A bold, simple meal — marinated chicken cubes cooked in the air fryer alongside a loaded Mediterranean salad and white rice. Big on flavor, minimal on effort.
Serves: 4–5 Prep time: 20 minutes (+ 30–60 min marination) Cook time: 15 minutes
Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 800g–1kg chicken breast, cut into 2.5–3cm cubes
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Cut the chicken into uniform cubes so they cook evenly.
- Toss in a bowl with the garlic, oregano, paprika, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well until all the cubes are coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes — up to an hour is ideal.
- Spread the cubes in a single layer in the air fryer basket, working in batches to avoid crowding.
- Cook at 200°C for 12–15 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice halfway through for even browning on all sides.
Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head butter lettuce (or other soft-leaf lettuce), torn into pieces
- 2–3 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cucumbers, diced
- 150–200g feta cheese, cubed
- A handful of sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 small red or white onion, sliced into thin rings
- A handful of green olives
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Layer the butter lettuce as a base in a large serving dish.
- Add the diced tomatoes, cherry tomato halves, and cucumber.
- Scatter the feta cubes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and onion rings on top.
- Finish with chopped cilantro.
- Dress with olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Toss gently just before serving.
Rice
White rice, served alongside the chicken and salad.
Tips
- Don’t crowd the basket. Work in 2–3 batches so hot air circulates around each piece. Shake the basket halfway through for even browning.
- Make the salad last. Prep it while the chicken cooks so the lettuce stays fresh.
- The marinade does the heavy lifting. Even 30 minutes makes a noticeable difference, but a full hour in the fridge is better if you have time.
This blog post was written with the help of Claude Code.