Air Fryer Chicken with Cherries
Juicy chicken with caramelized cherries, quickly cooked in the air fryer. A perfect sweet-savory combination for an easy dinner.
Steps
- 1
Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (350°F) for 3 minutes.
- 2
In a bowl, mix olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
- 3
Brush the chicken pieces with the marinade on both sides.
- 4
Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and cook at 180°C (350°F) for 12 minutes.
- 5
Add the cherries around the chicken and continue cooking for another 8–10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the cherries are slightly caramelized.
- 6
Serve immediately, drizzled with the cooking juices left in the basket.
Shopping list
chicken breasts or thighs, pitted cherries, olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, dried thyme
Recipe story
This recipe originates from the imperial Austrian cuisine, where the combination of poultry and fruit was favored at the Habsburg court. Cherries, cultivated in the Wachau Valley, were often used in sweet-savory dishes. The recipe has been adapted for the air fryer, preserving the balance between juicy meat and caramelized fruit.
Ingredient Secrets
Black pepper
Known as 'black gold' in antiquity, pepper was so valuable that it served as currency and tribute. In the Middle Ages, Venetian merchants controlled the pepper trade, and individual peppercorns were often counted. Legend has it that when Alaric, king of the Visigoths, demanded tribute from Rome, he included 3,000 pounds of pepper.
Sea salt
Sea salt, extracted from ocean waters by evaporation, was one of the most precious goods of antiquity, used both as food and as currency. In ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt, which is the origin of the word 'salary'. Salt roads connected entire civilizations, and in the Middle Ages, salt was so valuable it was called 'white gold'.
Thyme
In ancient Rome, thyme was burned in temples to purify the air and ward off evil spirits, and Roman soldiers added it to their baths to strengthen their courage. In the Middle Ages, noble ladies embroidered thyme on knights' scarves as a symbol of bravery. The ancient Greeks used it in baths and temples, and its name derives from the Greek 'thymos', meaning 'courage'.
Honey
Honey is one of the oldest sweet foods, used since the Stone Age. In ancient Egypt, it was offered to the gods and used in embalming. In ancient Greece, it was considered the food of the gods, and in Rome, it was used as medicine and preservative. During the Middle Ages, honey was the main sweetener in Europe before sugar.
Olive oil
Originating in the Mediterranean basin, olive oil was already produced in ancient Crete 5,000 years ago. In ancient Greece, it was considered a gift from Athena and used in lamps, cosmetics, and religious ceremonies. The Romans spread it throughout the empire, and in the Middle Ages, monasteries preserved the tradition of its production.
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