Any time I’m in a Caribbean neighborhood, I love stopping by a local corner deli or restaurant to get a Jamaican beef patty—like a savory, stuffed hand pie—warm from the fryer. These meatballs—the patty without the crust, if you will—are teeming with spices like curry powder, allspice, and thyme and fresh Scotch bonnet chile (feel free to add as much as you can take, if you’re a spice lover). Served with a cooling lime-coconut yogurt, these just might be my favorite new party snack—or as a full meal, served over rice to help soak up all the delicious, flavorful juices.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, breadcrumbs, curry powder, thyme, allspice, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, the grated onion, and the chile and mix with your hands (wear gloves if your skin is sensitive to chiles!
) until the mixture is evenly incorporated.
Divide the mixture into 16 portions and roll each one into a ball.
Transfer the meatballs to the air fryer in a single layer and cook at 350°F, shaking the basket halfway through, until golden brown on the outside and no longer pink in the middle, about 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the meatballs to plates and serve hot with the lime-coconut yogurt sauce.
Pork Schnitzel With Roast Potato And Cucumber Salad
Crispy pork schnitzel doesn’t need to be fried in loads of oil, splattering all over your stove, to be traditional or delicious. This air-fried version bakes up super crisp and quick, making it ideal for a weeknight dinner. Traditionally, it’s served with buttered potatoes and cucumbers in yogurt. I streamlined the process here, roasting the potatoes, then tossing them with the cucumbers and yogurt while warm so they soak up the dressing and become a creamy, warm potato salad.
No one is quite sure where this dish came from, nor why it’s called what it is, but this Chinese-inspired dish of chicken breast pieces cooked up in a slightly sweet, umami-packed, spicy sauce is one of the more surprising and satisfying chicken dishes I’ve ever had. And because the chicken cooks in the sauce, it’s a virtual one-bowl dinner that, if you prep the morning of, can mean dinner is on the table quicker than it takes to slip on your most comfortable socks and queue up a good Netflix show.
In a bowl, combine the chicken, ketchup, chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, hot sauce, garlic powder, cayenne, and three-quarters of the scallions and toss until evenly coated.
Scrape the chicken and sauce into a 7-inch round cake pan insert, metal cake pan, or foil pan and place the pan in the air fryer.
Cook at 350°F until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced to a thick glaze, about 20 minutes, flipping the chicken pieces halfway through.
Remove the pan from the air fryer.
Spoon the chicken and sauce over rice and top with the remaining scallions.
Char siu pork is one of my favorite dishes, but the pork belly it’s made with means it’s only a rare indulgence. To make the dish healthier and more weeknight-friendly, I decided to apply the same sticky, savory-sweet glaze to tofu, which transforms the otherwise bland bean curd into umami bombs that are addictive to eat over rice. The glaze is packed with flavor thanks to a mix of soy sauce, honey, sriracha, and Chinese five-spice powder. Glaze pieces of chicken, pork, or your shoe, really, in this sauce, and it will taste wonderful, trust me.
Place the tofu slabs between sheets of paper towels, top with a heavy board or skillet, and let stand for 15 minutes to absorb any excess moisture.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, hoisin, sriracha, five-spice powder, garlic powder, and black pepper to taste until smooth.
Place the tofu pieces and scallions in a 7-inch round cake pan insert, metal cake pan, or foil pan and pour the sauce over them, turning the tofu to coat in sauce.
Place the pan in the air fryer and cook at 375°F, turning the tofu every 5 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and glazed over the tofu and scallions, about 18 minutes.
Remove the pan from the air fryer and serve the tofu and scallions hot over rice.
Notes & Wine Advice
No pan insert?
If you don’t want to use the pan insert, you can still make this tofu. Simply brush the tofu pieces with the sauce every 5 minutes, flipping them before you brush, until done. You will have some glaze left over, and the tofu won’t have as intense a flavor as if it had been cooked in the sauce, but it’ll still be glazed and sticky.
One of my favorite preparations of chicken I’ve ever eaten was at a Japanese restaurant in New York City that served up chicken thighs, still sizzling on a hot stone, that had been glazed in nothing but sweetened soy sauce and garlic. The condensed marinade was sticky and packed with the flavor of the chicken skin’s own rendered fat. I set out to re-create them for the air fryer. Turned a few times while sitting in the marinade, the chicken thighs infuse with the umami glaze and their skins crisp up under the high heat of the air fryer’s fan. It creates a crispy, tender, lip-smacking texture that bests the restaurant version.
2largescallionscut into 2- to 3-inch batons, plus more, thinly sliced, for garnish
2bone-inskin-on chicken thighs (7 to 8 ounces each)
Instructions
In a 7-inch round cake pan insert, metal cake pan, or foil pan, combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the garlic cloves, scallions, and chicken thighs, turning the thighs to coat them in the marinade, then resting them skin-side up.
Place the pan in the air fryer and cook at 375°F, flipping the thighs every 5 minutes after the first 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the marinade is reduced to a sticky glaze over the chicken, about 30 minutes.
Remove the pan from the air fryer and serve the chicken thighs warm, with any remaining glaze spooned over top and sprinkled with more sliced scallions.
No pan insert?
If you don’t want to use the pan insert, you can still make these chicken thighs.
Simply heat the sauce in the microwave to dissolve the sugar, then brush it over the chicken thighs every 5 minutes, flipping them before you brush, until done.
You will have some glaze left over, and the chicken won’t have as intense a flavor as if they were cooked in the sauce, but they’ll still be glazed, sticky, and crisp on top.
Chicken tenders are fantastic party fare and super kid-friendly, but I rarely think to make them at home for dinner because of the deep-frying. These tenders, however, I could make any night of the week because they’re easy to throw together. I based them on a certain fried chicken chain’s original recipe chicken. It was my favorite snack as a kid, and through lots of trial and error, I’ve stumbled upon the right mix of eleven herbs and spices to stand up to the colonel’s. Serve these with your favorite dipping sauce or in classic fashion, with sides of mashed potatoes and biscuits with gravy.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken strips, buttermilk, and eggs and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the flour, paprika, white pepper, garlic powder, salt, celery seed, mustard powder, black pepper, ginger, basil, thyme, and oregano.
Remove a few strips at a time from the buttermilk mixture, dredge in the seasoned flour until evenly coated, then transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
Spray the chicken strips all over with cooking spray.
Transfer half the strips to the air fryer in a single layer and cook at 375°F until golden brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Transfer the cooked strips to a plate and repeat to cook the remaining strips.
Serve the strips hot.
Notes & Wine Advice
Go Basic:
Don’t have all the spices needed for this recipe? Don’t worry—just omit them, except the salt, and season the flour with ground black pepper. The plain tenders will taste just as good on their own, especially when dunked in your favorite dipping sauce.
A crisp and savoury air fryer Monte Cristo filled with Thanksgiving leftovers, including turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, Swiss cheese, and gravy. A light dusting of powdered sugar adds the classic sweet-and-savoury finish.
Spread the cranberry sauce over one slice of bread. Layer the mashed potatoes, turkey, green beans, stuffing, and Swiss cheese on top.
Spread the butter over the second slice of bread and place it butter-side down over the cheese. Press the sandwich lightly to compact the filling.
Combine the milk and eggs in a pie dish. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Dip the sandwich into the egg mixture, turning it so both sides absorb some of the mixture.
Transfer the sandwich to the air fryer and cook at 375°F (190°C) for about 12 minutes, until golden brown, crisp, and heated throughout.
Transfer to a cutting board and cut diagonally in half.
Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve hot with the warmed leftover gravy for dipping.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Suggestions
Serve the sandwich immediately while the outside is crisp and the cheese is melted. Warm leftover gravy makes an ideal dip. It works particularly well as a hearty Lunch after Thanksgiving or as an easy meal from the Sandwiches collection.
Recipe Notes
Do not overfill the sandwich because the layers need to stay together when it is dipped into the egg mixture and transferred to the air fryer. Pressing the sandwich gently before dipping helps compact the filling. Because the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy are already cooked, the main goal is to heat the filling thoroughly while making the bread crisp and golden. Find more easy preparations in the Airfryer collection.
Variations
The filling can be adapted to the leftovers available. Replace the mashed potatoes, green beans, and stuffing with cooked bacon and sliced avocado, or use leftover roasted vegetables with mozzarella. Other combinations can turn the same basic method into a different Sandwich while reducing leftover food.
Storage and Reheating
This sandwich is best eaten immediately. If necessary, refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat them thoroughly in the Airfryer until the filling is hot and the bread is crisp again. Pay particular attention to safe storage and reheating because the sandwich contains previously cooked turkey and several other Thanksgiving leftovers.
Wine Advice
A fresh Riesling provides a pleasant contrast to the rich turkey, stuffing, Swiss cheese, and gravy while working well with the sweetness of the cranberry sauce.
Turkey Monte Cristo transforms a collection of Thanksgiving leftovers into a warm, crisp sandwich that feels very different from simply reheating yesterday’s dinner. Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, Swiss cheese, and gravy bring many of the familiar flavours of Thanksgiving together between two thick slices of bread. The assembled sandwich is dipped in an egg-and-milk mixture before being cooked in the air fryer, giving the bread the golden exterior associated with a classic Monte Cristo.
This is particularly useful when the refrigerator contains several small portions that are no longer large enough to serve individually. Instead of reheating everything separately, the leftovers become layers within one substantial sandwich. The method also requires very little additional cooking, making it a practical addition to the Store food collection.
Turning Thanksgiving Leftovers into Lunch
The combination works because the leftovers provide contrasting flavours and textures. Turkey gives the sandwich its savoury centre, while stuffing adds herbs and texture. Mashed potatoes make the filling creamy, and green beans introduce a vegetable element. Cranberry sauce provides sweetness and acidity, helping balance the richer ingredients.
Swiss cheese melts between the layers and helps bring everything together. Finally, warm gravy served alongside the sandwich reinforces the familiar Thanksgiving flavours without making the bread soggy during cooking. The result fits naturally into both the Lunch and Comfort Food collections.
Why the Air Fryer Works Well
A traditional Monte Cristo is commonly cooked in a pan, but using the Airfryer removes the need to stand over the stove. Hot circulating air browns the egg-coated bread while simultaneously heating the substantial filling. After approximately twelve minutes, the outside should be golden and crisp and the cheese inside should be melted.
Thick bread is particularly useful here. Country-style white bread or sourdough provides enough structure to support the layers and absorb some of the egg mixture without immediately falling apart. Pressing the sandwich gently before dipping also makes it easier to handle.
Balancing Sweet and Savoury Flavours
One of the distinctive features of a Monte Cristo is the combination of savoury filling and sweet accents. In this Thanksgiving version, cranberry sauce already provides a fruity element. A light dusting of powdered sugar after cooking reinforces that sweet-and-savoury contrast without turning the sandwich into a dessert.
The gravy takes the flavour in the opposite direction. Serving it separately allows each bite to be dipped as much or as little as desired. This also protects the crisp exterior, which would quickly soften if gravy were poured directly over the finished sandwich.
Using Different Leftovers
The recipe does not have to be limited to exactly the listed Thanksgiving ingredients. The original idea also works with cooked bacon and sliced avocado or with leftover roasted vegetables and mozzarella. This makes the technique useful whenever several cooked ingredients need to be turned into a quick Sandwich.
Keep the overall quantity of filling under control when making substitutions. An excessively thick sandwich is difficult to dip, transfer, and heat evenly. Ingredients that contain a lot of moisture should also be used sparingly so the centre does not make the bread soggy.
Storing Thanksgiving Leftovers Safely
Because this recipe uses previously cooked turkey and other leftovers, proper refrigeration and reheating are particularly important. Keep cooked foods refrigerated until you are ready to assemble the sandwich and return unused ingredients to the refrigerator promptly. The finished sandwich should be thoroughly heated before serving.
For current recommendations on handling cooked poultry and holiday leftovers, follow the FDA food safety guidance. When properly stored leftovers are available, this Turkey Monte Cristo offers a quick way to turn a collection of Thanksgiving dishes into an entirely different meal instead of simply serving the same plate again.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might fit a whole chicken inside, but some are too small, so I wanted to give a roast chicken recipe that could work in every model and size of machine. Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts are super flavorful and, in some cases, so large they might as well be a whole chicken. Here I cover them with a spice mix inspired by dry ranch-style seasoning, suffusing the chicken skin with tons of dried herbs and umami-packed onion and garlic. Serve up the chicken in thick slices like a roast chicken or refrigerate and tear it into pieces for chicken salad (the chicken is preseasoned and only needs a little mayonnaise to hold it together).
Place the chicken breast in a bowl and pour over the buttermilk, turning the chicken in it to make sure it’s completely covered.
Let the chicken stand at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the parsley, chives, salt, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, and tarragon.
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, then place skin-side up directly in the air fryer.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix all over the top of the chicken breast, then let stand until the herb mix soaks into the buttermilk, at least 5 minutes.
Spray the top of the chicken with cooking spray.
Cook at 300°F for 10 minutes, then increase the heat to 350°F and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160°F and the chicken is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer the chicken breast to a cutting board, let rest for 10 minutes, then cut the meat off the bone and cut into thick slices for serving.
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