Name: Air-Fryer Thai-Style Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs , trimmed; 1 teaspoon vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 shallot , minced; 1 tablespoon fish sauce , plus extra for serving; 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar; 1 garlic clove , minced; ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 mango , peeled, pitted, and cut into ¼-inch pieces; ⅓ cup chopped fresh mint; ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro; ⅓ cup chopped fresh Thai basil; 1 head Bibb lettuce (8 ounces), leaves separated; ¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts , chopped; 2 Thai chiles , stemmed and sliced thin

Why This Recipe Works

But even the most flavorful salad can't compensate for dry chicken. Choosing boneless chicken thighs ensured the meat would be moist. The air fryer made quick work of cooking the chicken while we mixed a pungent dressing from lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, shallot, garlic, and pepper flakes. We let the chicken cool slightly and then shredded it; this subtle but significant step created loads of surface area that allowed the dressing to soak into the meat, ensuring every bite would be saturated with flavor. Fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, and Thai basil), mango, and Thai chiles brought more freshness to our salad, which we spooned into Bibb lettuce cups and sprinkled with chopped peanuts for crunch.

Before You Begin

If you can't find Thai basil, you can substitute regular basil. If you can't find Thai chiles, you can substitute two Fresno or red jalapeño chiles.

Instructions

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub with oil. Place chicken in air-fryer basket. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until chicken registers 175 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken halfway through cooking.

Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, shallot, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, and pepper flakes together in large bowl; set aside.

Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Add shredded chicken, mango, mint, cilantro, and basil to bowl with dressing and toss to coat. Serve chicken in lettuce leaves, passing peanuts, Thai chiles, and extra fish sauce separately.