Name: Air Fryer Chicken and Waffle Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 to 6 frozen chicken strips; 8 frozen waffles (I used Eggo) (thawed); hot sauce of choice; maple syrup; Toppings of choice: lettuce, shredded cheese, jalapenos

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Air Fryer Chicken and Waffle Tacos are a ridiculously simple recipe to make for how amazing they are!

That’s mostly because I chose to use frozen chicken strips and frozen waffles.

I mean, if you want to make your own fried chicken and homemade waffles go for it…and invite me, please 🙂

My husband text me on a Friday morning curious what was for dinner.

I didn’t have a plan (which is odd for me) and went to look to see what we already had.

For some crazy reason, THIS is what I came up with.

How to Make Air Fryer Chicken and Waffle Tacos

First, make sure you set out eight waffles so they have time to thaw.

Then put some chicken strips in the air fryer basket.

How many pieces of chicken will depend on the size.

I’d say between four and six chicken strips.

These strips were on the smaller size, so I used six.

Set the air fryer to 380 degrees for 15 minutes.

Making the Taco Shells!

While the chicken cooks, prepare your taco shells made from the thawed waffles.

You’ll need two strips of foil, about 6 inches each.

I am making only four waffles at a time and will reuse the foil for the last four waffles.

Roll the foil up into a tube, with a hollow center.

Put two waffles on each foil roll.

Press them down slightly over the foil in a taco shell shape.

putting the waffles over the foil to form the shells

Secure each one with a toothpick.

The toothpick will easily go through the foil to the other side of each waffle.

They will not be perfect, and that’s okay!

As they cook in the air fryer press them into shape if needed.

The chicken will be nice and crispy golden brown.

Remove the chicken using tongs and place them on a cutting board.

chicken on cutting board with syrup and hot sauce

And transfer the foil and waffle taco shells to the air fryer basket.

I have a 5.8 quart size and these fit perfectly.

Set the air fryer to 380 degrees for 3 minutes.

I would check them toward the end of cooking to make sure they are cooked how you like.

If you wanted them extra crispy just let them cook another minute.

As the waffles cook, cut the chicken into bite size pieces.

Put them in a bowl with some hot sauce and maple syrup.

And toss until evenly mixed.

I did not provide measurements for the sauces, because everyone likes different heat levels.

Once the waffles are cooked, remove the toothpick and the waffles, which are magically transformed to taco shells 🙂

Put the remaining four waffles on the same foil, and repeat the same steps to make the second batch of waffle taco shells.

Fill the tacos with the sweet and spicy chicken.

You can have them just like this, or add taco toppings such as lettuce, cheese, and jalapenos.