I tried making 3-ingredient meals in my air fryer for a week, and I'd cook each delicious dish again
Chelsea Davis
- I tried cooking seven, three-ingredient air-fryer recipes in one week.
- Each easy recipe — including bagels — was surprisingly delicious and very easy to make.
I started by making pork chops.
The three ingredients used in this recipe from blogger Chewable Structures were olive oil, seasoning, and pork chops.
I couldn't find the specific McCormick blend she recommends using, so I made one using a combination of chipotle pepper, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper.
I let the chops sit in the olive oil and seasonings for about 15 minutes.
I coated each chop in a drizzle of olive oil, then massaged in the seasoning blend.
After preheating the air fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, I put one chop in each basket. I cooked them for 10 minutes on one side, the five on the other.
They came out perfectly.
I don't normally cook pork chops because they tend to easily get dry. I couldn't believe how juicy and perfect these chops came out.
The olive-oil coat gave it a nice golden crust and the meat maintained its moisture. I would make these again for dinner any night of the week.
Next, I went for the butternut squash, which I ate with the chops.
I love butternut squash, but roasting it in the oven can be a pain and it takes a while.
So I tried this easy recipe from food blogger All the Nourishing Things that's paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and Whole30-friendly.
First, I peeled, gutted, and chopped my squash into 1/8-inch thick moons.
I chopped the fresh rosemary as finely as I could.
Next, I combined the squash with olive oil and rosemary. I added some salt and pepper for extra flavor.
I placed the prepared squash in a preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, shaking halfway. The cooking time will depend on how thinly you cut the squash.
Butternut is my favorite type of squash — it's so versatile.
The squash was tender and well-seasoned. I also think it paired well with the pork chops.
Next time, I'll add in some garlic and onion powder and chili flakes for a little kick.
Next up were the three-ingredient chicken wings.
This recipe from food blogger Smile Sandwich was so easy. First, I sprayed the air-fryer baskets and chicken wings with cooking spray.
Next, I placed the wings in the preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes, shaking the basket every so often.
I mixed the two sauces and was pleasantly surprised by the taste.
Once the wings were cooked through — the less crowded the baskets, the quicker they cook — I coated them in the sauce while they were still hot.
The wings had a slightly crispy texture from the air fryer and the barbecue-Buffalo combination was excellent. It was sweet, tangy, and had a little kick.
I'm a big fan of Buffalo sauce, so this combo was a winner in my book.
I was ready to try something sweet, so the next recipe was the Nutella sandwich.
Anyone who's a fan of Nutella will enjoy this recipe from blogger Blue Jean Chef. First, butter one side of each of the two pieces of bread.
Then, spread a thick layer of Nutella spread on the other sides and add a layer of sliced banana. Close the sandwich with the butter side on the outside.
This came out perfectly toasty.
I stuck the sandwich in the preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes on one side, then a couple more on the other.
The sandwich was toasty and indulgently gooey on the inside. Definitely eat it with a glass of milk.
This bagel recipe was my favorite one to make.
This bagel recipe from blogger Best Recipe Box blew my mind. I had no idea you could make bagels with just yogurt and flour.
First, I combined one cup of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt and one cup of self-rising flour.
I mixed the ingredients until they started to form a ball. Then I lightly floured my cutting board and kneaded the dough with my hands for about 30 seconds.
The dough wasn't too sticky.
I cut the dough into four parts and added flour to my hands when the dough got too sticky.
I rolled each chunk into a ball, then used a floured finger to stick a 1-inch-wide hole into each, giving it a bagel-like shape. Then, I let them rest and rise for 15 minutes.
Don't crowd the air-fryer basket.
After they rested, I brushed an egg wash over the bagels and sprinkled on my toppings. I used everything seasoning and cinnamon sugar.
Then, I placed the bagels in the air-fryer basket, allowing them enough space to rise and spread.
You can top the bagels with whatever you like.
I made sure to spray the basket with cooking spray and then cooked the bagels at 330 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes. They were golden and ready to be eaten.
I will be making these bagels a lot more in the future.
These bagels were the perfect size and had a soft, moist texture on the inside. They were awesome on their own or with cream cheese, butter, or jam.
I will absolutely be making these again.
Usually cooking with puff pastry is a pain, but not with the air fryer.
Working with puff pastry can sometimes be tough. But the air fryer perfectly cooked the pastry evenly, giving it a fluffy, flaky texture that was just what I was craving.
Following blogger Cook It Real Good's recipe, I took my defrosted pastry sheet and cut it into rectangles.
Then I took a regular-sized hot dog and cut it in half. I rolled the two halves of the hot dog in the pastry and brushed them with an egg wash.
Wrapping the hot dogs was my favorite part.
I placed the hot dogs in the preheated air fryer at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for about eight minutes, until the puff pastry was golden. They came out delicious.
The combination of slightly sweet puff pastry with the hot dog made it seem much fancier than if you cooked frozen, premade pigs in a blanket.
If you like ranch, you'll enjoy this chicken recipe.
This three-ingredient buttermilk-ranch chicken from blogger Hurried Hostess surprised me by using ranch dip as a marinade to tenderize and flavor the chicken tenders.
Many chefs soak chicken in buttermilk before frying it, so this was a similar deal.
I marinated the chicken for a couple hours in ranch dressing.
I couldn't find the Helluva Good! dip the recipe wanted, so I substituted for a different ranch dip, which worked fine.
I started by combining the chicken with the ranch dip and letting it soak for a couple of hours.
I coated each piece in panko bread crumbs.
Next, I coated each chicken strip in panko and placed them in a preheated air fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes. I flipped them halfway.
I knew they were done when they were golden brown. The chicken had a great, crunchy coating and was super tender on the inside. I would make this again with thighs and drumsticks, too.
Overall I thought every recipe was worth making again.
These recipes were so easy to make and yielded tasty dishes. If I were to make them again, I would simply add some extra seasoning to a few of the dishes like the squash and chops.
I also like how customizable most of these recipes were. For example, instead of using a banana for the Nutella sandwich, you could use strawberries.
You can also coat the chicken wings in any sauce, whether you want straight Buffalo or a combination.
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