Eight ingredients, plus pantry staples. That's all it takes to make an entire meal from scratch. Add in a good bottle of wine for less than $20, and you've got a feast for family or friends.
Being a quintessential North Jersey resident, I’ve spent the lion’s share of my restaurant outings in Italian and Italian-American eateries. When I was growing up, every member of my family had a go-to dish: I would get chicken parm, my brother would get fettuccine or penne vodka, my mom usually got a pasta dish with shrimp, and my dad would, without fail, get chicken Francese, Marsala or oreganata. Oreganata—a magnificent combination of bread crumbs, grated cheese, garlic, lemon and, of course, oregano—was not always on the menu, but that never deterred my father from asking.
Oreganata is most often a preparation for clams, often served as an appetizer, and sometimes, my dad would opt for that. Either way, invariably, I would dip my buttered bread with gusto into the rich, piquant, slightly thickened sauce, sometimes avoiding the chicken or clams entirely, aiming to get as much sauce as possible. My dad would shoo me away or tell me to eat my own food. (To this day, I prioritize other dishes on the table over my own.) He’d laugh me off, sip his cranberry juice or “Coke, Pepsi, whatever you got,” and then quietly go back to his meal, observing and listening as my mom, brother and I chatted or argued.
Recently, I’ve been leaning on my once-ignored-yet-now-favorite kitchen tool (the air fryer, of course) to cook chicken a few times per week. One day, I placed thin-cut chicken breasts in the basket and, without giving it much thought, drizzled them with a touch of avocado oil and then sprinkled them with salt, bread crumbs, lemon zest and a touch of grated cheese. I cooked the chicken for hardly any time at all, then spritzed some lemon juice over the top, cooked it for another 5 minutes, and gave it a try.
I was stunned.
The dish tasted, genuinely, just like the chicken oreganata I had eaten off my dad’s plates years ago. Ever since, I’ve made the dish over and over, fine-tuning it to the recipe below. Of course, the restaurant version would always come with a delicious, irresistible sauce, but the air fryer doesn’t take well to liquids. (This is no laughing matter! Keep that air fryer basket dry as can be.) I haven’t taken to making a sauce on the stove while the air fryer cooks the chicken, but perhaps that’ll be next.
My dad passed away four years ago. I miss a ton about him, particularly connecting over food, laughter and my dog. I’d love to go out to eat together and badger him about his chicken oreganata order. For now, though, I’ll settle for an air fryer recipe that is exceptionally easy, calls for hardly any ingredients and reminds me of my dad with every bite. I like to think he’d love it, too.
Wine Pairings for Air-Fried Chicken Oreganata
You might assume that the best pairing for this is a complementary, lively Italian white wine (see outstanding recent releases here), because of all the lemon and herbs (and because a typical oreganata sauce might have white wine in it). But since I’m not big on oregano (as I note below), I enjoy this chicken dish with a bright, bold red as I find the contrast in flavor profiles makes for a more rounded feel to the meal. I like a Cabernet Sauvignon with this—one with a bit of earthiness and herbal notes to it to tie in with the dish—but a similarly-styled Syrah-based wine, Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir would be great too.
If you lean towards reds over whites, try this with a savory, drink-now Australian red value such as the supple Hardys Shiraz McLaren Vale Heritage Reserve Bin 2020 (88 points, $20), in which notes of fresh oregano and tarragon mingle with juicy cherry, kirsch and cassis. For a step up in price, though still a steal in the Cabernet category, the Hugh Hamilton Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale The Villain 2021 (89, $25) offers black and green olive, fresh plum, blackberry, rosemary and oregano elements leading into a lasting finish and firm tannins.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Oreganata
Prep time: Less than 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Approximate food costs: $12–$15
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 3/4- to 1-inch thick
- Cooking spray or a tiny bit of avocado or olive oil
- A palmful of breadcrumbs
- Salt, to taste
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Dried oregano, to taste (optional)
- Unsalted butter (optional)
Preparation
1. Place the chicken breasts in the air fryer basket, without them overlapping and, ideally, not touching. Spritz on cooking spray (or drizzle with a touch of oil), season with salt and top with bread crumbs.
2. Cook for 15 minutes at 375 degrees F.
3. Remove basket, add Parmigiano, oregano (if using), butter and lemon zest.
4. Cook for another 10 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness (less if they are thinner than 3/4-inch thick). Check for doneness.
5. Remove basket, spritz with lemon juice, and serve immediately. Serves 2 to 3.
Tips and Notes
• If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake this in the oven. I’d cook it for 20 to 25 minutes at about 375 degrees F, though that time may differ depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Be sure they’re cooked through and the juices run clear.
• Do not, I repeat, use a lot of oil in this. It’s best to use cooking spray, even if you don’t normally. Air fryers have a very, very low threshold for liquids and will smoke if you don’t monitor the cooking closely. You can always add a sauce for additional moisture afterwards.
• If you must have a sauce, make a pan sauce comprised of white wine, garlic or shallot, lemon zest and juice, a touch of stock, and a pat or two of butter. Swirl it all together, let it reduce over low heat, and season to taste. Voila!
• Pair this with roasted veggies, hot cooked pasta, potatoes or rice.
• While oregano is, of course, a primary ingredient in this dish, I’m just not an oregano guy, so I don’t use it in mine. For me, the breadcrumb+lemon+cheese combo is the real magic of oreganata.
• Some bread crumbs already have cheese in them, so be mindful of that when adding the Parmigiano. Also, you won’t need to add much salt if your breadcrumb-and- cheese mixture is already rather salty.
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