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    Home » Recipes » Dinner

    Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

    Published: Mar 17, 2022 · Modified: Jun 9, 2023 by Maria Doss · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    This Air fryer Chicken Tacos is made with deliciously seasoned Mexican chicken, pico de gallo and avocado. A super easy weeknight dinner that will become a family favorite!

    rectangle platter with air fried chicken  tacos.

    Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

    These tacos is the ultimate easy recipe - made with super delicious and flavorful meat, a simple pico de gallo, avocado and sour cream on corn tortillas. They aren't fussy and not too many toppings. They are great serving for a crowd, Cinco de Mayo or just weeknight dinner.

    Why you'll love this recipe?

    These are one of the easiest and tastiest dinners, like the air fryer teriyaki chicken plus they are made in 30 minutes (if you skip marinating time). It is the perfect Taco Tuesday recipe.

    1. Air fryer dinner - There are lots of ways to make Mexican chicken with no breading, but here we are doing it the simplest way ---> Air frying! It's my favorite to meal prep, because it's so versatile.
    2. Simple yet flavorful - The air fryer taco meat is made with only 4 ingredients ---> thighs, taco seasoning, lime juice and some vegetable oil. The seasoning is our homemade taco seasoning that is incredibly popular and amazing delicious.
    3. Customizable - Add any and all of your favorite Tex-Mex toppings to make these your own.
    4. Easy to make ahead - Do you like to meal prep? This air fryer meat works perfectly for spicy salads, burrito bowls or quesadillas.

    HOW TO HEAT TORTILLAS IN AIR FRYER?

    Wrap corn or flour tortillas in aluminium foil and place in a pre heated 350 degree fryer for 3 to 4 minutes.

    How to cook moist, tender thighs in air fryer?

    1. Marinade - Marinading the meat with salt, spices and lime juice helps tenderize the meat, flavors the meat all the way through, so the meat tastes completely seasoned and not bland inside.
    2. Don't over cook - Poultry is considered cooked at 165 degrees F. The time given in the recipe ensures not overcooking the chicken.
    3. High heat - The high heat makes sure that the meat is cooked outside with hot blast of air from the air fryer yet keeping the inside moist.

    Can I use chicken breasts?

    Sure can! We love to use thighs because they are juicy, moist and almost impossible to over cook. If using boneless, skinless breasts ---> Cook them at 380 degrees for 6 minutes, flip over and cook for an additional 6 minutes, or until completely cooked.

    How to cook in a skillet?

    Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce oil used for marination and drizzle the remaining in the hot skillet. Place marinated meat in skillet spacing evenly apart. Let cook until browned on bottom, about 6 minutes. Turn over, reduce heat to medium if needed. Continue to cook until cooked through (165 degrees in thickest portion), about 6 minutes longer.

    How to Grill or Bake?

    Grill - Grill marinated meat over medium heat until a thermometer registers 165 degrees in centre (flip half way), about 10 to 12 minutes.

    Oven - Place on a greased baking sheet, cook at 425 degrees, until cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.

    How much chicken do I need for tacos?

    This recipe make 6 tacos using about 3 boneless skinless thighs (which weighs ¾th to 1 pound, depending on the size). Feel free to double or triple the recipe depending on how many people you’re serving (and if you have too much, it does make great leftovers!).

    INGREDIENTS

    1. Chicken thighs - 3 boneless skinless thighs (¾th to 1 pound) is perfect for this recipe.
    2. Seasoning - We highly recommend using this homemade taco seasoning recipe. It is by far more flavorful than any store bought ones.
    3. Lime - Use freshly squeezed lime juice and not any anything from a bottle. It makes a huge difference.
    4. Pico de gallo - Use homemade pico de gallo or store bought.
    5. Tortillas - We recommend using white or yellow corn tortillas.
    6. Avocado and Sour cream

    PRO TIPS FOR SUCCESS

    • The recipe is best with thighs. They are more fattier and almost impossible to overcook.
    • Tortillas - Corn tortillas as our go-to for a good taco. You can even use flour or almond flour tortillas (we love the ones from Costco).
    • Taco seasoning - We highly recommend our homemade seasoning recipe. If using store bought seasoning, then use about 1 to 2 tablespoons (depends on the salt).
    • Sour cream - Mix sour cream with a squeeze of lime juice, salt and a dash water.
    ingredients needed to make Mexican chicken.
    chicken thighs mixed with taco seasoning in a bowl.
    marinated Mexican chicken in an air fryer basket.
    cooked taco chicken thighs in air fryer basket.

    HOW TO MAKE?

    Marinade chicken - Toss thighs with Mexican seasoning, lime juice and vegetable oil. Marinade for about 30 minutes at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

    Cook - Place marinated meat in a pre heated 400 degree air fryer and cook for 6 minutes, flip over and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Rest for a few minutes and chop.

    Pico de gallo - Use store bought pico or make your own (recipe link included)

    Warm tortillas - Warm tortillas in microwave, air fryer or char on stove top.

    Sour cream sauce - Stir sour cream with lime juice, salt and water to thin it a bit.

    Assemble - Load tortillas with cooked meat, pico de gallo, sliced avocado and sour cream sauce.

    How to serve this chicken?

    1. Make Burrito Bowls - Top cilantro lime rice with diced meat, corn, pico de gallo, black beans, shredded cheddar, avocado crema, jalapeños, cilantro and sour cream.
    2. Lettuce wraps - Skip rice and assemble everything in lettuce cups.
    3. Salad - Toss chopped lettuce, red onion, meat, tomato, corn, chili peppers and black beans with a drizzle of sour cream sauce.
    4. Quesadillas - Make quesadillas with Mexican cheese blend, some pico de gallo and jalapeños.
    5. Sandwich - Replace flour tortillas with sandwich bread to make grilled cheese sandwich.

    HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS?

    This is a small batch recipe which feeds a family of 2 to 3. But, if you have leftovers or making a double batch, then refrigerate leftovers in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

    HOW TO FREEZE?

    Prepare the recipe as described, and then cool. Freeze whole or chop and store freezer safe bags for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.

    To reheat in air fryer -  Place room temperature cooked chicken in a pre heated 375 degree air fryer and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until heated through. Colder meat might take an additional minute.

    To reheat in microwave - Place in a microwave safe plate and cook until heated through.

    What is a good side dish?

    I like to serve cilantro lime rice, air fryer asparagus, Air Fryer Corn on the Cob, guacamole or refried beans. Quick, easy, and so delicious vegetarian recipes for taco Tuesday.

    air fryer basket with cooked chicken thighs to make tacos.
    assembled tacos made in air fryer.

    More Air fryer Chicken Recipes to try-

    • Air Fryer Meatballs
    • Air Fried Buffalo Wings

    Follow me on INSTAGRAM, TIK TOK, FACEBOOK or PINTEREST for more delicious recipes.

    assembled chicken tacos in a white platter.

    Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

    This Air fryer Chicken Tacos is made with deliciously seasoned Mexican chicken, pico de gallo and avocado. A super easy weeknight dinner that will become a family favorite!
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Air Fryer
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 11 minutes minutes
    Additional Time: 4 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 tacos
    Calories: 188kcal
    Author: Maria Doss

    Ingredients

    • 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs ¾th to 1 pound
    • 1 recipe chicken taco seasoning
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 large lime juiced
    • 6 corn tortillas warmed
    • Pico de gallo
    • Avocado sliced or chopped

    Toppings

    • Sour cream refer notes
    • Jalapenos sliced

    Equipment Used

    • Air Fryer
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Pat chicken dry with paper towels and then toss with taco seasoning, vegetable oil and lime juice, until thoroughly combined. Let marinade for about 30 minutes (or refrigerate for 2-3 hours).
    • Pre heat air fryer to 400°F for 11 minutes. When hot, place chicken thighs, smooth side down into the air fryer basket and cook.
    • Flip chicken over after about 6 minutes, cook for remaining time, until cooked through.
    • Let chicken rest for a few minutes and then chop them into small pieces.
    • Assemble tacos - Warm tortillas in microwave for a few seconds, to soften.
    • Scoop about ⅓ cup chicken into each tortilla, top with pico de gallo, avocado a drizzle of sour cream (refer notes) and more jalapeños.

    Notes

    Sour cream - Mix sour cream with some lime juice, salt and a dash of water.
    The recipe is best with thighs. They are more fattier and almost impossible to overcook.
    Taco seasoning – We highly recommend our homemade seasoning recipe. If using store bought seasoning, then use about 1 to 2 tablespoons (depends on the salt).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1taco | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 178mg | Fiber: 2g

    Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.

    Did you make this recipe?Mention @KitchenAtHoskins or tag #kitchenathoskins!

    Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment or review below or snap a photo and share on Instagram.

    All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.

    Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com.

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    Hi I'm Maria, the recipe developer, photographer, and videographer behind this food blog. Here you’ll find simple everyday recipes that pack in serious flavors, with a sprinkling of creative twists to familiar dishes. I also focus on including an overview of why the recipe works, valuable tips, step-by-step photos, and videos to guide you along the way.
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