Ok, hear me out, these fried chicken tacos are probably one of the best tacos you will ever try! Think of southern comfort food mixed with homemade mexican food combined into one dish. I know you’ve heard of tex-mex but I think we should start a south-mex cuisine category just for this dish. The fried chicken is delicious and the best part is, it’s made in the air fryer so you don’t have to worry about all that messy oil. These tacos were inspired by, which I think, is the best mexican restaurant in New York City, Calexico. It is about 20 blocks south of us which makes it the perfect place for when we want to go out, but not go too far.
How do you make fried chicken tacos?
- Marinate your chicken: Slice your chicken into strips and place in a bowl. Add your buttermilk, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Stir to combine and make sure that all your chicken is combined with the buttermilk. Set aside and allow it to marinate.
- Bread your chicken: Place two cups of flour on a plate. Transfer a strip of chicken one at a time into the flour and coat generously. Shake off excess flour and place on a clean plate. Repeat until all the chicken is breaded.
- Air fry your chicken: Preheat your air fryer to 400F. Place your breaded strips inside and spray with oil. Cook for 7 minutes. Flip and spray with cooking oil once again. Cook for another 7 minutes.
- Prepare your salsa and other toppings: Dice your tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos. Combine with lime juice and set aside. I also like to add, my chipotle crack sauce, cabbage, avocado, and bacon which can be fried in the airfryer as well!
Do I have to air fry the chicken?
Absolutely not. If you would like to deep fry them, go right ahead. I would heat the oil to 350F. Once hot, carefully add the breaded chicken. Fry them for about 6-8 minutes, until they are golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Drain the excess oil off them by placing them on a plate lined with a paper towel.
If you would like to top your tacos with guacamole, check out my guacamole recipe here.
Also, don’t forget to review and rate this recipe in the comments below!
Air Fried Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
Fried Chicken Taco
- 2 cups of buttermilk
- 2 lbs of boneless chicken breast
- 2 tsp of garlic powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of onion powder
- 1 tsp of paprika
- ½ tsp of black pepper
- ¼ tso of cayenne pepper
- 2 cups of flour
- Cooking oil spray
- 12 taco shells hard or soft
- Your favorite toppings ex. Salsa, bacon, guacamole, avocado, cabbage, etc.
Salsa
- ½ cup of red onions diced
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 ½ tbsp of jalapeno diced
- 2 tbsp of fresh lime juice
Air fried bacon
- 6 strips of bacon cut in half
Instructions
How to make the fried chicken taco:
- Slice your chicken into strips (12 strips) and place in a bowl.
- Add your buttermilk, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Stir to combine and make sure that all your chicken is combined with the buttermilk. Set aside and allow it to marinate for 20-30 minutes (this is a good time to prepare your sides).
- To bread your chicken strips, place two cups of flour on a plate. Transfer a strip of chicken one at a time into the flour and coat generously. Shake off excess flour and place on a clean plate. Repeat until all the chicken is breaded.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400F. Place your breaded strips inside and spray with oil. Cook for 7 minutes. Flip and spray with cooking oil once again. Cook for another 7 minutes.
- Place the strips into warm taco shells and top with your favorite toppings!
To make your salsa:
- Dice your tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos. Combine with lime juice and set aside.
To make your air fried bacon:
- Cut your strips of bacon in half.
- Preheat the airfryer to 400F. Place the bacon inside and cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway. Add an extra minute or two if you want your bacon extra crispy.
