Air-Fried Hot Wings…Plus an ActiFry Giveaway!

My husband declared these Air-Fried Hot Wings were a “10 out of 10!” when he came home from the gym and found them in the fridge. It was all I could do to save him some, I think I could have devoured the whole plate. I can’t wait to make more for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And to think they were made without a drop of oil!

Friends from Instagram have been listening to me go on about my exploration of the T-fal ActiFry for the past week. I’m pretty smitten with this versatile “healthier cooking” machine. Read on for the super-easy Hot Wings recipe (I’ve included an oven method too!), the  french fries, risotto and granola I also made and the chance to win an ActiFry (a $250 value) of your own! [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED]

Find the T-Fal Actifry at Amazon

Continuing my pursuit of making healthier versions of some of my favorite dishes, I was intrigued by the ActiFry, which bills itself as the “healthy alternative to traditional deep fryers.” Hot air pulses into the ActiFry while a stirring paddle continually moves the food around for even cooking. It’s not “frying” as we traditionally know it, but the end result is food that gets evenly crisped with a scant amount of oil. It takes just one tablespoon of oil to make crispy french fries…that had me intrigued!

Air-Fried French Fries (c) Kathy Strahs

Naturally, the very first thing I tried in the ActiFry was french fries (in fact, I may or may not have made the fries within the first hour that the machine arrived at my house). As a french fry connoisseur, I was very pleased with how they came out. The fries were surprisingly crispy, despite the fact that they were cooked in such a small amount of oil. Were they as crispy as traditional fries? Well, no. I’d say they were more comparable to baked french fries, but more tender and with the added benefit of the continuously stirring paddle to keep them from sticking to the pan. These fries were a big hit in our house!

Saffron Risotto with Shrimp and Peas (c) Kathy Strahs

Yup, I made Saffron Risotto with Shrimp and Peas in the ActiFry too. At $250, this would be a pretty expensive french fry machine if that’s all it could do. But no…it has quite a range of capabilities and I set out to explore them. I adapted one of the risotto recipes I found in the recipe booklet to use the frozen cooked shrimp and peas I had on hand. If you’ve ever made traditional risotto you know there’s a bit of stirring involved. The ActiFry’s stirring paddle takes care of that work for you. However, I will say this recipe did begin to push the limits of the machine. The rice seemed to prefer to travel in a group around the ActiFry, rather than remain evenly distributed. As a result, the risotto didn’t come out quite as creamy as I’d prefer. But it was still a tasty one-pot dish that required little active attention.

Cherry Almond Granola (c) Kathy Strahs

This crunchy Cherry Almond Granola was another surprise hit. Start to finish, it took less than 15 minutes to make, even while wrangling my kids who were eager to help. They enjoyed measuring and stirring the handful of ingredients – then we poured it all into the ActiFry and let the machine go. Just like with the fries, I appreciated that the stirring paddle kept the granola moving so not one bit of it stuck to the pan (as can easily happen when you bake it in the oven).

** Win a T-fal ActiFry ($250 value)!! ** [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED]

The T-fal company would like to send one lucky Cooking On the Side reader an ActiFry of their own. (By the way, you can also find the ActiFry for sale on Amazon).

Here are four ways to enter, you can do any or all of them (please leave separate comments for each entry):

The giveaway will close on Monday, February 4 at noon PST. [THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED] I will use random.org to select one winner and announce the winner in this post. I will contact the winner via e-mail – if I don’t receive a response within 5 days I will draw another name. My apologies to international readers, the prize can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

**UPDATE 2/4/2013: Congratulations to our winner, #57 Carole!

Air-Fried Hot Wings ...get the #recipe at www.cookingontheside.com (c) Kathy Strahs

This post and giveaway have been sponsored by T-fal. I received an ActiFry for review and I have been compensated for my time. My opinions are, as always, my own.

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168 Comments

  1. I follow you on Pinterest.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  2. Nicole Jackson wrote:

    I like you on fb.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  3. Nicole Jackson wrote:

    I follow your rss on flipboard.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  4. Carole wrote:

    RE snacks for the game, it depends. If the Eagles are playing then it’s mini-cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. For other games, it might be Parmesan popcorn and chili for dinner.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  5. Carole wrote:

    I’m an e-mail subscriber.

    Thanks to you and T-Fal for the great giveaway.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  6. Carole wrote:

    Long-time follower on FB. 🙂
    Also follow you on Instagram. @cspod21

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  7. Carole wrote:

    I’ve been following all of your boards on Pinterest for quite a while. @cspod

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  8. Kari wrote:

    Oh! My favorite football-watching treat would have to be wings, or homemade quacamole, or black bean dip…

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  9. Kari wrote:

    I already LIKE you on facebook!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  10. Kari wrote:

    I already follow you on pinterest!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  11. Kari wrote:

    I already subscribe to your email updates!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  12. MaryBeth wrote:

    Love mango salsa with lime-flavored tortilla chips when watching football!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  13. MaryBeth wrote:

    Just like Cooking on the Side on FB

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  14. MaryBeth wrote:

    Following you on Pinterest

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  15. Bobette wrote:

    My favorite football treat is hot wings

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  16. Bobette wrote:

    I like you on Facebook

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  17. Bobette wrote:

    I’m subscribed to your email list.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  18. Theresa Scott wrote:

    Nothing has piqued my interests quite so much as the comment “air fried wings”.
    Buffalo wings with thin shards of crispy carrot and celery are my all time favorite football watching treat! I’m so happy to learn a healthier version exists. 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  19. Babs wrote:

    I subscribe through email.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  20. Babs wrote:

    My favorite football watching snack is a great platter of nachos!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  21. Cindy B. wrote:

    My favorite is the Hot Wings.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  22. Cindy B. wrote:

    I subscribe to Cooking On the Side via e-mail.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  23. Cindy B. wrote:

    I like Cooking On the Side on Facebook.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  24. Cindy B. wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  25. Jan wrote:

    I’m all for hot wings for a football game watching snack. I can also get into a spicy black bean dip and many other things that often show up 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  26. emily wrote:

    definitely hot wings with extra hot sauce and blue cheese!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  27. Hot wings for sure are my favorite football watching treat, your french fries look yummy. I’d LOVE to have this to reduce the fat in all my favorites 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  28. I follow you on Pinterest

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  29. I follow you on facebook too 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  30. Ericka wrote:

    I love any game time munchie! I guess my favorite would be buffalo wings after that some 7 layer dip! Yum!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  31. Ericka wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  32. Bob Lundquist wrote:

    I love making Grande nachos for the big game!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  33. Ericka wrote:

    I also “like” you on Facebook…I sound like a stalker 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  34. Ericka wrote:

    I subscribe via email too 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  35. Jacqui wrote:

    My favorite football watching treat is nachos!!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  36. Jacqui wrote:

    I am subscribed to Cooking On the Side via e-mail updates

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  37. Jacqui wrote:

    I like Cooking On the Side on Facebook

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  38. Jacqui wrote:

    I also follow you on Pinterest

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  39. erin wrote:

    hot wings. all the way. yum!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  40. erin wrote:

    i subscribe via google reader.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  41. erin wrote:

    i am a facebook fan.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  42. erin wrote:

    i follow you on pinterest.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  43. Leshelle wrote:

    My favorite Superbowl treat is guacamole.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  44. Leshelle wrote:

    liked your facebook page

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  45. Leshelle wrote:

    following you on pinterest

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  46. Leshelle wrote:

    I subscribe you your updates via email.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  47. Kim Barlow wrote:

    I really really want this! I would love it! We make wings in the oven every Sunday during football season and I would prefer for them to more fried like.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  48. I like chips and dips!

    and I followed you on pinterest 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  49. Shelly wrote:

    I don’t watch football, but if I did, my favorite would probably be some kind of dip.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  50. Shelly wrote:

    I subscribe via email.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply