As a Southerner, I can’t help but love fried foods. Of course, I’ve had to cut back on them over the past few years—until now! I’ve got a new way to enjoy my beloved fried foods with less fat and oils: air frying.
I’m so proud of my Paula Deen Air Fryer, y’all! Every time I use it, I’m amazed at the perfect crunch, the moistness, and, most importantly, the flavor. I loved it so much, I wrote a cookbook, Paula Deen’s Air Fryer Cookbook, so all my friends out there would have plenty of recipes to make good use of their air fryers. Today, I wanted to share a few of those recipes. I’m sure you’ll agree that they are out-of-this-world!
What foods do you like to make in your air fryer? Let me know in the comments below!
Chicken Stuffed with Prosciutto and Fontina – pg 59
Serves 2
Directions
1. Place chicken breast halves between sheets of wax paper, and, using a mallet or rolling pin, pound thin.
2. Wrap each fontina cheese stick with one slice prosciutto and place in center of each flattened chicken breast half. Roll chicken around prosciutto and cheese and secure with toothpicks or butcher’s twine. Season chicken rolls with salt and black pepper.
3. In a heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Quickly brown chicken rolls over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place chicken rolls in air fryer basket. Set temperature to 350 degrees, and air fry for 7 minutes. Remove chicken rolls to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut rolls at an angle into 6 slices.
4. Reheat skillet, add remaining butter, mushrooms, wine, and rosemary; season with salt and pepper; and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, toss arugula leaves in remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. To serve, arrange chicken and mushrooms on a bed of dressed arugula.
Cajun Fried Okra with Creamy Chili Sauce – pg 123
Serves 6 to 8
Okra
Creamy Chili Sauce
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, House Seasoning, and Cajun seasoning. Place buttermilk in a small bowl. Dip okra in buttermilk, then dredge in cornmeal mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill battered okra in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Working in batches of 10, spray okra with oil and place in air fryer basket. Set temperature to 400 degrees, and air fry for 5 minutes. Shake okra well, spray with oil, and air fry for 5 minutes. Shake okra well, spray with oil, and air fry for 3 minutes more. Repeat with remaining okra. Serve warm with Creamy Chili Sauce on the side.
3. To make the creamy chili sauce, combine mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, garlic chili sauce, and red pepper in a small bowl, and stir well. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Makes 1¼ cup.
Fried Apple Pies
Serves 8
Directions
1. To make filling, in a large sauté pan, melt butter. Add apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Sauté over medium heat until apples are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out biscuits into 7- to 8-inch diameter circles. Place 2 or 3 tablespoons of the apple filling on each circle and brush edges with water. Fold half of each circle over filling to make half-moon shape. Seal by pressing edges with tines of fork.
3. Working in batches of 2, spray pies on both sides with oil and place in air fryer basket lined with parchment paper. Set temperature to 350 degrees, and air fry for 5 minutes. Flip pies, spray with oil, and air fry for 5 minutes more. Repeat with remaining pies. Dust pies with powdered sugar.
To purchase my Paula Deen Air Fryer, click here.
To purchase my Paula Deen’s Air Fryer Cookbook, click here.
Paula Deen - As a young girl growing up in Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen never dreamed she would become an American icon. As a young mother, Paula was living the American dream — married to her high school sweetheart and raising two adorable boys — when tragedy struck. Her parents died, her marriage failed and she began a prolonged battle with agoraphobia. With her boys in their teens and her family near homelessness, Paula took her last $200, reached deep inside her soul and started The Bag Lady, a home-based catering company that marked the start of Deen's professional cooking career. With sons Jamie and Bobby delivering lunch-and-love-in-a-bag, beginning in June 1989, Paula turned her life around by sharing what she knew best, traditional Southern cooking.
