Air fryer BBQ chicken tacos made perfectly crispy in the air fryer are the perfect delicious fusion of Tex and Mex that you ever did see!
This recipe for BBQ chicken tacos made in the air fryer is about to become your new family favorite. Enjoy it with other tex-mex faves like cowboy caviar and pineapple margaritas!
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tacos
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tacos
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Why you’ll love these BBQ chicken tacos made in the air fryer!
📌 Full of delicious BBQ chicken flavor.
📌 Make with flour, soft corn, or hard corn tortillas.
📌 A great way to use up leftover veggies from the crisper.
BBQ Air Fryer Chicken Taco Ingredients
- Chicken – Cooked shredded chicken (try our instant pot shredded chicken or easy baked chicken recipe).
- Corn – Sweet kernel corn. Canned, frozen, or fresh.
- Black beans – Canned black beans, drained and rinsed.
- Cheese – Shredded. We are partial to cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend cheese.
- BBQ sauce – Grab your favorite bottled sauce or make your own homemade BBQ sauce.
- Tortillas – Pictured is flour tortillas, but you can also use corn tortillas or hard corn taco shells.
- Optional toppings – Red onion, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or cilantro garlic sauce.
Shredded chicken, red onion, corn, black beans, cheese, bbq sauce, tortillas, cilantro.
How do you make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tacos? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, in a large bowl mix together chicken, corn, black beans, shredded cheese and BBQ sauce.
⭐ Next, evenly divide the filling between the tortillas. Spread filling over one half of each tortilla and fold over.
⭐ Then, spray or brush tacos lightly with vegetable oil, if desired, and place in the air fryer in a single layer.
⭐ Finally, cook until tacos are browning on the outside and becoming crispy. Top with cilantro and red onion before serving.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Mix the filling ingredients together spread over half of each tortilla then fold the tortillas over. Place in a single layer in the air fryer and cook to crispy.
Preparation
Can you make air fryer BBQ chicken tacos ahead of time?
These are a great prep ahead meal! Do everything up until the air frying portion, and then store the un-fried tacos in the refrigerator until you’re ready to fry and eat.
You can even pop them in the freezer! Make sure to use a freezer safe container and layer with parchment paper so the tacos don’t stick together.
What kind of chicken for BBQ chicken tacos?
Any kind of boneless shredded chicken will work in this recipe. You can even use canned chicken if you’re in a rush!
We often use leftover chicken from this spatchcock chicken recipe, or even leftover meat from our Italian dressing chicken.
What vegetables in BBQ chicken tacos?
This recipe specifically calls for corn and red onion. Also black beans, but I know those aren’t actually a veggie.
That said, this is the perfect recipe to use up the odds and ends in your crisper drawer. Try adding bell pepper, spinach, zucchini, and even thinly shaved carrot!
Top with thin sliced red onion (or pickled onion) and fresh cilantro.
Leftovers and storage
How long do BBQ chicken tacos last?
The leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days. Store in an airtight container for best results.
Can you freeze BBQ chicken soft tacos?
Yes! We find that these freeze best when using soft flour tortillas.
To freeze, prep the tacos and then layer them in a freezer safe container separated by sheets of parchment paper. You can thaw in the refrigerator before air frying or cook from frozen.
How do you air fry frozen tacos?
To cook these tacos in the air fryer from frozen, place them in a single layer in the air fryer and fry at 350F in 5 minute increments until warmed through and crisped to your liking.
Make sure to turn the tacos over between cook cycles so they heat evenly.
If you don’t care for cilantro, try swapping with flat leaf parsley.
Tips, tricks, and frequently asked questions
✅ Make them spicy with fresh or pickled jalapenos.
✅ Fix them to your family’s liking (half of my kids don’t like beans so I always make one batch without).
✅ Use up the veggies you’ve been ignoring from the fridge by adding them to your tacos.
✅ Swap the barbecue sauce for enchilada sauce for a traditional flavor.
Use flour or corn tortillas (I’m team flour, but my husband is definitely team corn!).
What to eat with BBQ chicken tacos recipe (serving suggestions)
We love to serve these with cilantro garlic sauce and fresh pico de gallo. On the side Mexican street corn or crema salad, and for dessert a bowl of pineapple fluff.
For the grownups, we love this classic margarita recipe, or a frozen mango margarita!
More amazing taco recipes
- Taco casserole
- Homemade taco seasoning
- Taco soup recipe
- Baked tacos
- Taco salad recipe
- Fish tacos
- Chicken taco casserole
- Pork tacos
These are a great make-ahead option. Stash in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to fry them up!
Other awesome BBQ recipes
- Instant pot BBQ chicken
- Barbecue chicken nachos recipe
- BBQ chicken taquitos
- Baked BBQ chicken
- BBQ chicken pizza
- BBQ pulled pork
- See all our easy bbq recipes!
Air fryer recipes to try next
- Air fryer bagels
- Air fryer roasted cauliflower
- Air fryer hard boiled eggs
- Air fryer roasted potatoes
- Air fryer french toast recipe
- Air fryer carrots
- See all our easy air fryer recipes!
😍😍😍
Tools we love
- Digital air fryer – We have (pictured) this Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer. It’s great!
- Kitchen tongs – Every kitchen needs a good pair of tongs.
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How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tacos
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- ½ cup sweet corn kernels canned (drained), frozen (thawed), or fresh
- ½ cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces shredded cheese (cheddar or a Mexican blend)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 12 taco sized tortillas flour or corn
- Optional toppings Fresh cilantro, sliced red onion, sour cream, cilantro garlic sauce
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together shredded chicken, corn, black beans, shredded cheese and BBQ sauce. Evenly divide the filling between the tortillas. Spread filling over one half of each tortilla and fold over.
- If desired, spray or brush tacos lightly with vegetable oil, and place in the air fryer in a single layer. (The oil helps with browning and crisping but isn't a necessary step).
- Bake in the air fryer at 350°F for 6 minutes. Check to see if they're finished cooking (you want them crispy and lightly browned with the cheese melting).
- If needed, flip the tacos and continue cooking in 3 -4 minute increments until you reach your desired doneness.
- Top with fresh cilantro and thinly sliced red onion before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Tacos
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Melissa says
Oh yum – my new favorite way to make tacos. Great recipe, saving to make again.
Olivia says
These tacos have definitely become a new family favorite in my house! I loved how easy they were to make in the air fryer too!