Recipes / Mains / Air fryer
◆  Air fryer  ·  serves 4

Air-Fryer Pesto Chicken

Chicken breasts or thighs cooked with pesto and tomatoes until juicy, green, and weeknight-fast.

8m
22m
4 servings
Easy

This is a volume-friendly air-fryer article in the best sense: familiar food, a real photo, and a slightly different lane from the version already in the archive. Chicken breasts or thighs cooked with pesto and tomatoes until juicy, green, and weeknight-fast.

The basket does the useful work here — concentrated heat, browned edges, and less oil than the stovetop version. Keep the pieces even, shake once or twice, and let the last two minutes decide the colour.

Method

ii.
  1. 01

    Coat chicken

    Season chicken, then rub with pesto. Toss tomatoes with oil and a pinch of salt.

  2. 02

    Air fry

    Cook chicken at 380°F for 12–16 minutes, adding tomatoes around it halfway through.

  3. 03

    Add cheese

    If using mozzarella, add during the final 2 minutes.

  4. 04

    Rest

    Rest 5 minutes before slicing so the juices settle.