Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
by This post may contain affiliate links.
Calling all buffalo sauce fans, you’re going to love this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Taquitos! They’re the perfect mix of crispy, cheesy, and spicy, all rolled up into a fun handheld appetizer. You can make them in the air fryer for quick, crunchy perfection, or bake them in the oven if you’re feeding a crowd. Either way, this easy recipe is packed with bold flavor and makes a great game day snack or party appetizer!
Why you’ll love these taquitos
When it comes to entertaining, there’s never a lack of recipes with buffalo sauce on my party menu! After perfecting my air fryer chicken taquitos, I knew that I had to make a “buffalo style” version in the air fryer.
While the baked version of this recipe has been on the blog since 2018, I’m excited to update it today and share my tested and perfected air fryer method! These are going to be your new go-to app for your next party, or even an easy weeknight meal, perfect for a fun spin on Taco Tuesday!
You’ll love them because they’re easy to make start-to-finish in 23 minutes! They’re also filled with incredible flavors, with the perfect amount of spice, a wonderfully cheesy filling, and a perfectly crisp crunch on the outside.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this buffalo chicken taquitos recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Olive oil
- Onions – a half cup of either yellow onion, or red onion, will work for this recipe.
- Jalapeno – you can leave this out if you want to reduce the spice in the recipe.
- Cooked, shredded chicken – for this recipe, I used chicken pulled from a cooked rotisserie chicken from Costco. This helps the recipe come together super quick. You can also use my easy Instant Pot buffalo chicken recipe to quickly pressure cook chicken breasts and shred them for these taquitos. Or use this recipe for Crock Pot buffalo chicken to make flavorful, slow cooked shredded chicken.
- Cilantro – for a fresh flavor and a pop of bright green color, I like to add fresh chopped cilantro to the filling. If you have an aversion to cilantro, you can simply leave it out, or replace it with diced green onions.
- Chicken wing seasoning – click the link for my easy homemade seasoning mix, that’s full of flavor! You can mix it up with pantry staples like chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder, in just 5 minutes.
- Buffalo sauce
- Pepper jack cheese – I love using this cheese in the taquitos for an extra pop of spice. You could also use sharp cheddar, or Monterey jack cheese, if you prefer.
- Flour tortillas – for this recipe, you’ll want 6 inch flour tortillas, generally labeled “fajita” tortillas. If using “soft taco” size tortillas, that are bigger, this recipe will make 8-10 taquitos, instead of 12 taquitos. You can also use corn tortillas, which are traditionally used for taquitos, whereas flour tortillas are more often used to make flautas.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the onions and jalapenos. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once hot, add diced onions and minced jalapenos. Cook for 4 minutes.
- Season and heat up the chicken. Add cooked, shredded chicken to the skillet with the onions and jalapeños. Season with chicken wing seasoning, fresh chopped cilantro, and buffalo sauce.
- Combine everything. Stir to combine the ingredients and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cheese. Turn the heat on the stove off, add shredded pepper jack cheese and toss it with the chicken mixture.
- Assemble the taquitos. Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 60 seconds. This will make them easier to roll up. Starting with one tortilla, place 3-4 tablespoons of the cheesy buffalo chicken mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly over the mixture, then set it aside.
- Repeat to make the remaining taquitos. Continue filling and rolling up the remaining tortillas, until you’ve made 12 buffalo chicken taquitos.
- Cook in an air fryer or oven. Preheat an air fryer to 400°F or an oven to 425°F (convection, if available). Place the taquitos in an air fryer basket, or on a baking sheet, seam-side down, with enough room around the taquitos for air to move. Spray the taquitos with cooking spray, then cook for 4-5 minutes in an air fryer, or 6-7 minutes in the oven. Flip the taquitos, spray with cooking spray and cook for an additional 4 minutes in the air fryer, or 6 minutes in the oven.
What to serve with them
I like to serve these buffalo chicken taquitos with a dipping sauce made with half buffalo sauce and half ranch dressing. You can also serve them with extra buffalo sauce on the side for dipping, or a side of ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing. If you’d like to jazz them up a bit, you can top them with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, like they’re served at a taco shop.
If you’d like to turn these taquitos into a meal, serve them with a side of Mexican Rice or Elote with Buffalo Sauce.
More buffalo chicken recipes
If you’re a buffalo sauce super fan, like me, you have to try all of these popular buffalo chicken recipes!
Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion, minced
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chicken wing seasoning, click link for the recipe
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese, grated
- 12 six-inch flour tortillas, “fajita size”
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion and jalapeno, and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add the cooked, shredded chicken, cilantro, chicken wing seasoning, and buffalo sauce to the skillet, stir everything and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the grated pepper jack cheese.
- Stack up the tortillas and wrap them in damp paper towels. Microwave for 60 seconds.
- Place 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture in the middle of a tortilla and roll it up tightly. Repeat until all of the taquitos are filled and rolled up.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat an air fryer to 400°F. Place the taquitos in an air fryer basket, seam-side down, with enough room around the taquitos for air to move.
- Spray the taquitos with cooking spray, then cook for 4-5 minutes in the air fryer. Flip the taquitos, spray with cooking spray, and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (convection, if available). Place the taquitos on a baking sheet, seam-side down, with enough room around the taquitos for air to move.
- Spray the taquitos with cooking spray, then cook for 6-7 minutes in the oven. Flip the taquitos, spray with cooking spray, and cook for an additional 6 minutes in the oven.
Notes
- Always make sure that the taquitos are wrapped up tightly before cooking them. If they’re not tightly wrapped, they’re likely to come open while cooking.
- If your taquitos are not crispy, try cooking them for an extra 1-2 minutes per side. Also don’t forget the step of spraying the taquitos with cooking spray before cooking them. This will help them get browned and crispy on the outside.
- To make gluten free chicken taquitos. You can use corn tortillas or these gluten free tortillas.
- This recipe makes 12 taquitos. You can easily double the recipe by clicking the 2X button above.
- Uncooked, prepared taquitos can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before cooking.
- Cooked buffalo chicken taquito leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating them in the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Uncooked, prepared taquitos can be stored in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When cooking frozen taquitos in the air fryer, simply add 2 minutes to the cooking time, so they’ll need to cook for 5-6 minutes per side in a preheated 400°F air fryer.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
