I felt like making that baking pan chicken recipe again but didn’t want to use the oven (it’s 40º here this week!) and I also didn’t fancy cooking a whole chicken’s worth of pieces. So as I had two free range chicken thighs in the freezer it seemed like the perfect amount for the air fryer, and also for two people. You could use any chicken pieces, of course, but it’s important to have the skin still on. I changed the original recipe a bit, using a 50/50 mix of lemon/lime juices instead of just lemon, and I used cumin in the marinade too (that last change was actually an accident but a happy one as it turned out). Also, I wilted the spinach before adding it to the garbanzos this time (used the microwave, just a couple of minutes on medium heat does the job).
And wow was it delicious. The chicken was super tender and the garbanzos so full of flavour. In the original recipe the chicken sits in the middle of the tray with the garbanzos around the sides, in this case the chicken was directly on top and so the beans soaked up more of the chicken juices. I don’t remember it being quite this fabulous last time. Anyhow, you’ll notice I didn’t have any red onions, so I used sweet onions instead. And I forgot to sprinkle the fresh cilantro/parsley on top afterwards (oops). Served here with some crispy baked garlic chiabatta, also done in the air fryer.
Ingredients and instructions below…
- 2 free-range chicken thighs (skin on), cut in half
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 110 gram tubs full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced and divided
- 1 lime, juiced and divided
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric, divided
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 1 400 gram jar garbanzos, drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced, divided
- 1 175 gr package baby spinach leaves, wilted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup fresh cilantro/parsley
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Combine 110 grams yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons white wine, 1 teaspoon turmeric and 1 teaspoon cumin in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat evenly. Let sit at least 30 minutes at room temperature, and up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator (I left it overnight).
Toss remaining onion slices with 2 tablespoons lemon/lime juice and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Mix remaining 110 gr yogurt with remaining 1 tablespoon lemon/lime juice and season with salt, pepper and turmeric; set aside.
Combine garbanzos with the remaining cumin and turmeric and half the red onion slices in a deep baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Shake excess marinade off the chicken, and place the chicken parts on top of the garbanzos, skin down.
Set air fryer to 195ºC and cook for 15 minutes, then flip the chicken and continue for another 10-15 minutes. Remove the chicken and toss the wilted baby spinach with the garbanzos and cook for another 5 mins.
Scatter with lemony onions and cilantro and serve with the seasoned yogurt alongside as a sauce.