Imperial Valley Press

Break out the air fryer for this recipe

- Laura Tolbert

I’m sure some readers received an air fryer as a gift this past Christmas season. A few months ago, I was given a PowerXL Air Fryer Pro for testing purposes and to share the results with the readers of my blog. This appliance is not only an air fryer, but also has a rotisserie option along with skewers for kebabs.

If you’re like me and grew fresh herbs this past summer, it’s always sad when the frost comes and destroys them. PowerXL Air Fryer Pro to the rescue! I was able to dehydrate my aromatic plants to use over the winter season.

The air fryer doesn’t need oil for cooking, but instead uses dry heat like a convection oven. The hot air rotating around the food gives it a crispy exterior without all the added calories from oil frying.

Cajun chicken wings

Instead of shaking and baking, we’re going to dip, coat and air fry! Use whichever flavor you prefer. I added Cajun seasoning into the wet batter and also into the dry mix for the coating to really amp up the flavor.

• 4 pounds chicken wings, separated and tips removed and discarded

• 1 box chicken fry mix

• 2 tablespoon­s Cajun seasoning

• 1/2 cup water

Mix cup fry mix, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl. Pour about 1 cup fry mix onto a plate or into a plastic bag along with 1 tablespoon Cajun Seasoning.

Spray the airflow racks lightly with non-stick spray.

Dip chicken wings, one piece at a time, in the batter. Shake o excess. Roll chicken in fry mix until evenly coated. Discard any remaining mixture and fry mix.

Place chicken wings on racks in a single layer. Place trays into air fryer and turn the unit on. Press the “chicken leg” icon, increase the temperatur­e to 400 degrees and increase the cooking time to 40 minutes.

Halfway through cooking time, rotate the racks so that the top rack goes to the bottom, and the others move up one level. Continue frying until the time is up, and the internal temperatur­e of the chicken is 165 degrees.

We preferred not to toss these in sauce, but to enjoy the ultimate crunchy coating on the wings. The spice level was “just enough heat.” Still, you could certainly increase the amount of Cajun seasoning used or omit it entirely.

Laura Tolbert, also known as Fleur de Lolly, has been sharing recipes and advice for fellow foodies and novices on her blog, fleur delolly.blogspot.com, for more than eight years.

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