Category Archives: air fryer

crispy af chicken drumsticks

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The “AF” stands for air fryer, btw, though you could also go with a fan oven. But yes, they do actually turn out crispy AF. It was ages ago (well, 2020) when I first made baked chicken wings using my friend Lizzie’s invaluable tip of adding a bit of baking soda to some flour and giving the wings a light dusting of that before baking to really bring out the CRISP. No frying required And goddam it worked!

A year later I got an air fryer and, well, there was no going back. Since then I’ve done almost every version of skin-on chicken pieces in the “fryer” always dusting them first with the magic flour/baking powder mix. It really makes a huge difference in terms of getting the skin to crisp up using its natural fats, not needing anything else. Why? Hecked if I know. Science?? Anyhow, these are some free-range chicken drumsticks, simply cooked in the air fryer, just to show you how easy this is. You can use drumsticks, thighs, or wings of course.

You can also finish the chicken pieces by brushing them with whatever sauce you like (bbq, hoisin, sweet chilli) and putting them back in for another minute or two. As mentioned before, if you don’t have an air fryer you can also use a fan oven. Because as we all know an air fryer doesn’t actually fry anything, it’s really just a small convection oven. It’s important not to overcrowd the pieces and remember to always flip them half-way through cooking if you want them crispy.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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cheesy artichoke & spinach bake

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I was going to make my creamy cheesey spinach srtichoke chicken stew then realised I didn’t have the right chicken in the freezer (it works best with boneless thighs, not breasts). So then I thought… what else can I do with spinach and artichokes? Found a few recipes online for artichoke & spinach dip, but I didn’t really want a dip. Then I wasn’t sure if I wanted something to serve on crusty bread, or over roasted potatoes… in the end toasted ciabatta won because I had some on hand that needed using up today. Done. I also wanted a version I could bake in the air fryer. Also… done. And so this “not a dip kinda sauce” happened and it turned out great.

The second time I made it I added some chopped toasted marcona almonds for some crunch… also great!

Ingredients and instructions below…
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baking pan chicken (air fryer version)

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I felt like making that baking pan chicken recipe again but didn’t want to use the oven (it’s 40º here this week!) and I also didn’t fancy cooking a whole chicken’s worth of pieces. So as I had two free range chicken thighs in the freezer it seemed like the perfect amount for the air fryer, and also for two people. You could use any chicken pieces, of course, but it’s important to have the skin still on. I changed the original recipe a bit, using a 50/50 mix of lemon/lime juices instead of just lemon, and I used cumin in the marinade too (that last change was actually an accident but a happy one as it turned out).  Also, I wilted the spinach before adding it to the garbanzos this time (used the microwave, just a couple of minutes on medium heat does the job).

And wow was it delicious. The chicken was super tender and the garbanzos so full of flavour. In the original recipe the chicken sits in the middle of the tray with the garbanzos around the sides, in this case the chicken was directly on top and so the beans soaked up more of the chicken juices. I don’t remember it being quite this fabulous last time. Anyhow, you’ll notice I didn’t have any red onions, so I used sweet onions instead. And I forgot to sprinkle the fresh cilantro/parsley on top afterwards (oops). Served here with some crispy baked garlic chiabatta, also done in the air fryer.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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