Midweek Meals: Five recipes to try in your Air Fryer this week, including crispy chicken wings

From French toast to a healthy Buddha Bowl, your Air Fryer can do it all 

Try these recipes this week.

Air-Fryer Chicken Tenders in a Honey & Chilli Yoghurt Sauce

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

If you're stuck for Aleppo pepper, a combination of sweet paprika and cayenne pepper is a good substitute.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 12 mins

Total Time

 27 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Chicken Tenders:

• 1 large egg

• 3 tbsp plain flour

• 150g panko dried breadcrumbs

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• 400g mini chicken fillets

• Olive oil spray

• Salad:

• 1 head little gem lettuce

• 3-4 spring onions

• Small handful flat leaf parsley

• Small handful fresh coriander

• Juice of half a lemon

• Extra virgin olive oil

• A little honey

• Yoghurt dressing:

• 250g Greek yoghurt

• 1 tsp honey

• Splash of lemon juice

• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper

• Salt and black ground pepper to season

• To serve:

• 4 pitta breads

• Thinly sliced red onion

• Chilli sauce

Method

1. Crack the egg into a bowl and whisk it lightly. Put the flour in a second bowl, and in a third bowl combine the breadcrumbs, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt and paprika. Line the three bowls up on your countertop, with a plate at the end. Working one chicken mini fillet at a time, toss each first in the flour, coating it well and shaking off any excess. Next, dip the chicken in the egg, again coating it thoroughly. Finally toss it in the breadcrumbs, gently pressing in the breadcrumbs to ensure the chicken is evenly coated. Do not worry if the coating of breadcrumbs seems a little thin to your eye, they will crisp up beautifully in the air fryer and give you a lovely crunchy coating. Place the coated chicken fillets on the plate as you go. When they are all prepared, spray them on both sides with a little olive oil. You only need a little, two sprays on each side per chicken fillet is plenty.

2. Air fry the chicken at 180 Celsius for eight to ten minutes until they are crisp and golden. The time needed will depend upon the size of the fillets, so check them after eight minutes, and then give them an additional two minutes if necessary. If you have a probe meat thermometer, use that to check the internal temperature of the chicken. Once it is at 74 Celsius, it is done.

3. While the chicken is cooking, make the salad and yoghurt sauce, and toast the pittas. Shred the lettuce, finely slice the spring onions, and roughly chop the herbs. Combine all three in a bowl, and add the juice of half a lemon, a splash of extra virgin olive oil, a little honey, some flaky sea salt and a grind of black pepper. Toss the salad, then taste, adding more seasoning or honey to your own preference. Set aside for now.

4. Combine the yoghurt, Aleppo pepper, one teaspoon of honey, a splash of lemon juice and some salt and pepper in another bowl. Stir to combine everything thoroughly and set aside.

5. Toast the pitta breads.

6. By now your chicken will be ready. Remove it from air fryer and assemble the pitta pockets. Cut a slit in each pitta bread and open it up on one side. Spoon in some of the yoghurt sauce and lots of the salad. Stuff the pittas with the chicken fillets, and then finish with some very thinly sliced red onion and your favourite chilli sauce. Serve with the rest of the yoghurt sauce on the side and any sides of your choice.

Air Fryer French Toast

Baked French toast chips are quick and easy to make in the air fryer and because you bake them you won't need any oil in the cooking process, so it's healthier too!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Side

Cuisine

 French

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggs

• 30ml milk

• Stale bread crusts (chips) cut to equal size. About 6 per portion

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

1. Grease or line your air fryer bowl before baking.

2. Take a large shallow bowl and mix the eggs, milk and some salt and pepper together with a fork until they are combined. Dip the crusts into the batter and roll around until they are fully coated. Lift up and hold over the bowl to allow any extra batter to drip off before placing each crust onto the baking tray.

3. Make sure that there is a little bit of space around each crust.

4. Bake in the air fryer at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. They should become golden brown.

5. Serve with a side of tomato relish and a salad if eating for brunch or lunch.

Air Fryer Korean Crispy Chicken Wings

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

This basic recipe will give you gorgeous wings that you can then toss in your preferred sauce

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Korean

Ingredients

• 1kg chicken wings

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp potato starch or cornflour

• Salt and pepper

• For the sauce:

• 2 cloves of garlic, grated

• 2 tbsp Gochujang chilli sauce

• 3 tbsp ketchup

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 40g honey

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

•  

• For the pickles:

• 150ml white wine vinegar

• 5 tbsp caster sugar

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

• ½ cucumber

• 2 fresh beetroots

• 125g fresh radishes

Method

1. Start by preparing your pickles. Heat the vinegar and sugar in a small pan over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the salt. Wash and peel the beetroot, wash and trim the radishes and cucumber. Slice the vegetables as thinly as possible and pop each into an individual bowl. Divide the pickling mixture between the three bowls, covering the vegetables as much as possible. Give them a stir to make sure they are well coated with the pickling liquid and set aside for now.

2. Cut the chicken wings into three sections and discard the tips. Use a kitchen towel to dry the wings. Pop the wings into a bowl and sprinkle over the baking powder and the potato starch or cornflour.

3. Depending upon the model of your air fryer, you may need to cook your wings in two batches. Some air fryers have baskets which rotate like a rotisserie or a paddle that turns the food as it cooks. If you have one of those you can cook the lot in one batch. If your air fryer has a smaller static basket though, you will likely need to cook them in two batches and place just a single layer of wings in the basket, leaving a little space between each one. Cook at 185°C for twenty minutes, tossing them halfway through if you are using a static basket fryer.

4. After twenty minutes, take out your wings and toss them in some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn the temperature up to 200°C and pop the wings back in for another five to six minutes. You can put them all back in together now rather than in batches as this last cook is to get them very golden and crispy.

5. Combine all the ingredients for your sauce in a bowl, and when your wings are fully cooked, toss them in the sauce. Serve the wings in a big bowl, scattered with some toasted sesame seeds, and chopped spring onion with your fresh pickles on the side.

Fully loaded Air Fryer Potato Wedges with Easy Chilli

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

Golden crispy chips wedges, topped with my fabulous chilli, smoked crispy bacon, vintage Cheddar, pickled jalapeno chillies, chopped spring onion and coriander and served with garlic mayonnaise

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the wedges:

• 4 medium-sized Maris Piper potatoes

• A splash of olive oil

• For the chilli:

• 2 medium onions

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp chilli flakes

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 400g lean beef mince

• 2 tins cherry or chopped tomatoes

• 2 tins black beans

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

• Suggested toppings:

• A few slices of smoked streaky bacon per person

• Grated vintage Cheddar

• Chopped spring onions

• Pickled jalapeno peppers

• Garlic mayonnaise

• Chopped coriander

Method

1. Chop and sauté the onions over a medium heat in a little olive oil until translucent and just turning slightly brown. This will sweeten and deepen the flavour of the dish. Crush in the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cumin, cinnamon and chilli flakes. Stir them in well and cook for another two minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir well, cook for another minute.

2. Add the beef, keep stirring to break it up and brown the meat. This will take about five minutes. Now add the tomatoes. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the pan as well. I use black beans in my chilli and I find they hold their shape better than kidney beans, but either will work well. Season with the salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the cocoa powder and brown sugar and stir both in well.

3. Bring the pot to a slow boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Let the chilli simmer away for anything from forty-five minutes to an hour while you make your wedges.

4. Wash the potatoes and cut lengthways to open the skin a little. This will ensure the potatoes do not burst open in the microwave, so do not skip this step. Cook on full power for about twenty minutes until they are just cooked though. While the potatoes are in the microwave, cook some streaky bacon in your air fryer at 200°C until it is crisp, this will only take about five minutes. When it is done, set it aside. 

5. When the potatoes are baked, cut them into nice big wedges with the skin still on, I usually go for quarters or thirds depending upon the size of the potatoes. Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a large bowl, add some of the wedges and gently mix them to coat them in the oil. Do this in a few batches so that you can take care not to break up the potato wedges, it will only take a few minutes in all.

6. Place the wedges in the basket or on the trays of your air fryer and cook them at 200°C for about twenty-five minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. While they are cooking, prepare the rest of your toppings. Grate some cheddar, chop the cooked bacon, the spring onions, and some fresh coriander. You can mix up some garlic mayonnaise if you do not have any to hand by grating a clove of garlic into 200g of mayonnaise. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the mayonnaise and whisk to combine.

7. When your wedges are done, divide them between four plates. Spoon over a generous amount of the beef chilli and sprinkle over some grated Cheddar, the bacon, spring onions, jalapenos, and coriander. Serve with the garlic mayonnaise on the side and whatever other sauces you fancy.

Buddha Bowl with Air Fryer Chickpeas

Make the best out of some bedrock ingredients!

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 European

Ingredients

• For the roasted vegetables:

• 1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

• 1 sweet potato or butternut squash, cubed

• 2 beetroot, cubed

• 2 red onions, cut into eighths

• For the air fryer chickpeas:

• 1 tin chickpeas, drained

• 1 tsp olive or coconut oil

• ½ tsp cumin

• ¼ tsp paprika

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• Salt and pepper

• For the tahini dressing:

• 2 tbsp tahini

• Juice of half a lemon

• ½ tsp maple syrup

• ½ clove garlic, crushed

• Hot water

• To serve:

• Cooked and cooled bulghur wheat, Feta cheese, olives, salad leaves and cucumber and onion

Method

1. In an air fryer, tumble in the vegetables with the oil, set the air fryer to 190°C and cook for fifteen minutes, shaking once in the middle. If using a conventional oven, scatter the vegetables on an oven tray and cook at 180°C for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

2. To cook the chickpeas, set the air fryer to 190°C and pour in the chickpeas, spices and oil, giving it a good shake to make sure that they are well covered in the spice mixture. Cook for ten minutes. If cooking in a conventional oven, lay flat on a baking sheet, combine with the spices and oil and cook at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until crispy.

3. Cool the vegetables and chickpeas and store in covered containers in the fridge for up to five days. To make the tahini dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and garlic, thinning with hot water to reach a pouring consistency. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over your salad when ready to assemble. Store in a jar in the fridge.