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No. 30ItalianChickenAir 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. Dry-Brine the Chicken

    If the breasts are thick, butterfly them or gently flatten them to an even 1.5–2 cm — juicy with golden edges, not a dry schnitzel. Pat them dry, sprinkle both sides evenly with the 3 g salt and refrigerate, uncovered, for 30–60 minutes; up to 8 hours if you have planned ahead. If you are rushed, salt just before cooking and carry on.

  2. Drain the Mozzarella

    Drain the mozzarella and sit it in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge for 10–20 minutes. Take it out 10–15 minutes before serving so it loses a little of its fridge chill.

  3. Roast the Tomatoes

    Halve any large cherry tomatoes. Toss them with the oil, shallot, garlic, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, and spread them on the crisper plate in the 2.3L glass container, as close to one layer as you can. Roast at 200°C for 10–14 minutes, checking at 9–10 and tossing once, until the skins are wrinkled and a little caramelised. Tip them into a clean bowl, keep the juices from the container, and discard the thyme stem.

  4. Make the Pistou

    Finely chop the basil, or crush it in a mortar with the garlic and a pinch of salt; don’t blitz it to a dull-green purée. Stir in the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1–2 tsp of the tomato juices. It should be loose enough to spoon in little pools, with fresh basil, a little garlic and a clean lemon lift, not sourness.

  5. Air-Fry the Chicken

    Mix the oil, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, thyme, chilli flakes and pepper, and rub a thin layer over the chicken, scraping off any thick garlic that would scorch. 7L glass container with room between them.

    Air Fry at 200°C for 15 minutes, flipping halfway; start checking the thickest part at 10–12 minutes and stop at 75°C. Thicker pieces may take up to 18 minutes. Rest for 3–5 minutes, then finish with the lemon juice.

  6. Cut the Fresh Tomato

    While the chicken rests, cut the fresh tomato into wedges or chunky pieces and salt it lightly just before plating. If it is very wet, drain it a little so it doesn’t flood the plate.

  7. Plate It

    One breast per plate, whole or sliced thickly on the diagonal and fanned. Tuck the warm roasted tomatoes and fresh wedges alongside, with a little of their juice. Tear the mozzarella into generous pieces and nestle it between the tomatoes — not as a blanket over the chicken. Spoon the pistou in small pools, then finish with a few drops of balsamic, basil leaves, flaky salt on the mozzarella and black pepper. Serve straight away.

Next level

Turn the tomato juices into a vinaigrette

Optional · about 2 min more

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

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Chicken Capreseserves 2 · 50 min + 30–60 minutes