I had one of the older T-Fal ones in the UK and I am rather ashamed to say I really didn't use it like I should have done. It was overly large and my kitchen too small. It did great chips and wings, etc. but it was so large I couldn't keep it in my kitchen
I am that person. That person who only uses things that are easily accessible to me. If I need help to get something out to use, the truth is I just will rarely if ever use it.
And I have done. I bought a Cuisinart toaster oven air fryer, which had good reviews from ATK (America's Test Kitchen). I figured I could use it for more than one purpose.
I recently decided to buy myself a smaller one and see if I could work that one out any better. Today I decided to try to fry some chicken in it and I am happy to say, I managed to do a half decent job.
I came near to cremating it, but managed to stop just shy of that, and ended up with tender, juicy, well flavored chicken. A tiny tad bit darker than I would have liked.
I used four small bone in, skin on chicken thighs, whereas she used 5 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I did remove the skin and discard it, but I kept the bone in.
I did that for several reasons. One bone in chicken stays moister. Two, bone in chicken has better flavor than bone out.
I discarded the skin because I was trying to be healthier, but you could leave the skin on if you wanted to.
I therefore soaked the chicken in some water before shaking it with the crumb and spice mixture. I wanted my crumbs to stick. I suppose you could do the same with some buttermilk.
There is ground cumin, sweet paprika, curry powder (I used medium), sweet paprika, mild chili powder, salt and pepper. This was just perfect.
If you wanted it really spicy you could amp up the heat a bit by using hot paprika, and a stronger curry powder, also a stronger chili powder.
Or worse yet, at my age anyways, get a huge case of indigestion, a very real problem with me. I have gastric disease. When I was younger, the hotter the better! I prided myself on being able to eat hot peppers and all sorts without any problem.
This is no longer the case.
I served it with some corn on the cob, mashed squash and a kale salad. Yes, that does sound healthy. Well, it did to me anyways.
I think that when you live on your own you can have a tendency to not eat properly, or at proper times. I found myself getting into that habit. I am trying to change that now.
I have spent so many years taking care of everyone else, now I need to be a bit more selfish and take care of me. In any case, this was really tasty! I highly recommend and if you don't have an air fryer, never fear. You can still cook it in the oven if you wish, with successful results.
Small Batch Fried Chicken (air fryer or oven)
Yield: 2Author: Marie RaynerPrep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 MinCrisp, moist and delicious with a beautiful blend of spices.Ingredients
You will need:- 4 smallish bone in, skin on chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup (60g) Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp mild chili powder
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place the breadcrumbs and all of the seasonings into a large zip lock bag.
- Have a bowl of water ready. Remove the skin from the chicken and discard. Put the skinned chicken into the bowl of water.
- Remove the chicken one piece at a time and place into the bag with the crumbs and seasonings. Shake to coat really well. Place into the basket of your air fryer (see note if oven baking). Repeat until all the pieces of chicken have been coated. Take care not to overlap the chicken pieces.
- Set the temperature on your air fryer to 350*F/180*C. Preheat if necessary. Insert the basket holding the chicken into the air fryer, top side down.
- Air fry for 10 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, carefully turn the chicken over and then air fry for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes:
It is possible to cook this in a regular oven if you don't have an air fryer. You will still end up with incredibly delicious chicken. Prepare chicken as above and place onto a baking sheet you have sprayed with some non-stick low fat cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Bake the chicken bottom side up for 15 minutes, flip the chicken over and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear.