Confession: I’m a little in love with my air fryer. In addition to developing crushes on various vegetables, spices and other food stuffs, I’ve also been known to fall for appliances. And by fall for I mean that I daydream about them and all the delicious things we can do together one day. I like it because it’s easy, not messy, requires very little oil, leaves my oven free for other things and is great when it’s too hot to actually turn on the oven (like many days this past summer). Yes, an air fryer can take up a lot of coveted counter space, so for the most part mine lives counter-adjacent, which has been working just fine.

To be honest, the main thing I use my air fryer for is to make “fries” out of anything from yams and purple sweet potatoes to celery root, jicama and parsnips. I typically make some version these at least once a week and while they don’t always turn out as crisp as a veggie made in an actual deep fryer, I don’t really care. They taste good and that wins.

I’ve also used my air fryer for things like coconut shrimp, fish sticks, fried pickles (my daughter’s idea), buffalo cauliflower and chicken wings, and lately for these falafel encrusted chicken strips. We have had them both as a main event (dipped in BBQ Sauce, ketchup or even Bitchin Sauce) and as a featured item in a grain or salad bowl, drizzled with this delicious tahini sauce.

This recipe checks all my boxes because it’s audaciously simple and quick, super delish and gluten-free (i.e. potentially less inflammatory) by using falafel mix instead of the traditional bread crumbs or white flour. Falafel mix is easy to find (I got mine at Trader Joe’s), is mainly made from ground fava beans and chickpeas and is flavored with onion, garlic and Mediterranean spices. In other words, interesting and flavorful.

I’ve found that the key to easy and less messy prep is to create a dredging station: one shallow bowl for 2 beaten eggs and another for the falafel mix. You can use a package of chicken tenders or easily cut some chicken breasts into thin strips. Once your chicken is prepped and ready to dip, have a cutting board ready to put the dredged pieces on. 

Use one hand for dipping the chicken into the beaten egg and putting it into the bowl with the falafel mix, and then use the other hand to put more falafel mix on top of the chicken strip and move it to the cutting board. This helps keep the crumbs from sticking to your hands which can be kind of annoying. When the chicken pieces are ready, you spray them on each side with olive oil spray before carefully putting them in a single layer into the air fryer basket.

Note: it’s important not to crowd the chicken when you add it to the cooking basket or tray. Air fryers work by circulating the hot air around food to create an even crispness. If the basket is crowded or overlapping then the air doesn’t circulate as evenly and the food is often not as crisp. I usually need to make these in two batches which is really no big deal. The leftovers make a nice lunch - especially in a salad bowl like described above.

Also, if you haven’t jumped on the air fryer train yet you can use a regular oven.  Follow the instructions below and then bake them in a 425 degree oven for 16 minutes, turning halfway.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do! 

Audaciously yours,

Lisa