AirFryday: Chicken and veg bake in your air fryer

Two things have to be considered when cooking a chicken and vegetable bake in an air fryer: the size of your machine (and of the dish you put in it, if using one) and how much liquid to use.

The shape and size of your air fryer interior always dictate which of your oven dishes you can fit in it. And whatever can fit in that dish. But, depending on what kind of air fryer you have (I mean the design, not the brand), you might be able to ignore all your dishes and cook everything right in your air fryer.

Both of mine have drawers that you can pull out, so that you can put ingredients directly into it, close it, set the temperature and time, and start cooking. I’m glad, now, that I didn’t choose one that has a pull-down door, like a large conventional oven.

Having said all that, chicken portions are the size they are, and vegetables will take up a certain amount of space, depending on their bulk.

And, even when feeding only two of us in a fairly large (5.7-litre) air fryer, I was not able to cook everything in it all at once on this occasion.

This didn’t faze me at all.

I selected my vegetables – potatoes, onion, tomatoes and peppers – and then chose my condiments. Excellent-quality extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar that was no less impressive, a hint of cayenne pepper and of course salt and black pepper.

Somebody recently gave me a product called Fynbos Fire Foods Smotherings of Africa sea salt with smoked paprika, garlic and basil – that’s a lot to remember – so I decided to use some of that too. It’s an interesting spice mix with a nice texture and curious flavour profile (that’s not a criticism, it means it’s not dull), although rather scant on the salt content. So I added more salt.

There were six chicken portions – four thighs and two drumsticks.

Now, as for that liquid content when cooking in an air fryer. Like fat, it needs to be kept to a minimum, since an air fryer is not a vessel for boiling things in. You only need enough to do the work of keeping the vegetables moist, thereby preventing them from drying out, while adding the flavour the food needs. Anything more than a coating of the vegetables is probably too much.

On the vegetable front, I assessed everything and decided that I would cook the potatoes first, then add onion, then tomatoes and finally peppers.

Then I would remove everything so that I could cook the chicken portions on their own, in the same air fryer (with no need to clean it, which would result in loss of flavour already in the basket).

I would cook the chicken to perfection, remove the portions, return the veg to the machine, put the chicken portions on top and finish it for five more minutes.

The olive oil and balsamic vinegar I used were Tokara premium multi varietal extra virgin olive oil from Stellenbosch, and their premium balsamic vinegar. The olive oil is described as having a full fruit character, rounded with delicate herbaceous and spicy flavours. The balsamic vinegar is “sweet and fruity with mild acidity”. All true in the tasting.

And it all worked out swimmingly.

Follow the recipe below step by step for a week-night family meal that made us very happy.

Tony’s air fryer chicken and vegetable bake

(Serves 3)

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs/drumsticks

4 medium potatoes

1 heaped tsp Fynbos Fire Foods Smotherings of Africa sea salt 

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into quarters

3 medium tomatoes, quartered

1 red pepper, sliced in julienne strips

1 yellow pepper, sliced in julienne strips

4 Tbsp Tokara premium multi varietal extra virgin olive oil

4 Tbsp Tokara premium balsamic vinegar

Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

First, the potatoes:

Peel them and slice into quarters.

In a small bowl, mix 4 Tbsp Tokara olive oil with 1 heaped tsp Fynbos Fire Foods Smotherings of Africa sea salt with smoked paprika, garlic and basil. Add a little salt. Toss the potatoes in this.

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C and cook for 20 minutes (but refer to the next paragraph please). Shake the basket now and then for even cooking.

After 10 minutes of the above period, add the quartered onions after tossing them in the remaining spiced olive oil from the potatoes. Complete the next 10 minutes of this 20-minute cook.

Add the julienne red and yellow pepper slivers, after tossing them in more extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt.

Cook for 5 minutes at 180°C.

Now add the quartered tomatoes, turn the temperature up to 200°C, and cook for 10 minutes. Shake the basket a few times.

Remove everything to a side dish – it’s time to cook the chicken.

In a large bowl or bakkie, mix 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 heaped tsp garlic pasta (I used La Italiana), salt, black pepper, and 3 shakes of cayenne pepper.

Baste chicken in this and air-fry for 25 minutes at 180°C, then turn it up to 200°C and cook for another 10 minutes. 

Turn the setting to “grill” if your air fryer has that setting (or leave it at 200°C) for the final 5 minutes of cooking.

Remove the chicken to a plate.

Add everything else to the basket as well as the juices from the basting of the chicken. Place the chicken portions on top. Cook for 3 minutes to heat it through. Serve alongside the chicken.

You could serve this with rice, or just enjoy it as it is. DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the year award, in 2021 and 2023

Order Tony’s book, foodSTUFF, here.

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.