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.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

168 Comments

  1. Shelly wrote:

    I like you on FB.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  2. Shelly wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  3. Julie wrote:

    I subscribe to Cooking on The Side via email!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  4. T.R. wrote:

    My favorite football food is of course chicken wings and some variation of a dip, whether crab or 7 layer with its respective “dippers”

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  5. Julie wrote:

    My favorite football-watching treats are bbq meatballs and cheese dip.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  6. T.R. wrote:

    I am subscribed to you via e-mail updates.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  7. Julie wrote:

    I liked Cooking on the Side on fb!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  8. Julie wrote:

    I’m following you on Pinterest!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  9. Kathie wrote:

    I have 2, one is a beef and veggie soup I do on a crockpot. And the other is onion and green peppers with sliced kielbasa I do on a standing fry pan. It is kept warm and anyone can help themselves just like the soup.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  10. MaryB wrote:

    My favorite football snack is wings (these look great) and Mexican snacks like guacamole, black bean dip, tacos, etc.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  11. MaryB wrote:

    I subscribe to Cooking On The Side email updates.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  12. MaryB wrote:

    I like Cooking On The Side on Facebook.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  13. Kathie wrote:

    I already told you of my first 2 that I like under Foodgawker. So my third is the spinach and water chestnut dip in a King’s Hawaiian bread bowl. It’s also on the back of the bread package, so easy.

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  14. MaryB wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest. Thanks for offering the great giveaway!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  15. Maley Neil wrote:

    Buffalo wings!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  16. Memoria wrote:

    I don’t watch football, but if I did, I would want a big bowl of hot wings with a side of ranch and big bottle of Coke :).

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  17. Memoria wrote:

    I am subscrived (RSS).

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  18. karen wrote:

    Favorite football food? Definitely the standard chips and dip of salsa. Hot wings are a favorite only if at a bar where I don’t have to clean it up myself and no kids.are with me!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  19. Elaine wrote:

    This is super intriguing–I’ve heard of it before, but it’s one of those things that I forget about looking for when I hit the kitchen supply store. My favorite football-watching treat is probably nachos. No, it’s definitely nachos. I mean, how could it not be?!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  20. Heidi wrote:

    We like tacos with all the fixings for the Superbowl!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  21. Danielle wrote:

    Guac is always my go-to. This year I am trying some Thai Fried Chicken wings. Can’t wait to try them with an air-fryer 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  22. Danielle wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest!

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  23. Holdthegross wrote:

    Artichoke dip is my favorite

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  24. Glory wrote:

    i like wings! they are def the best superbowl treat 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  25. Glory wrote:

    i liked you on facebook! but i don’t have pinterest 🙁

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  26. Glory wrote:

    i subscribed via email 🙂

    Posted 1.31.13 Reply
  27. Say What?!? That is such a cool concept–I’d love to try it.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  28. Jeanette wrote:

    I love the idea of frying with just a tablespoon of oil!

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  29. Kat wrote:

    I usually go for wings, but lately I’m in a food in muffin tin snacks kick – Lasagana cupcakes!

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  30. Kat wrote:

    Liked you on FB

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  31. Kat wrote:

    Following on Pintrest

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  32. Kat wrote:

    Signed up for RSS on google reader!

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  33. Kat wrote:

    I like munching on chicken wings, chips & dip, and sometimes popcorn. Thank you for the giveaway.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  34. barbara n wrote:

    My favorite football watching treat is chili cheese dip

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  35. barbara n wrote:

    I am an email subscriber to cooking on the side

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  36. Kristen M. wrote:

    My favorite football watching food are definitely hot wings.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  37. Kristen M. wrote:

    I subscribe to Cooking on the Side emails.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  38. Kristen M. wrote:

    I like you on Facebook.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  39. Kristen M. wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  40. Margot C wrote:

    I like to make a bunch of wings and a great big vat of chili then let the troops just graze.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  41. Margot C wrote:

    I subscribed via email as well; to this box: annazed10 [at] yahoo [dot] com (hi!)

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  42. Margot C wrote:

    I like you on Facebook now where I am Margot Core.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  43. Margot C wrote:

    I follow you on Pinterest where I am Margot Core.

    Also, just to say that I have been so fascinated by this machine and am glad to see a review by a real person. It’s pretty spendy but cheaper than a heart attack I’m thinking (seriously)

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  44. Carolyn G wrote:

    We love wings and nachos at our house

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  45. Carolyn G wrote:

    rss subscriber

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  46. Carolyn G wrote:

    like on facebook: carolyn gonzalez

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  47. delia wrote:

    I just indulged in A LOT of chips and salsa.

    Posted 2.1.13 Reply
  48. Susan Christy wrote:

    Gotta have the hot wings!

    Posted 2.2.13 Reply
  49. Susan Christy wrote:

    Like you on FB

    Posted 2.2.13 Reply
  50. Susan Christy wrote:

    Follow on Pinterest

    Posted 2.2.13 Reply