Buffalo Chicken Taquitos

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos are crispy tortillas rolled around cheesy chicken with tangy buffalo sauce! If you are a fan of buffalo chicken dip, you will love these. Cooked in the air fryer, they are easier to make without all the mess!

Air Fryer Taquitos

I am a sucker for Mexican food! Not just because I love all the flavors but because the food is always so approachable.

Not only that, but they have the best appetizers, finger foods, and I could eat them all day long.

I just posted a recipe for homemade buffalo sauce so I wanted to play around with incorporating it into more recipes since I am just drinking it at this point it’s so good.

When I think of buffalo sauce, I immediately think of chicken wings or buffalo chicken dip. So why not take these flavors and turn them into one of my favorite Mexican appetizers, TAQUITOS!

If you are looking for more Mexican dishes, check out this frozen burrito casserole. The meal prep is so quick and everyone will love it. I also love this cheesy taco pasta. A one pot meal the whole family will love.

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Ingredients Needed

Chicken: Feel free to cook your own chicken, but I love the shortcut of using rotisserie chicken. Or cook a bunch of chicken breasts and store it in the freezer just for quick recipes like this!

Tortillas: I like to use flour tortillas for this recipe as they are a tad bit thicker and are easier to handle. The corn ones have great flavor but they tear very easily and don’t like to roll up tight.

Cream Cheese: Feel free to use full fat, reduced fat, or fat free.

Cheese: Shredded cheddar cheese and blue cheese crumbles.

Sauces: Use Ranch dressing and homemade Buffalo sauce.

For more insider tips & tricks, and a candid behind the scenes look follow me on social media! Check use out on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter (yes, people still use Twitter, LOL!)

How to make chicken taquitos in the air fryer

First: In a medium sized bowl, add the softened cream cheese, ranch dressing, and buffalo sauce. stir to combine.

Add the shredded chicken, blue cheese crumbles, and cheddar cheese. Stir to combine.

Second: Assemble the taquitos by laying a tortilla on a flat surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla, making a line of filling down the middle of each disc.

Third: Fold over one side and tuck it close to filling. Continue rolling tightly until finished. Roll the remaining taquitos and melt the butter.

Fourth: When ready to air fry, place 4-5 taquitos seam side down in the air fryer basket and brush lightly with melted butter.

Air fry at 400F for 6-10 minutes. Flipping half way through the air frying process. Remove and let cool while you air fry the remaining taquitos.

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Can I make these in the oven?

Sure thing! Jill’s original recipe is oven baked taquitos so I know you can do it! Just prepare the taquitos per the recipe.

Then place them in a shallow baking dish or on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the taquitos and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

How long do you cook taquitos in an air fryer?

Initially, they take about 10 minutes to cook through. If you are cooking them from frozen, you will air fry from 4-8 minutes based on the size of them.

Thicker taquitos will take longer to heat through.

How do you keep taquitos crispy?

While you are cooking the remainder of the batch or keeping them warm before serving, you can keep them on a baking sheet in a warm oven.

You can also make sure to keep them on paper towels to wick away any oil from the taquitos themselves that comes out when cooked.

How do you keep taquitos from falling apart?

If your taquitos keep tearing while rolling, warm them up in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.

Just be sure to cover with a damp paper towel. This will make them easier to roll.

What’s the difference between taquitos and flautas?

Technically, taquitos are made with corn tortillas and flautas are made with flour tortillas. But most of the time, people are using these names interchangeably.

Don’t get hung up on the name, just make them! These will make you forget all about buffalo wings in case you are wondering!

How do you keep taquitos closed?

If the taquitos like to unroll while they air fry, pin the edges closed with a toothpick or two while cooking. Just be sure to remove them before serving!

What’s good to dip taquitos in?

Because these are filled with yummy cheeses and ranch and buffalo sauces, I would keep any dips simple.

Try a Ranch, Buffalo, or even a Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping them.

But these pack a lot of flavor so I am not sure that you even need a dip for them:)

Tapas Tips & Tricks

• if you are having problems with the tortillas tearing or breaking, warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds covered with a damp paper towel.
• if the taquitos won’t stay rolled up, feel free to hold the edges down with a tooth pick while they air fry. Just be sure to remove it before eating.
• add in your favorite ingredients like corn, pico de gallo, or a a spicy cheese like pepper jack.
• these reheat well so feel free to make a big batch and enjoy the leftovers.

Freaky Friday

What is Freaky Friday? It’s a recipe exchange put on by Michaela over at An Affair from the Heart. There are about a dozen people each time that get assigned a fellow foodie website to make a recipe from to share with our readers.

It’s a win-win because we get to make a tried and true recipe from a friend and share it with our readers and you get to hear about another great food website you might not have found!

This time around I got Jill from The Carefree Kitchen! Jill, a mother of 5! Yes, 5! kids has time to cook and do ALL THE THINGS!

I love her no nonsense approach to cooking and everything I have made from her blog, is so delicious!

Jill started cooking young, making homemade bread at the tender age of 7. I was still stealing playing with my Hot Wheels garage, not in the kitchen, at this age.

I have always wanted to learn to make biscuits (since my husband is really good at it and I’m competitive like that) and her flaky biscuit recipe just propelled me to top baker status!

Not only that but I am saving a fortune by not having to buy breadsticks from Olive Garden (the only ones Connor will eat) and making them at home now thanks to her fool proof recipe.

But I am always drawn to appetizers, and if you are like me in that regard, then check out her Jalapeño Artichoke Dip (I love spicy foods!) and her Italian Mini Kabob Apps that are the perfect finger food for any occasion!

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

My family loved this recipe I had to make a double batch and put them in the freezer. Now my son can take a few of them out and pop them in the air fryer!

Take a look at all of our 2021 Freaky Friday Winter Edition Recipes:

1. An Affair from the Heart – Copy Cat Taco Bell Enchirito
2. Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Three Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
3. The Carefree Kitchen – Lemon Bundt Cake
4. The Culinary Compass – Rotel Sausage Dip
5. Devour Dinner – Cheese Enchiladas
6. The Foodie Affair – Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread
7. The Fresh Cooky – Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail
8. House of Nash Eats – Pineapple Casserole
9. Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
10. Lemoine Family Kitchen – Red Beans & Rice
11. Life, Love & Good Food – Pan Seared Scallops 
12. Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Weeknight Broccoli Shrimp Stir Fry
13. Off the Eaten Path – Extra Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings
14. Soulfully Made –  Stuffed Pepper Meatloaf
15. The Speckled Palate – Pretzel Cheese Dip 
16. Sugar Dish Me – Cheesecake Brownies with Graham Cracker Crust
17. Take Two Tapas – Buffalo Chicken Taquitos in the Air Fryer
18. West Via Midwest – Frito Corn Salad

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