I was quick to embrace the air fryer life.
During last Black Friday, the Ninja Air Fryer was at a reduced price. I quickly checked some websites for ratings and was shocked to see several stars on reviews.
Happy with my purchase, I drove home with evil inhibitions in my head. My first plan was to make tater tots, then probably chicken wings.
I had great recipes so the first week went by with some delicious meals and air fryer fries. The guilt in me started kicking in when I made air fryer fries for the second time last week.
To compensate, I made air fryer eggplant and cauliflower.
Coming Sunday, Husband also decided to try his hand at my proud purchase with his beef burgers. He made them on an air fryer instead of a skillet - they were the same, delish and saucy.
Who am I to say no to a meal which I do not need to prepare?
Features of Ninja Air Fryer
Like a one-man show, it has bake, dehydrate, fry, broil, roast, and reheat features. You don’t have to hold back on the cravings.
Everything you cook with Ninja Air Fryer is low in calories compared to other traditional air fryer protocols.
Don’t hold back if you feel like having chicken wings, air fryer fries, crispy fried vegetables, donuts, and air fryer steak – don’t hold back.
3 Quick One Pot Air Fryer Recipes
These recipes are a great start to understanding the features and possibilities of the Ninja Air Fryer.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
I never made deep-fried chicken wings after I made them in Ninja Air Fryer. They are crispy, delicious, and equally healthy. You don’t feel guilty having a big bowl of Air Fryer Chicken Wings with dip as you binge a show on Saturday night.
How to Make Air Fryer Hot Honey Chicken Wings
Hear it from an expert (not me): frozen chicken wings cook faster and deliciously. Of course, I am not saying to toss the wings out from the freezer into the air fryer; they would need a fifteen-minute thaw time.
Here is what you need to make Hot Honey Chicken Wings:
- 10 Chicken Wings
- Onion powder – 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper – 1 teaspoon
- Salt – 1 teaspoon
- Paprika – 1 teaspoon
- Garlic Powder – 1 ½ teaspoon
- Flour – 1 ½ cup
- Corn Flour – 2 tablespoons
- Soya sauce – 1 tablespoon
- Mustard paste – 1 teaspoon
- 1 Egg
- cold water with ice cubes
In a small bowl, combine all the spices (salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic, and onion powder).
Cut the wings in half from the joint, separating wingettes and drumettes.
In a mixing bowl, sprinkle spices (leaving 2 teaspoons for later) on wings, mustard paste, soya sauce, crack an egg, combine well, and leave it to marinate for an hour.
How to Coat Hot Honey Chicken Wings
- In a bowl, mix flour with corn flour and remaining spices.
- Prepare another bowl with cold water and ice cubes for dunking the wings after the first coat.
- Now that chicken wings have marinated for at least an hour, let’s prepare to coat them.
- First, coat the wing in the flour mix, shake once or twice to dust off the access, dip it in water for 3 seconds, and then coat again in the flour mix.
- After the second coat, place the wings on a baking rack. Meanwhile, preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Now place the wings on the air fryer rack.
Total cook time: 20 minutes. Flip once after 12 minutes.
Honey Sauce
- Knob of butter
- Chilli flakes – 1 tablespoon
- Garlic (crushed) – 2 tablespoons
- Paprika powder – 1 teaspoon
- Thai chilli sauce – 4 tablespoons
- Tabasco or hot sauce - – 2 tablespoons
- Honey – 4 tablespoons
- Salt (to taste)
In a pan, heat butter and add garlic. Fry for a couple of seconds and add all other ingredients except salt. Keep stirring to combine. Remove from heat, sprinkle salt, and toss the wings. Keep stirring to coat them well in the sauce.
Air Fryer Salmon
This is my favourite fix when I run out of ideas on what to cook. The best part, it hardly takes half an hour to prepare, cook, and serve.
Whenever I make air fryer salmon, I make brown rice and go with it with some air fryer vegetables on the side.
Here is What You Need:
- 6 ounces of salmon fillets
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon
- Paprika – 1 teaspoon
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
How to Make Air Fryer Salmon
- While you rub all the spices on the fillets, preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When you have seasoned the equally cut fillets with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and olive oil, place the fillets in the air fryer.
- It should take hardly eight minutes.
- Check the fillet for desired crispiness and doneness, or else let it cook for another minute or two.
- Serve it with a side of air fryer vegetables, lemon, and brown rice.
Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
This is my all-time favourite snack and requires absolutely no time. Here is how to make this instant, healthy, and delicious snack.
You would need to wash and cut three medium-sized zucchini into 4-inch-long strips. Coat the zucchini with salt and place it on the baking tray. After twenty minutes, wipe them with a kitchen towel, and place the wiped zucchini strips on a sheet.
Zucchini, like cucumbers, have a lot of water content, so you need to make sure they are dry before air frying them for crispy zucchini fries.
Here Is What You Need for Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Breadcrumbs ½ cup
- Yeast ¼ cup
- Granulated garlic – 1 teaspoon
- Dried parsley – 1 tablespoon
- Salt and pepper – to taste
- Egg
- Cooking spray
- Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
How to Make Air Fryer Zucchini
- In a bowl combine all dry ingredients. In another bowl, whip the egg.
- Now take the zucchini strips, dip them in egg, and coat the breadcrumbs mixture. Coat all sides evenly and place the zucchini strips on the air fryer basket.
- Before placing the zucchini strips, spray the cooking spray so the fries and coat don’t stick on the tray.
- Air fry the zucchini strips for seven minutes. Don’t overcrowd the tray, or else the zucchini will not be crispy.
- Now turn over the strips and brush them with olive oil. Let the strips cook for another seven minutes.
Pro Tip: Use the same recipe for air fry eggplant and cauliflower.
Parting Thoughts
Ninja Air Fryer is my mate for healthy alternates of oily and unhealthy food. Since I started using an air fryer, I have not enjoyed the taste of deep-fried food anymore.
For any grocery woes, my go-to and trusted, Save Co Bradford always comes through. I find most halal ingredients, vegetables, and halal chicken here.
