As the fall semester came to a close, I — along with many other students — found myself in a cooking rut. The search for an easy, filling and delicious meal gets more tedious with every passing day, and I find myself reverting to the same boring and bland chicken and vegetable meals.
Enter the air fryer.
When my roommate told me she got an air fryer for Christmas, I didn’t understand her excitement. I looked at the new bulky, intimidating appliance on our kitchen counter and immediately concluded that I wouldn’t even try to use it. A few weeks later, with food inspiration waning, I decided to give the air fryer a chance. How hard could it be?
I was shocked with how easy it was to operate and how delicious my meal came out, and I am now a self-proclaimed air fryer addict. Have leftover vegetables that you don’t know what to do with? Air fryer. Cooking dinner in a time crunch? Air fryer. The air fryer became the solution to all of my boring and prep-intensive meals.
While I am still convinced that pretty much everything tastes good in the air fryer, one meal that I consistently go back to is a healthier take on air fryer chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries that leave you with a delicious meal within 30 minutes.
Chicken Nuggets
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yields: 1 serving
Ingredients
1 4-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons almond flour — can sub for Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut up chicken breast into bite size pieces, typically 1/2-inch thick slices.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the almond flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Whisk the egg.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg wash, then in the almond flour — or breadcrumbs — mixture.
- Place in a single layer of chicken in the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Flip the chicken nuggets after they have been in the oven for six minutes.
- Enjoy! Serve with sauce of your choice and some air fryer sweet potato fries!
Feel free to add any additional seasonings of your choice. I occasionally experiment with different seasonings –– like cumin, paprika or oregano –– to mix it up, but I always add garlic powder, salt and pepper.
My favorite addition to these chicken nuggets is sweet potato fries. I often find that when I make sweet potato fries in the oven, I can never achieve the crispiness that I want. However, with the air fryer, I’ve been able to make crispy and delicious fries that rival my favorite restaurants’. This recipe is quick and easy and can be eaten as a side for a meal or a snack in between classes.
Sweet Potato Fries
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yields: 1 serving
Ingredients
1 small sweet potato peeled
2 teaspoons olive oil — or oil of choice
1 tablespoon almond flour — can sub for cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, to taste
1/4 teaspoon paprika, to taste
Instructions
- Peel your sweet potato, then slice into fry-like sticks, about 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl, and toss with olive oil, almond flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika until evenly coated.
- Place in a single layer in the air fryer, making sure to not overcrowd the basket.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, shaking the basket at six minutes to ensure the fries crisp evenly.
- Enjoy! Serve with your sauce of choice — my favorites are ketchup and honey mustard.
This recipe is so easy to make and brings me back to my childhood. It’s versatile, and all your friends will love it. Get out of your cooking funk and make this delicious and quick chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries meal. Thank you, air fryer!
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