Fleur de Lolly: Break out the air fryer for these recipes

Laura Tolbert More Content Now

I’m sure many readers received an air fryer as a gift this 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.

For today’s column, I’m offering two different recipes: One for chicken wings and another for a pork tenderloin cooked with the rotisserie option.

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 1/3 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 off 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.

Rosemary Lemon Pepper Pork Tenderloin

I had been anxious to try the rotisserie option on my PowerXL Air Fryer Pro. I purchased a 4-pound pork tenderloin, and it was fully cooked in about 40 minutes. It was perfectly cooked with a flavorful rosemary/lemon pepper crust, and the inside was moist and tender.

• 1 (3 to 4 pounds) pork tenderloin

• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon pepper

• 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Remove tenderloin from packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Mix lemon pepper and rosemary in a small bowl and, using your hands, gently coat the entire tenderloin.

Carefully place the rotisserie shaft through the tenderloin. Secure the shaft with the “forks” included with the air fryer.

Place the shaft into the air fryer. Press the power button and then the rotisserie button. Manually adjust the temperature to 400 degrees and the timer to 35 minutes to begin the cooking cycle.

Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the tenderloin. The tenderloin will be done when it reaches 155 degrees. Check the temperature at about 38 minutes and then every few minutes after that until it reaches 155 degrees.

Let the tenderloin rest 5 to 8 minutes before removing the rotisserie shaft and slicing for serving.

Laura Tolbert, also known as Fleur de Lolly, has been sharing recipes, table decor ideas and advice for fellow foodies and novices on her blog, fleurdelolly.blogspot.com, for more than eight years. She won the Duke’s Mayonnaise 100th Anniversary nationwide recipe contest for her Alabama White BBQ Sauce. You can contact her at facebook.com/fleurde.lolly.5, on Instagram, and at fleurdelolly@yahoo.com.