{"id":33681,"date":"2025-08-25T00:05:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T07:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=33681"},"modified":"2025-08-24T18:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T01:08:26","slug":"air-fryer-chicken-tacos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/air-fryer-chicken-tacos\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Fryer Chicken Tacos"},"content":{"rendered":"

You need to make these air fryer tacos made with corn tortillas with juicy chicken and cheese, crisped up in the air fryer for the ultimate in crunch.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last summer, Mike and I were lucky enough to go on a road trip through New Mexico. We went camping at White Sands National Park, we spent a thankfully-air-conditioned afternoon inside Meow Wolf (highly recommend!), and we ate ALL the green chile cheeseburgers<\/a>\u00a0and tacos<\/a>. It was truly the land of enchantment. I never knew that New Mexico would touch me so deeply, but it did.<\/a> I\u2019m forever changed by its stark beauty, its quiet sunsets, and of course, its food<\/a>. I have a vast appreciation for New Mexican and Southwestern food now.<\/p>\n

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While the green chile cheeseburgers were the highlight of our trip<\/a> we also had a lot of tacos, specifically crispy chicken tacos. If you guys are ever in New Mexico, get the crispy chicken tacos at El Parasol. They’re the best crispy chicken tacos I\u2019ve ever had. The chicken is juicy, the tortillas are crisp, and the guacamole is the perfect creamy counterpoint to all of it. These crispy air fryer tacos are inspired by those very tacos.<\/p>\n

How to make chicken tacos<\/h2>\n
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  1. Marinate.<\/strong> Boneless skinless chicken thighs in a marinade made up of orange juice, vinegar, and spices for 2 hours.<\/li>\n
  2. Cook.<\/strong> Lightly oil the air fryer basket and cook the chicken, flipping once. We like to slightly undercook our chicken because it\u2019s going to get cooked again when the taco is assembled, so extra juicy is extra good. After the chicken is cooked, shred or chop it into small pieces.<\/li>\n
  3. Assemble.<\/strong> Warm up your tortillas – this is key so they don\u2019t crack and break – wrap them up in a damp paper towel and microwave briefly. Oil the tortillas on both sides, then top with chicken and cheese and fold over carefully.<\/li>\n
  4. Crisp.<\/strong> Place the folded over tacos in the air fryer basket and crisp them up, flipping once. They tend to get a bit crispier as they cool, so you can take them out once they feel crunchy. Finish the tacos off with toppings of your choice and enjoy!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    Why air fryer tacos?<\/h2>\n

    Did you know you can make your own crispy hard shell tacos at home? Just like homemade tortilla chips<\/a>, homemade hard shell tacos are super easy, barely an inconvenience. All you need are corn tortillas. You could deep-fry or bake the tortillas for that crispy crunch you\u2019re looking for, but really, the air-fryer is the answer. Less oil, less mess, more crunch. Everything you could want in a homemade hard shell taco.<\/p>\n

    Do I need an air fryer?<\/h2>\n

    Technically you don\u2019t need an air fryer because an air fryer is really just a very tiny convection oven that heats up super quickly. So if you have convection mode on your oven or don\u2019t mind waiting for your oven to heat up, you can bake these tacos for that same crispy crunch.\u00a0We love the current air fryer we have<\/a> though because it has such a giant fry basket and cleanup is a lot easier than washing baking trays.<\/p>\n

    What about soft tacos?<\/h2>\n

    Sometimes you just want the hug of a soft taco \u2013 especially if you have some plush flour tortillas on hand. For soft chicken tacos, add 2 minutes of cook time to the chicken in the air fryer so the chicken is cooked through. Warm your tortillas up then top with the shredded chicken and hello super juicy soft chicken tacos!<\/p>\n

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    Why homemade taco seasoning?<\/h2>\n

    You might notice that there are a lot of spices in the ingredients list when I could have just specified taco seasoning instead. The reason is that taco seasoning is not only deeply unhealthy (it\u2019s like 3 kinds of salt) but it\u2019s also not that tasty compared to homemade. The taco seasoning you end up making here is good not just for chicken but beef or pork too, once you try it, you\u2019ll never go back to store bought!<\/p>\n

    Chicken taco ingredients<\/h2>\n