A lot of the recipes I post are time consuming. I know this. They’re more of the “relax on a Saturday and spend thirty minutes peeling and chopping” or “zone out with precisely measuring stuff for brownies”. Many of them are not “weekday friendly” meals. Mainly because I do not currently have a routine of any sort. Or children. I come and go as I please and I can spend too much time preparing food, honing my knife and kitchen skills to a T, only having to worry about myself. It’s a wonderful feeling.

I know this’ll change one day, and I want it to – so I started looking around for air fryer boneless chicken breast recipe ideas. This is the type of meal I will make. One where I can spend time the night before, marinating chicken with fragrant spices and guava marmalade, and coming home to only have to grill it quickly, and have dinner on the table in five minutes. I’ll sit down, happy, with tender moist chicken that’s uber flavorful, bold with molasses, and totally delicious. 9-5ers, or people with children, this is for you.

Spicy guava glazed chicken

Adapted from Food and Wine

Serves 4

Note: I realize the above photo is not very flattering, but it was a weeknight meal…where hungry people were surrounding me and eating was the priority.

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup guava marmalade or jelly

1/3 cup unsulphured molasses

Pinch of sugar

3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons garam masala

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Four 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, or chicken parts of your choosing

In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the ketchup, vinegar, tamarind, molasses, sugar, mustard and cayenne and simmer over low heat, stirring, until reduced to 1 3/4 cups, 5 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and season with salt and black pepper. At this point, the chicken can be marinated overnight in the sauce. If not marinating overnight, proceed as directed.

Light a grill. Rub the chicken with oil and season with salt. Grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until almost cooked, about 7 minutes. Brush with the sauce and grill over low heat, brushing and turning, until glazed, 4 minutes, then serve.