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Street Corn Fried Chicken Tacos feature crispy air-fried chicken tenderloins paired with creamy street corn, wrapped in warm tortillas, and served with cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Why You’ll Love It
- Ease of Preparation: With straightforward steps and common ingredients, these tacos are simple to whip up, even on busy weeknights.
- Healthier Twist: By air-frying the chicken instead of deep-frying, you can indulge in the crispy goodness guilt-free.
- Budget-Friendly: Made with affordable ingredients, these tacos are a wallet-friendly option for your weeknight dinner options, especially with most of these ingredients being pantry staples.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken tenderloins – You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or breasts if preferred.
- Buttermilk – Usually found in the dairy section of grocery stores. Can substitute by mixing 1/4 cup milk with 1 teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice and letting it sit for 5 minutes.
- Pickle juice – That’s right! The secret ingredients. It adds a kick of flavor and helps tenderize the meat.
- Egg
- All-purpose flour – Can substitute with gluten-free flour blend if needed.
- Cornstarch – Helps to create a crispier coating.
- Paprika – Can substitute with chili powder for a spicier kick.
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Cooking oil spray – Use your favorite brand.
For the Street Corn:
- Canned corn kernels – Can substitute with 2 ears of fresh corn on the cob or frozen corn kernels if desired.
- Mayonnaise – You can use Greek yogurt for a lighter option.
- Lime – Fresh lime juice and zest.
- Green onions
- Jalapeno – Diced. Remove the seeds and membrane to lower the heat.
- Chili powder and salt
For the Tacos:
- Small Corn or Flour Tortillas
- Cotija cheese
- Fresh cilantro – You can use parsley if you do not like cilantro.
- Lime wedges
Helpful Tips
- If your chicken tenders are large you can cut them in half lengthwise.
- Ensure each chicken tenderloin is evenly coated with the flour mixture to achieve a crispy exterior.
- Preheat the air fryer before adding the chicken to ensure even cooking and a crispier texture.
- Avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket to allow air to circulate around the chicken for the best crispiness.
- Make extra batches of the fried chicken to enjoy leftovers or freeze for future meals.
- You can also use 2 ears of fresh corn on the cob in place of the can of corn.
Stovetop Directions
Don’t have an air fryer? No problem!
You can fry them on the stovetop. Heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium to medium high heat. You want it to get to around 375ºF (190ºC) and stay there while you’re frying.
Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through. Set on a wire rack.
Street Corn Fried Chicken Tacos
Equipment
- Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 chicken tenders
- 1/2 cup (118 ml) buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) pickle juice
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt
For the street corn topping:
- 10 ounce (284 g) can corn drained
- 1/4 cup (56 g) mayonnaise
- 1/2 lime juiced and zested
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) chili powder mild to hot
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g) salt
For the tacos:
- 8 small flour tortillas
- 1/4 cup (38 g) Cotija cheese
- 1/4 cup (4 g) cilantro minced
- 1 lime cut into 8 wedges
Instructions
- Combine the buttermilk, pickle juice, and egg in a bowl. Submerge the chicken in the marinade and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).
- Combine flour, cornstarch and seasonings in a shallow bowl.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and rest on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- While waiting, make the corn salad. Combine the corn, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, green onions, jalapeno, chili powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Preheat the air fryer at 400ºF (200ºC) for 5 minutes.
- Spray the basket well with cooking oil. Transfer the chicken pieces to the air fryer basket, not touching if possible. Spritz the chicken pieces with oil so that there isn’t any dry spots.
- Air fry at 400ºF (200ºC) for 8 minutes. Carefully turn the chicken pieces over so that you don’t know the coating off, spritz with more oil, and cook for another 5-7 minutes. The amount of time it takes will vary based on your air fryer and the size of the chicken pieces.
- Heat the tortillas in a skillet over medium heat until pliable, about 2 minutes per side.
- Assemble tacos with a fried chicken tender, street corn salad, cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- If your chicken tenders are large you can cut them in half lengthwise.
- Ensure each chicken tenderloin is evenly coated with the flour mixture to achieve a crispy exterior.
- Preheat the air fryer before adding the chicken to ensure even cooking and a crispier texture.
- Avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket to allow air to circulate around the chicken for the best crispiness.
- Make extra batches of the fried chicken to enjoy leftovers or freeze for future meals.
- You can also use 2 ears of fresh corn on the cob in place of the can of corn.
All air fryers have different wattage and may cook at different rates. You may need to adjust the time or temp for the best results.
Nutrition
More Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Recipes
The air fryer is a great way to cook chicken. You can get the breading really crispy and there’s no mess! Here are a couple more of our favorite crispy chicken recipes.
How to Store & Reheat
Storing
Store any leftover cooked chicken, street corn, and tortillas separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
To reheat the chicken, preheat the air fryer to 350°F(175°C), then air fry the chicken chunks for 5-7 minutes until heated through and crispy. For the street corn mixture, simply microwave it on high for 1-2 minutes until warmed through, stirring halfway through.
Once everything is heated through, assemble the tacos with reheated components and any desired additional toppings before serving.
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Angela is a talented home cook and passionate advocate for healthy, flavorful cooking in the air fryer. She shares her favorite air fryer recipes and helpful tips for using this versatile kitchen appliance to create delicious, nutritious meals.