A Grateful Meal

Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl

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This Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl is one of the easiest meals you can put together. It’s a great option for meal prep for the week and makes an easy lunch or dinner.

I am so excited to share this Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl. You can make everything just for this meal, or it’s a great way to use up leftover shredded chicken or rice. It’s got the classic buffalo spice, and it’s paired with a cabbage slaw that is coated in a tangy, dill dressing that is very similar to ranch dressing.

Close up of a buffalo chicken rice bowl.

Ingredients

Rice: You can use any rice you like. White or whole grain, go with whatever makes you happy or you have on hand.

Cabbage slaw mix: Any bag of cabbage slaw mix will do. If you want to change it up, you can opt for other types of slaw such as the kale or broccoli slaw mixes – those would taste good as well.

Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt makes an excellent base for a slaw dressing. Just make sure you get the plain and not flavored. It adds a lovely buttermilk like taste to the slaw dressing – making it like buttermilk ranch.

Mayo: Use any kind you like to mix with the Greek yogurt. When I don’t have homemade mayo on hand,  I’m team Duke’s Mayo all the way.

Apple cider vinegar: This adds an extra tang to the dressing.

Honey: Obviously, this adds the sweetness, but you can sub agave nectar if you prefer.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, dried dill, salt, and pepper are the key seasonings to the slaw dressing. They’re the basics for that ranch flavor.

Buffalo wing sauce: I personally like Frank’s Wing Sauce (not the original Frank’s Hot).

Melted butter: The wing sauce has some butter flavor to it, but I like to add a little extra melted butter to add to the sauce for the chicken.

Toppings: A little avocado and cilantro add extra creaminess and a kick of freshness to the rice bowl.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowls

This recipe is fairly straight forward. You make the rice and have the chicken already cooked and shredded. The biggest part is making the slaw. You’ll make the slaw dressing by mixing the Greek yogurt, mayo, vinegar, and seasonings together and toss the shredded cabbage with the dressing. Then you’ll toss the cooked chicken with the buffalo sauce and melted butter. The only part left is to layer the bowl with the rice, chicken, slaw, and toppings of avocado and cilantro.

Overhead view of the buffalo chicken rice bowl on a white background.

Tips for Prepping Ahead and Adapting

I really like having an easy prepped or pre-made protein and carb source to have around to use in recipes like this throughout the week. I like to make this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, or sometimes, I’ll buy the pre-shredded chicken from Costco or get a rotisserie chicken and shred it myself. The same goes with the carb source, I’ll make a batch of rice in my instant pot (like this one), but mostly, I’ll get instant rice or the 90-second microwave rice. All of these options work great for recipes like this.

To make this extra easy, I buy the pre-shredded coleslaw mix rather than shredding up cabbage myself. You can do that if you want, but that will add some time. That’s how life is though – sometimes, I have a lot of time to make things myself, and others I need some pre-made items to help me along. No shame in either, and you can still bang out a completely nutrient-dense meal with minimal effort. I love recipes like this for that exact reason. If you opt for mostly the pre-prepped/convenient items, then you’ll only have to mix up the sauces. If you want to it be extra easy, you can also opt not to make the slaw dressing and go with your favorite store-bought ranch. It’s all adaptable to your individual needs and desires.

Close up of two buffalo chicken rice bowl with an avocado and a napkin on the side on a white background.
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Buffalo Chicken Rice Bowl

Close up of two buffalo chicken rice bowl with an avocado and a napkin on the side on a white background.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: meal prep, dinner
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice
  • 1 bag of cabbage slaw mix (12–16 oz.)
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. honey
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dried dill
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ lb. cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken (like this recipe here)
  • Buffalo wing sauce, to taste
  • 1 tbsp. butter, melted                                                          
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • 2–3 tbsp. of fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  1. Cook rice to package’s instructions.
  2. Prepare the slaw: Mix Greek yogurt, mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic powder, and dried dill together in a bowl. Toss dressing with cabbage slaw—season with salt and pepper to taste.
  3. In a separate bowl, toss the cooked shredded chicken with melted butter and enough buffalo wing sauce to coat or to taste.
  4. Layer each bowl with a layer of cooked rice and top with slaw, buffalo chicken, avocado, and cilantro

Keywords: buffalo chicken, meal prep, rice bowl

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

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This instant pot shredded chicken is an easy way to meal prep a source of protein for the week and can be used in countless recipes.

I got my Instant Pot about five years ago. I didn’t even know what it was – my brother-in-law got me one for Christmas. I definitely thought I wouldn’t use it. Boy, I was wrong – I use it all the time and will never give it up. This recipe is the one that I probably make the most. Before I got my Instant Pot, I was terrible at remembering to pull out chicken from the freezer a day or two ahead of time then cooking it. With this recipe, you don’t even have to thaw the chicken. It makes a last-minute meal come together in no time.

View of two raw chicken breasts in chicken broth with seasonings in an instant pot to make instant pot shredded chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken: I like skinless, boneless chicken breast the best. You can use bone-in chicken, but I would advise against skin-on as it will probably not be so good. You could sub in skinless chicken thighs if you like dark meat. Sometimes, I’ll use a combination of breasts and thighs. You can use fresh or frozen chicken breast; it just takes a little longer for the instant pot to pressurize with the frozen chicken.

Chicken broth or stock: My favorite is Kitchen Basics Unsalted – it has such a deep flavor for store-bought. I choose the unsalted so I can better control the salt in my food.

Seasonings: If you’re planning on using the shredded chicken in other recipes, you can opt for basic seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, paprika, etc.

You can add other seasonings to the instant pot if you’d like to jazz it up a bit.

For an Italian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon on top.

For a Cajun spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning.

For a Latin/Mexican spin: Add 1 tbsp. taco seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lime on top.

For an Indian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of garam masala and 1 tsp. of ground ginger.

A glass dish filled with instant pot shredded chicken on a white background with two forks on the side.

How to Make Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot

First, you add the chicken to the instant pot, followed by the broth and your desired seasonings. You’ll put the lid on and make sure the steam valve is sealed. You’ll cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and allow a natural release for about 5-10 minutes. After you pull the chicken out, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces using two forks. You can season the chicken with additional seasonings or citrus juice, as detailed above.

The chicken will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days or up to 6 months in the freezer.

How to Use Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Many recipes, especially soups, casseroles, and meal prep bowls, call for simple shredded chicken breast. Having some of this instant pot shredded chicken on hand makes all of these recipes that much easier. A couple of recipes of mine that work well include:

A glass dish filled with instant pot shredded chicken on a white background.
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Overview of instant pot shredded chicken in the instant pot bowl.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25-35 minutes
  • Total Time: 30-40 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
  • Category: meal prep
  • Method: instant pot
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2–3 lbs. of skinless, boneless chicken (breast and/or thighs)
  • 1 cup of chicken broth or stock
  • Salt and pepper, to taste and/or other seasonings as desired (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Add the chicken to the instant pot, followed by the broth/stock and your desired seasonings.
  2. Put on the lid and make sure the steam valve is sealed. Cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes and allow a natural release for about 5-10 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken and shred into bite-size pieces using two forks. Season chicken with additional seasonings and/or citrus juice if desired.

 

Notes

The chicken will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Seasoning suggestions:

  • For an Italian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon on top.
  • For a Cajun spin: Add 1 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning.
  • For a Latin/Mexican spin: Add 1 tbsp. taco seasoning before cooking. After cooking, squeeze the juice of half of a lime on top.

  • For an Indian spin: Add 1 tbsp. of garam masala and 1 tsp. of ground ginger.

Keywords: shredded chicken, chicken, instant pot, meal prep

Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

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This crispy Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage is an easy German weeknight meal or perfect to celebrate Oktoberfest.  

If crispy meat paired with sweet and sour cabbage and apples doesn’t scream comfort food, I don’t know what does. Schnitzel is typically a thin fried piece of meat (usually pork, chicken, or veal) topped with lemon juice and parsley. I used chicken for my schnitzel, but you can use whatever meat you’d prefer. 

Rather than making a huge mess frying up the schnitzel, I decided to make mine in my air fryer. It’s no secret around here how much I love my air fryer. Thanks to the hot air circulating rapidly in the air fryer, the meat gets super crispy and cooks very quickly. Quick, easy, and tasty are all excellent reasons to use the air fryer for this recipe. Now, let’s get on to how to make this dish! 

Air fryer schnitzel on a white plate with the sweet and sour cabbage on a white background

Key Ingredients

Eggs: These makeup part of the batter needed for the crispy breading of the schnitzel.  

Spicy brown mustard: Brown mustard mixed with the eggs will help the breading and provide extra flavor to the meat.  

All-purpose flour and panko bread crumbs: This, along with the eggs and mustard, also make up the breading. I chose panko breadcrumbs because they give extra texture. 

Boneless meat: I used thinly sliced chicken breast for this recipe, but pork is also commonly used for schnitzel. I prefer the boneless, but the key is to get it as thin as possible. If you buy the thinly sliced meat, you can also take a meat mallet, which is just a kitchen hammer to pound the meat until it’s very thin.  

Light tasting olive oil: I like to use the light tasting olive oil because it’s hard to burn, unlike extra-virgin.  

Cabbage: I used half a head of purple cabbage for my side dish, but if you want a short-cut, you can use a bag of shredded cabbage slaw instead.  

Shredded carrots: I wanted a little more texture and color to my cabbage side dish, so I added about a cup of the pre-shredded carrots into the cabbage mixture.  I buy the carrots that are already bagged and pre-shredded.

Granny smith apple: Apples are also very common in German food, often served with meat (especially pork) dishes. Since granny smith apples are naturally tart, they make a great addition to the sweet and sour cabbage. 

Apple cider vinegar: This adds the sour to the cabbage along with a mild apple flavor.  

Honey: Obviously, the sweet part of the sweet and sour cabbage.  

Caraway seeds: These little seeds add a subtle but complementary flavor and crunch the cabbage. Caraway seeds are often found in rye bread. 

Lemon slices and parsley: A squeeze of lemon juice and some parsley add a little freshness to the schnitzel. 

Air fryer schnitzel on a white plate with the sweet and sour cabbage with a napkin on the side on a white background

How to Make Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

One key element to schnitzel is making sure the meat is thin. You can do this by buying thinly sliced meat or butterflying a thicker cut of meat, but it’s also helpful to pound the meat out thinly. To pound it out thinly, cover the meat with plastic wrap while it’s on the cutting board and use a meat mallet (or a rolling pin or heavy skillet) to pound the meat until the desired thickness. Afterward, you dip the meat into flour, then egg/mustard mixture, then finally panko breadcrumbs. 

While one of the perks of using the air fryer is that you don’t have to use a ton to fry up the schnitzel, I like to brush some oil onto the schnitzel before adding it to the air fryer to ensure that it gets super crispy and brown. While the schnitzel cooks, you can work on making the cabbage. The cabbage along with the shredded carrots and sliced apple is simply cooked in a skillet until tender. The pan deglazed with apple cider vinegar, honey, and caraway seeds. 

Close up of the air fryer schnitzel with the cabbage on a plate with lemon slices
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Air Fryer Schnitzel with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Close up of the air fryer schnitzel with the cabbage on a plate with lemon slices
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Method: air fryer
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp. (heaping) spicy brown mustard
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups plain panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 – 1 ¼ lb. boneless meat such as skinless chicken breast or pork, very thinly sliced and/or pounded thin
  • 1 tbsp. light tasting olive oil plus more for brushing
  • ½ head of a large purple cabbage, sliced thinly (or sub 1 bag (16 oz.) shredded cabbage or slaw mix, if desired)
  • 1 cup of shredded carrots 
  • 1 medium-large granny smith apple, sliced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. caraway seeds
  • lemon slices and parsley for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees F for at least 5 minutes. Whisk eggs and mustard together in a bowl. Put flour and panko in two separate bowls. Dip meat in flour, then egg mixture, then panko. Brush meat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the air fryer for 5-6 minutes, flip the meat, then cook for additional 5-6 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage, shredded carrots, and apples—season with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender and apples have caramelized some. Whisk together apple cider vinegar, honey, and caraway seeds. Pour the vinegar mixture into the skillet to deglaze. Toss, then serve with schnitzel, lemon wedges, and parsley.

Keywords: air fryer, chicken, cabbage, German, fall

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

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This Creamy Chicken Enchilada soup is warm, slightly spicy, and so comforting. It’s loaded with veggies and chicken in a creamy enchilada broth.

I love making soups. They’re fabulous for meal prep because they’re so easy to double and save some for leftovers for later. They freeze well too! Sometimes when I’m strategizing with my clients, we talk through practical ways to plan for the week ahead. We’ll discuss what’s on the schedule and what barriers there might be in making sure that they have satisfying meals for the week ahead. One of those ways is to make something once and eat it multiple times throughout the week. Soup like this Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup is perfect for this type of challenge. Plus, it only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Close up of creamy enchilada soup with a spoon in the bowl

Ingredients

Onion and garlic: These are the basis for all good soups. If you’re really short on time, buy the pre-cut onions and minced garlic to save some extra time chopping.

Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: These are my favorite thing to add to Latin-inspired dishes. They’re smoked jalapeno peppers in this rich, smokey sauce. You can buy them in a can or jar – I like the resealable jar personally because you can close them back up easily and put them in the fridge for when you need more. A little goes a long way with these peppers.

Chicken stock: My go-to stock brand is Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock. I posted about it recently on my weekly grocery finds on my Instagram account.  

Enchilada sauce: If you have homemade, that’s fine, but I used a canned variety from the grocery store. It was perfect.

Black beans: Just one can will do, but you could add two to pump up the protein and fiber. If you want to help cut the sodium, give the beans a good rinse before adding them to the pot.  

Corn: I used a small can of corn, but you can also use frozen corn.  

Seasonings: I used cumin, chili powder, and oregano for flavors. I skipped adding salt since there was plenty in the canned enchilada sauce and black beans.  

Cooked, shredded chicken breast: I like to make shredded chicken to have on hand throughout the week, and this is a perfect way to use it up. If you’re in a hurry, you can buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred it to add to the soup instead.

Cream cheese: This is what gives it the creaminess. Adding things like cream cheese to dishes may not be seen as “healthy,” but adding fun ingredients like this can help us feel more satisfied with our food. Finding satisfaction is one of the principles of Intuitive Eating. Grab my free ebook on this topic to help you discover a more satisfying way of eating and approaching health.

Toppings: This is another way you can add satisfaction and variety to this soup. Pick your favorites: crunch tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, creamy avocado, or tangy sour cream all go really well in this soup.  

How to Make Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

This soup is on the table in less than 30 minutes, thanks to the pre-cooked chicken. First, you’ll saute the onions for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients except for the cream cheese and 1 cup of the stock. About 5 minutes before the soup is done, you’ll blend the remaining stock with the cream cheese and add it to the soup to simmer for the last 5 minutes. Boom. Dinner is less than 30 minutes.

Overview of creamy enchilada soup with a spoon in the bowl on a white countertop

Creating Satisfying Meals

One of the reasons that I love this recipe is that it combines so many of the flavors and textures that I love. It’s a great recipe to have in my back pocket when time is tight, and I need something satisfying quick. Learning how to do that is a skill that has been so helpful in Intuitive Eating – listening to my body’s desires and preferences for food while still giving myself the nutrition that I need.

Close up of creamy enchilada soup with a spoon in the bowl on a white countertop
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Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Overview of two bowls of creamy enchilada soup with a spoon in the bowl on a white countertop
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup, Tex-Mex, Chicken
  • Cuisine: Soup
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped
  • 3 cups of chicken stock, divided
  • 1 (10 oz.) can of enchilada sauce
  • 1 (15.5 oz.) can of black beans
  • 1 (8.5 oz.) can of corn
  • 1 tbsp. cumin
  • 1 tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 lb. of cooked, shredded chicken breast
  • ½–1 block of cream cheese
  • Toppings of choice: sliced jalapenos, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in large soup or stockpot over medium-high heat. Saute onion in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chipotle peppers and saute for 1 minute longer.
  2. Add 2 cups of chicken stock, enchilada sauce, black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and cooked/shredded chicken breast. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, and cook for about 20 minutes.  
  3. About 5 minutes before ingredients are done, blend cream cheese and remaining 1 cup of chicken stock together in a blender. Add to soup and cook for about 5 minutes longer. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Keywords: Soup, Enchilada, Chicken

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

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These mini chicken meatloaves with pineapple BBQ sauce are perfect for meal prep. You can make a batch (or two) for the week ahead or freeze for later. The pineapple, which is a natural meat tenderizer, makes the meatloaves pillowy soft and gives a tropical feel in the BBQ sauce. Clearly, I have a thing for tropical fruit inspired BBQ sauces. 

Close up of Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce on a plate

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce Ingredients

You’ll need:

  • Scallions: You’ll need the white and green parts, but keep them separate. Make sure to chop these fine – especially the white parts, which will go into the meatloaves before cooking. You chop them fine because you don’t want to bite into a huge chunk of scallion. 
  • Ground chicken: Chicken is a natural choice to go with pineapple. You can also choose ground pork, which would work out perfectly. 
  • Ginger: Grate or mince the ginger finely. If you don’t have fresh ginger available, dried ground ginger will work fine as well, but use 1 tsp. of ground ginger in place of the 1 tbsp. of fresh ginger. 
  • Oatmeal: Oatmeal works perfectly to help bind the ground meat. You can use panko bread crumbs instead of oatmeal if you prefer. 
  • Egg: This works with the oatmeal to bind the meatloaves together.
  • Crushed pineapple: As I mentioned before, pineapple is a natural meat tenderizer and keeps the meatloaves from becoming tough. Plus, it adds a sweet Hawaiian/tropical note to the BBQ sauce by using some of the pineapple juice. 
  • Ketchup: The basis of some of the most delicious BBQ sauces – it’s sweet tomato-y flavor can’t be beaten.  
  • Seasonings: Garlic powder, salt, and pepper round out the seasonings for these meatloaves. 
Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce on a plate with sweet potato fries

What to serve on the side

I served these with baked sweet potato fries, but you also can’t go wrong with these Grilled Potato Salad Skewers with Zucchini or my Caramelized Corn and Green Bean Skillet. The corn and green bean skillet recipe is one of my top recipes of all time. They both would go perfectly with these Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce. 

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Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce

Mini Chicken Meatloaves with Pineapple BBQ Sauce in a Muffin Tin
  • Author: Melissa
  • Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
  • Total Time: 35-45 minutes
  • Yield: 12 mini meatloaves 1x
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped, separated
  • 1 lb. ground chicken
  • 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/2 cup of oatmeal
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 small can (8 oz.) of crushed pineapple, drained and keep the juice
  • 4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 4 tbsp. ketchup
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 12 cup muffin tin. 
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the white parts of the scallion, ground chicken, fresh ginger, oatmeal, egg, crushed pineapple, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix the contents until just incorporated. Divide evenly amongst the muffin tin.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix ketchup, 1 tbsp. of pineapple juice, 2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce together. Season with salt and pepper. Brush ketchup mixture on top of mini meatloaves. 
  4. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until thermometer reaches 165 degrees F. 
  5. Top of green part of scallions. Serve. 

Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce

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Air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce, cilantro, and limes.

Man, I am on a roll with these air fryer recipes! Last week was my Air Fryer Egg Rolls with Chinese Five Spice, and now this week, I’ve created Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce. Yep, Mango BBQ Sauce. This stuff is my jam. BBQ sauce is the epitome of sweet and savory flavors in one sauce. You can put it on just about everything, and it’s the perfect save when you accidentally overcooked dinner. BBQ sauce can save just about anything, in my opinion. Mangos have the ideal tropical sweetness that lends so well into making this BBQ sauce. 

Jar of finished mango BBQ sauce

You can use flats and/or drummettes for the wings. Drummettes are always my favorite because they’re easier to handle, in my opinion. If you want to make these for a party, such as a Super Bowl or game day party, you can make these in the air fryer in batches and keep them warm in the oven at a low temperature (200 degrees) until they’re ready to be served. This recipe makes quite a bit of BBQ sauce, more than you probably will want just for this recipe. Feel free to save the remaining sauce in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. If I am going to be making a recipe like this where I can use the sauce again elsewhere, I like to work it into my meal plan for the week. For example, you can use this sauce on the wings one day and then again later in the week for glazing salmon. 

Close up of air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce.

You can also customize the recipe by keeping the jalapeno seeds in or out of the sauce. For all the spicy heat lovers out there (like me!), I left all the seeds in the sauce and didn’t find it terribly spicy. Keep in mind, the seeds will continue to marinate the longer the sauce sits, so if don’t be surprised if the spiciness increases as the week goes on. However you decide to serve these wings or sauce, they are bound to be a hit! 

Don’t forget you can sign up for my email list, so you can be the first know when new recipes go up and you get exclusive content.

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Air Fryer Wings with Mango BBQ Sauce

Air fryer wings with mango BBQ sauce, cilantro, and limes.
  • Author: Melissa
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds included, if desired)
  • Salt and pepper, as desired
  • 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 ½ cups mango, cubed 
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (juice of two limes) + extra lime slices for serving
  • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 lbs. chicken wings
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeno and saute for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add ginger and saute for 1 minute more. Add mango, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Saute for additional 1-2 minutes or until sugar dissolved. Turn off heat and set aside to cool. 
  2. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees. Toss chicken wings with the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to air fryer. Cook for 25 minutes or until chicken wings are brown and crispy, removing basket and shaking every 5 minutes to cook wings evenly. 
  3. While wings are cooking, finish mango BBQ sauce. Using an immersion or regular blender, puree mango BBQ sauce until smooth and no chunks remain. Once wings are done, toss with BBQ sauce. Leftover BBQ sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.