Air-Fryer Chicken-Tomatillo Tacos with Roasted Pineapple Salsa
By Sam BlockPublished on April 20, 2022
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If fresh tomatillos are unavailable, substitute one (11-ounce) can of tomatillos, drained, rinsed, and patted dry. You can lightly char the tortillas one at a time over a gas burner or stack tortillas, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and warm in the air fryer set to 350 degrees for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. This recipe can be easily doubled.
Instructions
- Toss poblanos; jalapeños, if using; onion; and pineapple with 2 teaspoons oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Transfer to air-fryer basket and spread into even layer; do not clean bowl.
- Place basket into air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until chile-pineapple mixture is tender and spotty brown, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer mixture to cutting board, let cool slightly, then chop coarse. Combine chile-pineapple mixture, cilantro, and lime juice in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside for serving.
- Toss tomatillos with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and arrange in even layer in now-empty basket. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Arrange chicken on top of tomatillos, spaced evenly apart. Return basket to air fryer and cook until tomatillos are blistered and chicken registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken halfway through cooking.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Serve chicken and tomatillos with warmed tortillas, passing salsa, queso fresco, radishes, and extra lime wedges separately.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 2Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
The chicken filling for tacos is often simmered. But if overcooked, the meat dries out, so to ensure that our chicken stayed juicy and flavorful, we used chicken thighs instead of breasts. We were also excited to use the air fryer for the other elements of the dish: roasting tomatillos and the ingredients for a deeply flavorful fruit salsa. We kept the seasoning on the chicken and tomatillos simple because this salsa has it all: poblanos for heat, red onion for zip, and pineapple for sweetness. We found that the air fryer heightened the pineapple's yellow color and enhanced its sweetness. Roasting the chicken on a bed of tomatillos allowed the chicken juices to saturate the tomatillos while their skins charred and started to break down. The tartness of the tomatillos complemented the sweet pineapple salsa, and a garnish of thinly sliced radishes and queso fresco brought crunch and richness to the tacos.
Before You Begin
If fresh tomatillos are unavailable, substitute one (11-ounce) can of tomatillos, drained, rinsed, and patted dry. You can lightly char the tortillas one at a time over a gas burner or stack tortillas, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and warm in the air fryer set to 350 degrees for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. This recipe can be easily doubled.
Instructions
- Toss poblanos; jalapeños, if using; onion; and pineapple with 2 teaspoons oil, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Transfer to air-fryer basket and spread into even layer; do not clean bowl.
- Place basket into air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. Cook until chile-pineapple mixture is tender and spotty brown, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer mixture to cutting board, let cool slightly, then chop coarse. Combine chile-pineapple mixture, cilantro, and lime juice in bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside for serving.
- Toss tomatillos with remaining 1 teaspoon oil and arrange in even layer in now-empty basket. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Arrange chicken on top of tomatillos, spaced evenly apart. Return basket to air fryer and cook until tomatillos are blistered and chicken registers 175 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping and rotating chicken halfway through cooking.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Serve chicken and tomatillos with warmed tortillas, passing salsa, queso fresco, radishes, and extra lime wedges separately.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments