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Chicken al pastor served on a white plate with lemon wedges and cilantro
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Air fryer Chicken Al Pastor

Delicious, spicy and just spectacular, this air fryer chicken al pastor will be your favorite chicken main from now on. Spicy, sweet, smoky, it's just perfect.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword air fryer chicken al pastor, chicken al pastor in air fryer
recipe air fryer chicken
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Marination time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 23 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 293kcal

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb. Chicken breasts
  • 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup Pineapple chunks
  • 3 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tbsp. Honey or Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp. ground Cilantro
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tbsp. Olive oil
  • Salt to taste

Garnish

  • Cilantro and lime wedges are used as garnish.

Instructions

  • Marination: First step is to marinate the chicken breasts. Take chipotle in adobo sauce. I used store them store bought. In a blender add chipotle chiles with adobo sauce along with apple cider vinegar, honey or brown sugar, garlic, oregano, ground cumin and cilantro, salt and olive oil.
  • Give it a whiz in the blender till you get a thick marinade. Now add chicken breasts to it. Mix well and marinate for a minimum of 2 hours. Overnight is good too.
  • When you are ready to cook, preheat air fryer at 360F or 180C for 5 minutes or as per the preheat setting on your air fryer.
  • Brush the basket and lay marinated chicken breasts in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Toss pineapple chunks in the leftover marinade and also lay them in the air fryer basket to roast along with the chicken.
  • Air fry at 360F or 180C for 12-15 minutes till chicken is cooked through and nicely browned. I always use a meat thermometer to check if the chicken is cooked. The internal temperature in the thickest part of the chicken must be above 165F for it to be cooked.
  • Once done, take out the chicken and rest it for a couple of minutes before slicing. Serve with roasted pineapple chunks (they taste so good) with some chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
  • Enjoy your amazing air fryer chicken al pastor. It is so good.

Notes

Marinating the chicken for at least 2-4 hours is important for deeper flavours. I love to marinate it overnight.
I have used chicken breast here. If using chicken breast or thigh bites, the air frying will reduce as the chicken bites are smaller in size.
Adjust the spice as per taste. This recipe is moderately spicy.
You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for upto 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer before serving.
You can use frozen chicken here. But, it needs to be thawed before you marinate it.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 775mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg