4 Easy And Delicious Air Fryer Recipes To Make Mid-Week Meals A Breeze

We love lending ourselves to a labour of love (and time) in the kitchen, spending an afternoon perfecting favourite recipes and slowing down for a bit. But there’s a time and a place for that kind of domestic bliss, and it’s not during the mid-week madness of winter nights. 

What we want after a busy day is a satisfying, quick and easy meal that also gets our tastebuds tingling. Get ready to salivate because we’re about to share with you four super easy and satisfying recipes that will bring comfort, crunch and creativity to your weeknight routine.  

Doubling down on easiness and speed, McCormick has created a range of Air Fryer Recipe Bases that will have you biting into succulent and crispy chicken in less than 20 minutes. The recipe bases are available in four styles including Buttermilk Chicken, Italian Herb And Parmesan Schnitzel, Korean Style Fried Chicken and Japanese Style Karaage Chicken available from your local Woolworths. 

Whether you crave a crispy slaw to some crunch to your weeknights or like to throw yourself into the comfort of a hot meal, we’ve got a recipe you’ll be excited to head home for. 

Italian Herb And Parmesan Schnitzel With Fetta, Chilli And Green Beans

Serves 4

Schnitzel Ingredients

• 1 x egg
• 2 tbsp (40ml) vegetable oil
• 1 x 95g sachet McCormick Air Fryer Italian Herb And Parmesan Schnitzel
• 2 x skinless chicken breast fillets, sliced in half horizontally
• spray oil

Green Beans Ingredients

• 550g green beans
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes (or to taste)
• 100g Persian fetta
• Pinch each salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the air fryer to 185°C. 
2. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil while you complete the next steps. 
3. Using a fork, lightly beat the egg and oil together in a low-sided bowl. 
4. Empty contents of recipe base sachet into a second low-sided bowl.
5. Using one hand dip chicken pieces one at a time into the egg mixture, then place in the recipe base and using your other hand press coating on the chicken. Set aside on a tray in a single layer and repeat for all chicken pieces.
6. Transfer chicken to air fryer basket, spray with oil and air fry chicken for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
7. While the chicken is cooking, cook the green beans in the boiling water for 4 minutes. 
8. Remove the beans from the hot water and place them in a bowl of cool water to chill. 
9. Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the garlic, chilli flakes and green beans.
10. Toss the beans so that they are well coated. 
11. After 2 minutes, add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss once more. 
12. Transfer beans to serving plates, crumble with fetta and serve with the chicken.  

Korean Style Fried Chicken With Corn Cheese And Kimchi 

Serves 4

Fried Chicken Ingredients 

• 1 x egg
• 2 tbsp (40ml) water
• 1 x 85g sachet McCormick Air Fryer Korean Style Fried Chicken
• 500g chicken thigh fillets
• spray oil

Korean Corn Cheese Ingredients

• 250g fresh corn kernels 
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 150g shredded mozzarella
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• Pinch each salt and pepper

Sides

• Kimchi

Method

1. ​​Preheat the air fryer to 185°C. 
2. Using a fork, lightly beat the egg and water together. 
3. Empty the McCormick recipe base into a low-sided bowl and rolling the chicken pieces in the recipe base first, shaking off excess, and set aside on a tray in a single layer. 
4. Then, using one hand dip chicken pieces one at a time into the egg mixture, and place in the recipe base a second time using your other hand roll the chicken, coating well. Return chicken to tray, repeat for all chicken pieces.
5. Transfer chicken to air fryer basket, spray with oil and air fry the chicken for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
6. While the chicken is cooking, combine all of the ingredients for the corn cheese together in a bowl, then transfer to a greased, shallow baking dish. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until the corn cheese begins to bubble. 
8. To get a crispy, brown top, transfer the corn cheese under the grill for 2 minutes or until it begins to brown.
9. Serve the corn cheese and chicken with a side of kimchi, to taste.

Japanese Style Karaage Chicken With Asian Slaw 

Serves 4

Karaage Chicken Ingredients

• 1 x egg
• 2 tbsp (40ml) vegetable oil
• 1 x 95 g sachet McCormick Air Fryer Japanese Style Karaage Chicken
• 500 g chicken tenders
• spray oil

Asian Slaw Ingredients

• Half a red cabbage
• 1 green capsicum
• 1 carrot
• 2 celery stalks and leaves
• One spring onion
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• ⅔ cup of wasabi peas 

Dressing Ingredients

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• Pinch salt

Method

1. Preheat air fryer to 185°C. 
2. Using a fork, lightly beat the egg and oil together in a low-sided bowl. 
3. Empty contents of recipe base sachet into a second low-sided bowl.
4. Using one hand dip chicken pieces one at a time into the egg mixture, then place in the recipe base and using your other hand press coating on the chicken. Set aside on a tray in a single layer and repeat for all chicken pieces.
5. Transfer chicken to air fryer basket, spray with oil and air fry chicken for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
6. While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the cabbage, capsicum, celery and carrot and spring onion and place into a large mixing bowl with the coriander and parsley.
7. Place all of the dressing ingredients into a jar and shake well. 
8. Mix the dressing and salad together and then serve on plates. 
9. Crush the wasabi peas in a paper bag with a rolling pin or in a mortar and pestle. 
10. Sprinkle the wasabi peas over the salad and serve with the chicken. 

Buttermilk Chicken, Homemade Fries And Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

Buttermilk Chicken Ingredients

• 1 x egg
• 2 tbsp (40ml) water
• 1 x 85g sachet McCormick Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken
• 500g chicken drumettes or wing nibbles
• spray oil

Fries Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch each salt and pepper

Cherry Tomato Salad Ingredients

• 550g cherry tomatoes (or any tomatoes)
• ¼ cup Fresh minced basil
• ¼ cup Fresh minced parsley
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dijon Mustard
• Pinch each salt  pepper

Method

1. ​​Preheat the air fryer to 185°C. 
2. Slice the potatoes into 10mm strips, and toss in a bowl with the oil, salt and pepper. 
3. Transfer the chips to the air fryer and cook for 20 minutes, turning them halfway through.
4. While the potatoes cook, using a fork, lightly beat the egg and water together in a low-sided bowl. 
5. Empty McCormick recipe base into a second low-sided bowl. Roll the chicken pieces in the recipe base and set them aside on a tray in a single layer. 
6. Dip the chicken pieces one at a time into the egg mixture, then place them in the recipe base again coating well. Return chicken to tray, repeat for all chicken pieces.
7. Remove the chips from the air fryer and cover them with foil to keep warm.
8. Transfer the chicken to the air fryer basket, spray with oil and air fry the chicken for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
9. While the chicken is cooking, slice the tomatoes in half and place them into a mixing bowl.
10. Put all of the remaining salad ingredients into a jar and shake well. 
11. Combine the dressing and tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.
12. Remove the chicken from the air fryer, and pop the chips back in to warm for a minute or two while you plate the chicken and tomatoes.  
13. Plate the chips and enjoy.

Already dreaming of cranking up the air fryer and whipping up these easy recipes at home?  McCormick Air Fryer Recipe Bases are available in-store and online at your local Woolworths supermarket. 

No air fryer? Too easy–all recipe bases come with oven-ready instructions or check out our top picks for the best air fryers on the market. Get creative and substitute chicken for a vegetarian alternative of your choice. 

For more information and the full recipe base ingredients, head over here. 

Image credit: Urban List

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by McCormick and proudly endorsed by Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make Urban List possible. Click here for more information on our editorial policy.