.
We like to cook the chicken a little bit during step 2 because it will cook more when you cook the crispy taco part. If you want your chicken to be perfectly done inside the crispy taco, I recommend cooking it for 10 minutes at 360°F and then shredding the chicken. It will still be a little pink.
Storage: Chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. There is no need to reheat the chicken before making air fryer tacos.
Nutrition facts
Air Fried Chicken Taco
Amount per serving (3 tacos)
Calories 646
Calories from fat 205
% Daily Value*
Fat 22.8 g35%
Saturated fat 5.3 g33%
cholesterol 202 mg67%
Sodium 869 mg38%
potassium 798 mg23%
Carbohydrates 37.7 g13%
Fiber 5.2 g22%
Sugar 3.3 g4%
Protein 70.4 g141%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
