I was getting ready to make dinner, and came across a packet of Halloumi, a Cypriot goat and sheep cheese that grills really well.
And, by “grills,” I am not talking about any sammiches. Nope, this cheese stands up to grilling like the champ it be.
Thing is, it is winter in far northeastern Illinois, and our grill is not something we use this time of year…
But… Wait! What?
I discovered that I can air fry the Halloumi at exactly same temperature as the marinated chicken I was planning for dinner. A little time variances, not no real biggie to making tasty, crispity cheese!
A note on Halloumi: One of my local markets, with a most excellent cheese department, stocks it year round. Trader Joe’s lists it as one of their “seasonal” items, so I picked up this packet late last summer.
INGREDIENTS
•Halloumi (as much as you like)
•Italian dressing
Cut the Halloumi in half lengthwise, then cut those halves into strips, kinda like stubby French fries.
Note: You can also just slice the Halloumi into planks, but may need to adjust your air fryer times.
Heat your air fryer to 360º.
OK, you have two options here…
I had been marinating my boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Italian dressing to give them some added moisture and flavor; so I dragged my Halloumi strips through some more dressing and arranged ’em on the fryer basket in a single layer.
If you don’t want to use the dressing, simply spray a little olive oil on the strips.
Arrange in s single layer on your air fryer basket, then cook for five minutes or so and pull the tray out of the air fryer.
You can see that the cheese is getting a bit crusty, but we need to turn it (and that chicken) over, and the cheese is gonna finish before the chicken, so I pulled the cheese out of the fryer to a plate and let it rest, then turned the chicken over and cooked it for another few minutes.
Six or seven minutes before the chicken was due to be finished, I added the Halloumi, bottom side up, and cooked it until the chicken was well and truly done, and the Halloumi was crispity on the outside and just a bit creamy on the inside.
Perfection.
They went perfectly with the chicken with a lemon dill crema and a feta and baby arugula salad.
Of course, they also make kickin’ starters with a bit of sweet chili sauce for dipping.