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About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Juicy air fryer chicken, crispy chickpeas, roasted vegetables, paprika, lemon, and creamy ajvar yogurt make a fast healthy Balkan lunch bowl. 🍗

Ingredients

• Chicken and vegetables 🍗
• 🍗 650 g chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces (1.4 lb)
• 🫘 240 g cooked chickpeas, drained very well (1½ cups / 8.5 oz)
• 🥒 350 g zucchini, cut into half-moons (2 medium / 12.3 oz)
• 🫑 250 g red bell pepper, sliced (2 medium / 8.8 oz)
• 🧅 120 g red onion, sliced (1 medium / 4.2 oz)
• 🧄 3 garlic cloves, finely grated (3 cloves / 0.5 oz)
• 🫒 30 ml olive oil (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍋 20 ml lemon juice (1 tbsp + 1 tsp / 0.7 fl oz)
• 🍋 4 g lemon zest (2 tsp / 0.14 oz)
• 🌶️ 7 g sweet paprika (2½ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• 🌶️ 2 g smoked paprika (¾ tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🧂 7 g fine sea salt (1¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• ⚫ 2 g black pepper (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🌿 15 g fresh parsley, chopped (½ cup loose / 0.5 oz)
• Ajvar yogurt sauce 🫑
• 🥛 220 g thick plain yogurt (1 cup / 7.8 oz) dairy
• 🫑 90 g ajvar (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp / 3.2 oz)
• 🧄 1 garlic clove, finely grated (1 clove / 0.18 oz)
• 🍋 10 ml lemon juice (2 tsp / 0.35 fl oz)
• 🫒 10 ml olive oil (2 tsp / 0.35 fl oz)
• 🧂 1 g fine sea salt (⅛ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🌿 5 g fresh parsley, chopped (2 tbsp / 0.18 oz)
• Bowl base and finish 🥗
• 🥬 160 g lettuce, baby spinach, or mixed greens (4 cups / 5.6 oz)
• 🥒 160 g cucumber, sliced (1 cup / 5.6 oz)
• 🍅 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved (1¼ cups / 7 oz)
• 🍋 Lemon wedges
• 🌿 Extra parsley
• 🫑 Extra ajvar, optional

Preparation

• 1 Dry the chickpeas 🫘 Drain the chickpeas very well and pat them dry with a towel. This helps them turn crisp in the air fryer instead of steaming.
• 2 Season the chicken 🍗 Add chicken, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper to a bowl. Mix until every piece is coated.
• 3 Add the vegetables 🫑 Add zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, and chickpeas to the same bowl. Toss gently so the vegetables are coated with the paprika lemon seasoning.
• 4 Preheat the air fryer 🌬️ Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F) for 3 min. A hot basket helps the chicken brown faster and keeps the vegetables from turning watery.
• 5 Air fry the first batch 🔥 Add half of the chicken and vegetable mixture to the air fryer basket in a single loose layer. Air fry for 10 min, shaking the basket halfway through.
• 6 Finish until golden ✨ Air fry for 4 min more, until the chicken is cooked through, chickpeas are lightly crisp, and vegetables have golden edges. Repeat with the second batch.
• 7 Mix the ajvar yogurt 🫑 While the second batch cooks, mix yogurt, ajvar, grated garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and parsley until smooth, creamy, and smoky.
• 8 Build the bowls 🥗 Divide greens, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes between bowls. Add the hot air fryer chicken, chickpeas, zucchini, peppers, and onions on top.
• 9 Finish fresh 🍋 Spoon ajvar yogurt over each bowl. Add parsley, lemon wedges, and a little extra ajvar if desired. 🔟 Serve immediately 🍽️ Serve while the chicken and chickpeas are warm and the vegetables still have crisp roasted edges.

Timing details

Nutrition

Estimated values per serving.

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