All the recipes

No. 49ItalianChickenAir Fryer

Chicken Caprese

Don’t melt the cheese; embrace the different textures.

John Drummond

Sliced golden chicken breast flecked with lemon zest and thyme, beside roasted red and yellow cherry tomatoes with thin slivers of shallot, fresh tomato wedges and torn buffalo mozzarella, with bright green basil dressing and drops of balsamic
Prep20min
Cook30min
All up

50min+ 30–60 minutes

Serves2
LevelMedium

Mise en place

What you need

Tick each one off as it goes in.

Lemon–oregano chicken

Roasted tomatoes

Fresh tomato

Buffalo mozzarella

Basil–lemon pistou

To finish

Makes 2 serves

A genuinely impressive, Italian-inspired Caprese dinner without the breadcrumb crust. Juicy, deeply seasoned chicken with golden edges; intensely flavoured warm roasted tomatoes; cool, creamy 100% buffalo-milk mozzarella; and a vivid basil dressing. The goal is contrast and balance, not a pile of toppings melted together.

The generic recipe cooks tomato and mozzarella together on top of the chicken. That can produce watery tomatoes, rubbery cheese and unremarkable chicken. This one deliberately separates the elements: dry-brined chicken in lemon zest, garlic, oregano and thyme; roasted cherry tomatoes, warm and a little jammy; a raw ripe tomato for a second tomato flavour; buffalo mozzarella torn by hand and served fresh, never air-fried; a bright basil–lemon pistou; and aged balsamic as a tiny accent, not a blanket of sweet glaze.

Written for the Ninja Crispi Pro 6-in-1, with its adjustable temperatures and its 2.3L and 5.7L glass containers, before it has arrived. No preheat is needed. The times are informed starting points, not guarantees: check the thickest part of each breast with a thermometer and cook to 75°C.

Shopping: check the label. Fior di latte is cow’s-milk mozzarella, and a product described as “buffalo style” may not be made entirely from buffalo milk. The contrast here comes from real, rich, fresh mozzarella — ideally Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP — not a low-moisture pizza cheese.

Pistou, not pesto: a bright, loose basil–garlic–oil dressing, not a heavy Parmesan-and-nut pesto. It is meant to lift the mozzarella rather than compete with it.

One container only? Roast the tomatoes first, tip them into a clean bowl, and dry the crisper plate before the chicken goes in.

For a little crunch as well, fry 1 tbsp rinsed and well-dried small capers in 1 tsp olive oil for 1–2 minutes until they bloom and crisp, and scatter them sparingly; go easy on the finishing salt if you do. Serve it with peppery rocket, shaved fennel and thin cucumber, dressed lightly with lemon and a little olive oil.

Leftovers: chill promptly, reheat the chicken and tomatoes thoroughly, and add new fresh mozzarella and basil after reheating, not before.

The method

Seven moves.

  1. Chicken, Salt

    Thick breasts: butterfly them or flatten them to an even 1.5–2 cm. Juicy with golden edges, not a dry schnitzel. Pat dry, salt both sides evenly with the 3 g salt and refrigerate, uncovered, for 30–60 minutes; up to 8 hours if you planned ahead. Rushed? Salt just before cooking and carry on.

  2. Mozzarella, Drain

    Drain the mozzarella and sit it in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge for 10–20 minutes. Out 10–15 minutes before serving, to take the fridge chill off.

  3. Tomatoes, Roast

    Halve any large cherry tomatoes. Toss with the oil, shallot, garlic, thyme, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a tiny pinch of sugar only if they are under-ripe. Onto the crisper plate in the 2.3L glass container, one layer as near as you can. Roast at 200°C for 10–14 minutes, checking and tossing once at 9–10, until the skins wrinkle and catch. Tip into a clean bowl with the juices from the container. Thyme stem out.

  4. Pistou, Make

    Finely chop the basil, or crush it in a mortar with the garlic and a pinch of salt. Never blitz it to a dull-green purée. Stir in the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1–2 tsp of the tomato juices. Loose enough to spoon in little pools: fresh basil, a little garlic, a clean lemon lift, not sour.

  5. Chicken, Air Fry

    Mix the oil, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, chilli flakes and pepper. Rub a thin layer over the chicken and scrape off any thick garlic; it scorches. Breasts on the crisper plate in the 5.7L glass container, room between them. Air Fry at 200°C for 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Check the thickest part from 10–12 minutes and stop at 75°C; thick pieces can take up to 18 minutes. Rest 3–5 minutes, then the lemon juice over.

  6. Fresh Tomato, Cut

    While the chicken rests, cut the fresh tomato into wedges or chunks. Salt it lightly just before plating. Very wet? Drain it, so it doesn't flood the plate.

  7. Plate

    One breast per plate, whole or thick-sliced on the diagonal and fanned. Roasted tomatoes and fresh wedges alongside, with a little of their juice. Tear the mozzarella into generous pieces and tuck it between the tomatoes, not a blanket over the chicken. Pistou in small pools, a few drops of balsamic, basil leaves, flaky salt on the mozzarella, black pepper and a small drizzle of oil if you like. Straight out.

Next level

Turn the tomato juices into a vinaigrette

Optional · no new ingredients · +2 min

Whisk 2 tsp of the warm roasted-tomato juices with ½ tsp aged balsamic and ½ tsp lemon juice, and dot it around the tomatoes before the green pistou goes on. Use less of the finishing balsamic to match.

It is one of the best restaurant tricks here: glossy, savoury and bright, for essentially no extra oil.

Keep wandering

From the same volume.

No. 47Malaysian Curry Leaf Crispy ChickenMalaysian · 40 minNo. 48Air Fryer Avocado Chicken Mango SaladModern Australian · 40 minNo. 50Air Fryer Fish TacosMexican · 35 minNo. 51Air Fryer Chicken SouvlakiGreek · 45 min

Chicken Capreseserves 2 · 50 min + 30–60 minutes