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Chicken

Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe

  • Air Fryer
  • Chicken
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings 4 servings
Calories 493 kcal
Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe
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In today’s air fryer chicken tacos recipe, we stuff crisped-up tortillas with wholesome fillings: juicy chicken, crunchy veggies, cheese, and creamy dressing for a top-notch dish bursting with flavor.

Best of all, this recipe is practically mess-free since everything is cooked to perfection using just one kitchen appliance: the air fryer.

Is This Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe Healthy?

Yes, our air fryer chicken tacos recipe is healthy.

For starters, we use chicken thighs as the primary source of protein for today’s recipe. We love to use this particular cut of poultry because it is juicy, tender, and high in protein. Each serving of our chicken tacos contains up to 36 g of protein.

Plus, we used only a minimal amount of salt and cheese, and also analyzed the calories in each taco to make it healthy. The dish’s nutritional content adheres to the USDA’s nutritional guidelines.

Finally, because we use a lot of different vegetables in the filling, one serving of our chicken tacos has about 16% of your daily fiber needs.

If you’re looking for healthier Mexican-inspired meals, try our Instant Pot Chicken Tacos recipe. It’s yet another delectable recipe that takes only 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish!

Is This Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe Healthy

Ingredients for Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

Like other tacos, our Instant Pot variant is packed with delicious protein and fresh vegetables. It’s also easy to customize.

  • Chicken: With only 5 minutes of soaking in the flavorful marinade, olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice, the chicken thighs become extra tender and juicy.
  • Vegetables: Onions and cilantro are traditional, but guacamole and/or salsa work well in this recipe. We went with a refreshing combination of green romaine lettuce, crunchy red cabbage, mild onions, and sweet corn. These ingredients give more nutrients to the tacos but are also rich in color, making them more visually appealing.
  • Cheese: If you want to take your tacos to another level, don’t skip the medium cheddar or Monterey Jack. For a more authentic garnish, try crumbled cotija or queso blanco.
  • Dressing: Our dressing is simple, with mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. It adds a little bit of tanginess and creaminess to balance the flavor and mouthfeel of the chicken.
  • Tortillas: Once baked, either corn or flour tortillas offer a wonderful crunchiness to the tacos’ texture. A great tortilla wraps this dish up both literally and figuratively; it brings everything together.
ingredients

1. Best Chicken for Tacos

The best cuts for tacos are chicken thighs and breasts. They’re both tender and reasonably priced. You can choose either variety, but make sure to cut it into slices to speed up the marinating and cooking process.

2. How to Season Chicken for Tacos

You might notice that our recipe calls for a lot of condiments for the chicken marinade instead of going with the store-bought taco seasoning. The main reason for this is that many store-bought types contain high amounts of sodium and are not as flavorful as the DIY blend.

Our seasoning blend is made with simple elements and most of them you probably already have in your pantry: salt, paprika, pepper, Italian seasoning, cayenne, and oregano. 

The marinade blend ends up not only being quick to put together, and bursting with flavor, but also perfect for beef, pork, and seafood. Once you try our blend, you’ll never go back to the store-bought ones.

How to Season Chicken for Tacos

How to Make Chicken Tacos in an Air Fryer

Today’s air fryer chicken tacos recipe creates a quick yet full-flavored meal. Here’s the basic process:

Step 1: Marinate the chicken thighs with seasonings and spices.

Marinate the chicken thighs with seasonings and spices.

Step 2: Prepare the dressing.

Prepare the dressing.

Step 3: Air fry the marinated chicken.

Air fry the marinated chicken.

Step 4: Warm the tortillas.

Warm the tortillas.

Step 5: Top the tortillas with chicken, veggies, cheese, and dressing. Serve immediately.

Add toppings and serve immediately. 

Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are available below.

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Storage and Reheating

1. To Store

Since there are fresh veggies and dressing in the tacos, it’s best to serve them right after they’re done or they will become soggy rather quickly. If you have leftover ingredients for chicken tacos, we recommend keeping them in separate containers.

You can keep the mayonnaise-based dressing in a bottle in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Refrigerated chicken, vegetables, and cheese can last for 3 – 5 days. As for the tortillas, stack them and wrap them in parchment for up to a week.

2. To Reheat

The vegetables and dressing can be used right away from the refrigerator, but the chicken and tortillas need reheating. Cook the chicken in a pot with a little water until it’s hot, then bake the tortillas for 5 minutes at 400 °F.

In love with this recipe, this Instant Pot Chicken Tacos Recipe is a more convenient version.

What to Serve With Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

Coming from the same cuisine, pico de gallo is also an excellent, delicious side for tacos. The salad can be added to the tacos themselves or eaten as a dip for tortilla chips or Doritos. Either way, pico de gallo enhances the flavor of the meal.

Finally, we round everything off with a glass of honey and lemon juice. It’s simple to make and packs tons of vitamins and minerals.

What to Serve With Air Fryer Chicken Tacos

More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes We Love

  • Air Fryer Chicken Parmigiana Recipe
  • Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
  • Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
  • Air Fryer Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
Is This Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe Healthy

Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe

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Your taco night will become a breeze with our easy air fryer chicken tacos recipe. Serve the dish with a salad and fruit juice for a well-rounded, healthy meal.
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 servings
Calories 493kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 22 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs sliced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic chopped
  • 1/2 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
  • 8 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 4 oz romaine lettuce chopped
  • 2 oz red cabbage shredded
  • 1 oz red onion shredded
  • 1 oz cheddar cheese shredded
  • 2 oz corn
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, season 22 oz chicken thighs with 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp cayenne, 1/2 tbsp garlic, 1/2 tsp lime juice, and 1 tsp oregano. Set the bowl aside and marinate the chicken for 5 minutes.
    Step 1: Marinate the chicken thighs with seasonings and spices.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise and 2 tbsp Greek yogurt until well combined. Set the dressing aside.
    Step 2: Prepare the dressing.
  • Place the marinated chicken in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook at 400 ℉ for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer.
    Step 3: Air fry the marinated chicken.
  • Gently fold 8 corn tortillas in half and place in the air fryer basket. Warm them at 360 ℉ for 4 minutes. Remove the tortillas from the air fryer.
    Step 4: Warm the tortillas.
  • Top the tortillas with 4 oz romaine lettuce, 2 oz red cabbage, chicken, 1 oz red onion, 1 oz cheddar cheese, 2 oz corn, mayonnaise-based dressing, and 2 tbsp coriander. Serve immediately.
    Step 5: Top the tortillas with chicken, veggies, cheese, and dressing. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 493 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Fat 23g35%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 164mg55%
Sodium 559mg24%
Potassium 594mg17%
Carbohydrates 34g11%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 36g72%
Vitamin A 3008IU60%
Vitamin C 11mg13%
Calcium 111mg11%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Homemade Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Parmigiana Recipe
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Air Fryer Chicken Parmigiana Recipe
Air Fryer Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
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Air Fryer Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
Luna Regina

Luna Regina

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Luna is the founder and chief recipe developer of Healthy Recipes 101. Apart from cooking, she also loves reading, programming, exploring the outdoors, and collecting useless facts about everything.

Comments/ Reviews

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Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe
Air Fryer Chicken Tacos Recipe
Recipe Rating




Emily Rogers, MPH, RDN
Recipe developed by Luna Regina on April 13, 2022 Nutritionally reviewed by Emily Rogers, MPH, RDN

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