Today we are going to experiment. Often, when I have leftover fries and chicken nuggets from the previous day, I think about what can I cook with that before resorting to spending more money in new food. So this time, my two favorite foods meet and will not let me down!
The result is very good but it takes a little effort to get everything cooked well. As you might guess, deep fryer heats up faster than air fryer so your dish will be ready sooner if you use oil instead of an air fryer basket as suggested in the recipe below.
Chicken Nuggets And Fries With Parmesan Cheese Recipe:
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes.
Serves: 2 people.
Appliances required: Air Fryer; Microwave oven; Wok or skillet; Cutting board and chef’s knife.
Ingredients for Chicken Nuggets And Fries Recipe:
1/2 bag of frozen chicken nuggets;
1/2 bag of frozen french fries (I use Ore-Ida® without trans fats);
3 tablespoons of flour, divided in two portions;
1 tablespoon of water, mixed with both portions together to create the egg wash;
1 yolk from a hard boiled egg;
1 cup of breadcrumbs (you can use crushed corn flakes instead as it is much cheaper);
4 grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling on top just before cooking.
1.) As always, thaw the frozen fries and chicken nuggets in a microwave oven. Meanwhile, prepare your breading station by setting flour first on the rightmost side of your working board, the water-flour mixture is next (on top of the flour) and finally, breadcrumbs are at the leftmost side.
2.) Take out one bag of chicken nuggets from the freezer and line them up horizontally to cut into smaller pieces plus do the same with french fries so they will cook faster. Also, move two air fryers baskets from the freezer and get ready for cooking.
3.) Arrange smaller-sized fries and chicken pieces on air fryer basket without overcrowding it as we want even cooking for this.
4.) Place one air fryer basket inside the air fryer and start preheating at 200C for 8 minutes (give or take a minute depending on your air fryer). Pour 1/2 tablespoon of flour on nuggets now.
5.) While your first air fryer basket is heating up, coat chicken nuggets in egg wash by dipping them into water-flour mixture, tapping off excess then finally rolling it through breadcrumbs, and lay them flat on the plate next to the stove. Do not forget to flour your second batch of chicken nuggets too just before transferring them into the heated oil using a slotted spoon.
6.) Your french fries are probably cooked by now so you can remove that basket from air fryer and let the second batch of french fries cook now.
7.) When second batch of french fries is done too, remove them from the air fryer then raise your temperature to 210C (keep first basket in air fryer).
8.) Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour on top of fries, spread it evenly with slotted spoon then add one more tablespoon but this time with nuggets plus sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top (not just before cooking as it won’t stick).
9.) Close the lid and wait for two minutes so cheese melts. Check if both are cooked by piercing a fork in one piece of chicken or nuggets and one piece of fries – both should feel tender inside. If not, leave it another minute before checking again. Once it’s done, lay everything flat on the plate for serving and enjoy your meal.
10.) The above one is how my chicken nuggets and fries look like after cooking in air fryer plus full recipe card below of course! Bon appetit.
Ingredients (1 Portion): – 1/2 bag of frozen french fries (Ore-Ida® without trans fats); – ½ block or bag of frozen chicken nuggets; – 2 tablespoons of flour; – 1 tablespoon of water; – ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated. (For the egg wash)
– 1 yolk from a hard boiled egg; – Salt to taste This makes enough food if served as whole meal and second serving if served as side dish.
Tools needed:
Air fryer
2 large bowls
Cutting board and chef’s knife
Slotted spoon
Measuring cup
tablespoon and teaspoon
Tongs (optional)
Plate for serving
Winter is here so it’s time to get air fryer out of the storage then let me show you how this chicken nuggets and fries recipes comes out just perfect! By cooking them in air fryer instead of deep frying them, we can enjoy crispy-like fried chicken without the extra fat and calories plus good taste too!
- I recommend using Ore-Ida® french fries because I’ve tried with other fries and the result is not so good.
- Please make sure to line your french fries up horizontally before frying them because they will shrink a lot after cooking but still stay crispy!
- For better taste, I used olive oil for frying but you can use other vegetable oil if you wish. 4.) Leftovers can be stored in airtight container then reheated in oven at 350F for 10 minutes or microwave on high for 1 minutes max per serving (3oz or 85g).
- Frozen French Fries is one of my favorite side dishes to eat when having a meal with my family! With this chicken nuggets and fries recipe, it’s always perfect combination for anyone craving fried food!
- You can adjust the amount of Parmesan cheese if you want to add more or less. I used 1/2 cup (grated) for this recipe but just in case you don’t have access to it, that’s okay!
- Cooking time may vary depending on your own air fryer so please make sure both fries and nuggets are cooked properly before serving by piercing a fork inside then laying them flat onto plate beside each other.
- If you have leftover chicken nuggets and fries, heat them up again in oven or microwave then enjoy for lunch or dinner in another day!
* Please use real Parmesan cheese because it has better flavor than the powder type but if you don’t have access to it or can only find powdered one, that’s okay too! Just mix 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese powder with 1 tablespoon of water then stir them well until creamy before sprinkling on top.
Conclusion:
Yes, you can cook chicken nuggets and fries together in the air fryer and they’ll come out crispy-like deep fried but without the extra fat, calories, and even preservatives that you don’t want! Now you can enjoy your favorite fried food anytime at home with minimum effort plus good taste too!
If you find this post useful, let’s leave a comment below and share it so other people can see it too!
Also, if you don’t have Air Fryer yet, click here to read a detailed review to pick the best one and start cooking like a pro 🙂
See you on my next recipe and until then, eat responsibly!
Leave a Reply