Dinner
Italian Chicken with Pesto Roasties
Recipe by Nancy Birtwhistle
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For the Italian chicken
- 4 (weighing 190g - 220g each) skin on chicken legs
- Salt and pepper
- 4 sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 2 tbsp capers
- 3 tbsp sliced black olives
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 30g bunch fresh basil
For the pesto roasties
- 700g peeled potatoes cut into walnut sized pieces
- 1 tbsp green pesto
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil (or olive, sunflower, vegetable oil)
- Salt and pepper
Utensils
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Step 1
Start by prepping the potatoes. After peeling and cutting into pieces dry on a clean tea towel. In a roomy mixing bowl add the pesto and oil plus salt and pepper then add the potatoes and stir them around so that they get an even coating of gorgeous green pesto. Transfer the potatoes into the Zone 2 drawer of the Ninja Foodi Dual Air Fryer, fitted with the crisper plate and slide back into the machine
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Step 2
Take the chicken legs from the fridge about an hour before using so that they have come to room temperature then pat dry both sides with kitchen paper. With skin side down give a good sprinkle of salt and pepper then turn them skin side up and repeat. Using a sun dried tomato, (one for each chicken leg) rub it over the skin of the chicken. The oil tomato will coat the skin in a lovely tomato infused herby oil
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Step 3
Lay the chicken legs in a single layer in the Zone 1 drawer without the crisper plate. Zone 2 contains the potatoes. Switch on the machine
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Step 4
Select AIR FRY FOR ZONE 1 – 200 DEGREES FOR 40 MINUTES (FOR CHICKEN LEGS WEIGHING 190G-200G) (choose 50 minutes for Chicken legs weighing 220g)
Select AIR FRY FOR ZONE 2 – 200 DEGREES FOR 25 MINUTES -
Step 5
PRESS SYNC. – FOLLOWED BY START – The machine will power up and you will see Zone 1 will start cooking but Zone 2 will be on hold. The chicken is going to take longer than the potatoes to cook so the potatoes will not switch on for another 15 minutes. Both dishes will then be ready and piping hot at the same time
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Step 6
Turn the chicken after 15 minutes. To do this open Zone 1 drawer – the machine will pause and give you time to flip the chicken over using silicone tongs. Close the drawer and continue to fry for another 15 minutes
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Step 7
Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut the four sun dried tomatoes into thin strips, take half of the leaves from the basil, chop the garlic, open the tin of tomatoes and measure the tomato puree
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Step 8
After a full 30 minutes air frying – open Zone 1 and take the browned chicken out of the drawer and transfer to a warm plate. Add the rest of the ingredients to the juices in the drawer – the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, capers, olives, tomato puree, tinned tomatoes and basil leaves – give a quick stir with a wooden spoon or fork to combine then add the warm chicken legs. Slide the drawer back in and continue to cook for the remaining 10-20 minutes (depending on cooking time selected)
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Step 9
You will notice that Zone 2 will have switched on and started to cook the potatoes. Open the drawer of Zone 2 twice during the frying time to give the potatoes a shake so that they evenly brown
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Step 10
At the end of the SYNC cooking time both chicken, sauce and pesto roasties will be cooked perfectly – no fat splashes and hardly any washing up. Serves four people along with a green vegetable
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Step 11
TIP : I had a quantity of fresh basil leaves left over. After washing the drawers after the chicken I simply popped my left over basil leaves into Zone 1 selected DEHYDRATE – the machine defaults to 60 degrees and I dried them in 4 hours. Transfer to a small recycled glass herb jar and I have my own dried herbs. I have since gone on to dry parsley, tarragon and chives from my garden.
