Air Fryer Sticky Sesame Chicken Legs

What not to say to someone during a pandemic. “Oh, your quarantine must be so easy because you don’t have a family.”

No one, I repeat, no one has had an easy quarantine, no matter what their circumstances. Married, single, kids or no kids, each person has their own difficulties and struggles each and every day. So maybe the next time we talk, maybe instead of telling me how easy I have it try asking how I am doing during this quarantine. The answer just might surprise you.

Sticky Sesame Chicken Legs

• Difficulty: Easy
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From The Everday Air Fryer Cookbook

4 chicken drumsticks

3 TBS soy sauce

2 TBS brown sugar

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper.

Line a 7 inch cake pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Arrange the drumsticks in the pan

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, mix well. Pour over the drumsticks, turning to coat.

Place the pan in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400 degrees for 2o minutes. Turn the drumsticks halfway through the cooking time.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, 2 Ways (Whole 30)

Today I started menu planning for my third round of Whole 30, probably in March or April. This round I am not only planning what new compliant recipes to try. I am also trying to plan a menu that incorporates all the cooking gadgets I currently use, pressure cooker, slow cooker and air fryer. The goal is to find quick, compliant meals for those days on round, or not, when I don’t really want to spend time cooking but I really want to eat.

Both these recipes for roasted chicken thighs will be regular rotation whether or not I am on Whole 30 round or not because they are so quick and so delicous.

Thai Roasted Chicken Thighs

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From Nom Nom Paleo

4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 TBS red, yellow or green Thai curry paste

1 tsp fish sauce

1/2 tsp salt

Zest and juice from 1/2 a lime

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, salt, lime zest and lime juice. Whisk well. Using your hands, add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade and throughly coat the chicken with marinade. Cover and let marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or over night.

When ready to cook, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Place chicken in the basket in a single layer and cook 15 to 18 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Cracklin Chicken

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From The Nom Nom Paleo Ready Or Not Cookbook

4 skin on bone in chicken thighs

1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

2 tsp ghee or olive oil

Pre heat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Pat the thighs dry with a paper towel. Using a pair of kitchen shears or a sharp paring knife, cut out the bone, staying as close to the bone as possible. Trim any excess fat.

Skinside up, sprinkle the thighs with salt. If you like, flip the chicken over and sprinkle with the seasoning of you choice. I used Nom Nom Paleo’s magic mushroom powder because it is the best seasoning blend ever.

Once the chicken thighs are properly seasoned, place them in the air fryer basket, skin side up. Cook at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Do not flip. Let sit a few minutes before eating.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Whole 30)

Thats right, I said air fryer. After months of deliberation about whether or not I would use an air fryer enough to make it worth spending money on the thing and many more months of trying to decide on what type, and many other factors. I finally jumped on the air fryer band wagon. I got to admidt, I am more than a little excited to see what this puppy can do.

My biggest compliant about air fryers, basket or oven style, is their capacity. I borrowed a friend’s 2 quart model earlier this spring and it was just too small. I could only fit in one chicken thigh. That isn’t enough chicken for one person and severly limits what you can do with an air fryer in my opinion. If I was going to spend money on an air fryer I wanted it to at least cook enough food for one person without having to cook everything in multiple batches.

I finally decided a Gourmia 7 quart air fryer. At the present, I have only started experiment with it. I will post more as I learn more but I wanted to get at least one airfryer recipe up in case any of you got an air fryer for Christmas and wanted to try it out.

Air Fryer Chicken Wings

• Difficulty: Easy
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6 raw chicken wings

1 tsp olive oil

Favorite seasoning blend

Preheat the air fryer at 400 degrees for 3 minutes. In a small bowl, add chicken wings, olive oil and seasoning to taste. Place wings in the basket in a single layer. Cook 25 minutes, turning half way through. Enjoy plain or sauce them (sauce recipes coming soon)

Jerk Chicken Hot Plate (Whole 30)

Even though I didn’t do a Whole 30 this month, I am trying to eat better, cleaner food with more vegetables. I have kind of fallen into the rut of eating out or picking up something at the grocery store deli on my way home from work.

I am starting by getting rid of my normal breakfast of bagels and a Dr. Pepper. I am replacing it with easy to throw togther, take 10 minutes to cook meals, called hot plates.

I can’t take any credit for hot plates. I blatantly stoled the idea from Mel Joulwan and her fabulous Well Fed cookbooks and ran with the idea. Its simply taking some kind of protien, some kind of spices or sauce and throwing them over some kind of vegetables. Mel Joulwan had many ideas which you should check out but I have come with some of my own ideas for hot plates that I am going to share with you here.

Jerk Hot Plate

• Difficulty: Easy
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8-12 oz diced chicken

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 TBS olive oil

In a small bowl, combine all the spices; set aside. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add oil. When hot, add chicken and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes. Serve over a salad, baked potato or with other vegetables.

Chicken And Rice Round Up

Yeah, it’s another recipe for chicken and rice. I told you chicken and rice is my favorite. This recipe is a little more complicated and takes a little more time then most chicken and rice recipes I have posted here because you marinate the chicken and it cooks for 70 minutes but it is definitely worth the time and effort.

I have included links to all my chicken and rice recipes on A Solitary Feast.

Arroz Con Pollo

Indian Inspired Chicken and Rice

Chicken Skillet Dinner

Pressure Cooker Chicken and Rice

Chicken an Rice

• Difficulty: Easy
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Adapted From Koolaid Moms

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp paprik

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp salt

Rice:

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS oil

ve oil

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch black pepper

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup white rice

1/2 tsp black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and coat each piece with the spice mixture. Marinate at least 30 minutes.

In the casserole dish, combine the onion, garlic, oil, salt, pepper and broth. Add the rice and stir to combine. Place the chicken over the rice. Cover with foil and bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and cook 20 -30 more minutes.