Juicy, Heavenly, Balanced.

If you came to me last week and said “Hey Luke, would you ever write an article about a bacon-cheese chicken pickle recipe?” I would reply with a prompt “No. Why?” But a lot can change in a week. Three times, I’ve housed this treat and I can’t believe I’m saying this but it is honestly one of my favorite uses for bacon. It’s even Amy Approved! If you’re like me, you use bacon once for a recipe and then kind of just forget about it for the rest of the week as it seems “ughhh unhealthy”. Let me tell ya, this is better than any of that good ol’ eggs and bacon breakfast, it’s juicy and delicious.

This recipe is all about balance. This is the epitome of what we try to achieve on this blog. Heavenly(not healthy!) taste, earthly effort. Spicy pickle, juicy chicken, crispy bacon, and salty cheese all come together in a heavenly pairing and it takes less time than cooking bacon on the stove. If you’re feeling hungry, make two. I’m 6’3″ and I’ve found that one of these is about half a meal. I have no problem demolishing two, especially with Amy here.

Ingredients

• 2 pickles (dill or bread and butter, depending on your preference)
• 2 chicken tenders, raw
• 2 cheese sticks (such as mozzarella or cheddar)
• 2 slices of bacon (thin-cut works best)
• Your favorite dipping sauces (BBQ sauce, Chick-fil-A sauce, mustard, ketchup, etc.)

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients

You’ll need pickles, raw chicken tenders, cheese sticks, a cutting board, and bacon. For the pickles, you can use bread and butter(where my people at!) or Dill if you want I guess. Your life, not mine. For cheese, grab a favorite of the kids, string cheese! whatever flavor you like, it’s hard to go wrong here.

Step 2: Assemble the Bacon-Wrapped Cheese Chicken Pickles

To assemble your bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles, follow these simple steps:

1. Lay a chicken tender flat on a clean cutting board.
2. Place a cheese stick on top of the chicken tender.
3. Add a pickle on top of the cheese stick.
4. On the left side of your stack, lay a piece of bacon at a slight angle on the cutting board
5. Carefully roll the Cheese-chicken-Pickle away from you and pick up the slice of bacon as you go. Make sure to cover the entire length of the pickle and chicken tender, overlapping the bacon slightly as you wrap. This will help hold everything together during cooking. Note: it doesn’t have to be super tight but should not be loose either.

Repeat this process for both bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles.

Step 3: Cook in the Air Fryer

Place two assembled bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes. Note: no need to preheat the air fryer. Remember to wash your hands with soap after handling raw meat.

Step 4: Check the Chicken’s Internal Temperature

Before removing the bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles from the air fryer, open the basket and check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part to be considered fully cooked and safe to eat. Don’t worry about it drying out, the pickle will keep it juicy.

Step 5: Sauce and Serve

Once the bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles have finished cooking, transfer them to a serving plate and serve with two or three of your favorite dipping sauces. BBQ sauce, Chick-fil-A sauce, mustard, and ketchup are all popular choices, but feel free to experiment with other options as well.

Air fryers make it easy to cook these tasty treats, ensuring a perfectly crispy finish without the mess and hassle of traditional frying methods. Plus, with our quick and easy “no wet hands” cleaning method below, you’ll spend less time cleaning up and more time enjoying your delicious creation.

So, go ahead and give this unique recipe a try – you might just find that it becomes a new favorite in your snack repertoire. And don’t forget to get creative with your dipping sauce selections, as the possibilities are truly endless! Happy snacking!

Step 6: Quick and Easy Cleanup

While the air fryer basket is still hot, clean it using our “no wet hands” method, which only takes 30 seconds. This method is perfect for those who don’t want the hassle of hand-washing dishes. Follow the steps outlined in our previous blog post on air fryer cleaning techniques, and you’ll have a spotless basket in no time. You can even clean two baskets at once by using one in each hand.

To start, while the basket is still hot, give one squirt of soap into the dirty basket.

Next, fill the basket with a small amount of water.

Then, swirl/jiggle/slosh the water in the basket until it foams.

After that, pour out the soap foam and briefly rinse the basket in the basket.

Finally, insert the basket back into the air fryer. No need to dry the basket with a towel – residual heat in the air fryer will do the trick!

Recipe

Bacon-Wrapped Cheese Chicken Pickle

Juicy, Heavenly, Balanced. Pickle, tender chicken, crispy bacon, and salty cheese all come together in a heavenly pairing. If you’re feeling hungry, make two!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, French, Italian

Keyword: Bacon-Wrapped Cheese Chicken Pickle

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 225kcal

Author: airfrye7

Cost: 5

Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Cutting Board

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• 2 slices pickles (dill or bread and butter, depending on your preference)
• 2 chicken tenders
• 2 cheese sticks (such as mozzarella or cheddar)
• 2 slices bacon (thin-cut works best)
• 1 squirt Your favorite dipping sauce BBQ sauce, Chick-fil-A sauce, mustard, ketchup

Instructions

 

• Put all Ingredients on a cutting board.
  
• Lay a strip of Bacon on a cutting board away from your body. At one end, make a stack of Cheese Chicken and Pickles. Next, Roll the Cheese Chicken Pickle with the Bacon until it is wrapped. The wrap should be semi-tight.
  
• Place two assembled bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes. Note: no need to preheat the air fryer. Remember to wash your hands with soap after handling raw meat.
  
• Check the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
  
• Once the bacon-wrapped cheese chicken pickles have finished cooking, transfer them to a serving plate and sauce them with two or three of your favorite dipping sauces. BBQ sauce, Chick-fil-A sauce, mustard, and ketchup are all popular choices, but feel free to experiment with other options as well.
  
• While the air fryer basket is still hot, clean it using our “no wet hands” method, which only takes 30 seconds. This method is perfect for those who don’t want the hassle of hand-washing dishes.
  

Nutrition

Serving: 300g | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 689mg | Potassium: 139mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.5mg

The post Bacon-Wrapped Cheese Chicken Pickle appeared first on The Air Fryer Gourmets.

Drummie, Drummie, in my Tummy!

I’ve had drumsticks in a pan, in the oven, in a pot, in an instapot, air fryer, on the grill, you name it! This staple dish has been everywhere in my kitchen over the years and it’s here to stay. I didn’t think the air fryer would be different than other methods but boy was I wrong. Achieving a crunchy crispy skin is can be a bit of an art on the stove and in the oven. But in the air fryer??? it’s Effortless! just as drumsticks should be. Almost impossible to overcook and it comes out juicy every time!

And yet, we still need to achieve Gourmet air fry status with our drummies. For that, we’ll brine them, dust them with an extra special custom spice blend and finish the plating without our very own homemade BBQ sauce.

Ingredients

Before we dive into the cooking process, make sure you have the following ingredients and tools at hand:

• 4 chicken drumsticks (3 per person, 4 for larger folk like my 6’3″ self)
• Taco seasoning
• Steak seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• Neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or grapeseed oil)
• A small bowl for mixing spices
• An air fryer
• A meat thermometer
• Your favorite dipping sauce (we’ll recommend a few later)

Prepping Your Drumsticks

1. Unwrap the packaging: Carefully remove the packaging from your chicken drumsticks, taking care not to contaminate any surfaces with raw juices. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling the raw drumsticks.
2. Arrange the drumsticks: Place the 4 drumsticks in your air fryer basket.

Seasoning the Drumsticks

To create a mouthwatering flavor profile for your chicken drumsticks, we’ll mix together a custom spice blend that combines taco seasoning, steak seasoning, salt, and pepper. This unique combination of spices will add a bold, savory kick to your drumsticks, making them impossible to resist!

1. In a small bowl, mix together equal parts taco seasoning and steak seasoning. Then add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. The exact amounts will depend on your personal preference, but a good starting point is 1 tablespoon of each seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Give the drumsticks one dash of neutral oil in the air fryer basket, just enough to lightly coat them. The oil will help the spices adhere to the drumsticks and promote even browning.
3. Sprinkle the spice blend over the drumsticks.
4. Give the air fryer basket a good shake to allow the spices to evenly coat the drumsticks.

Air Frying Your Drumsticks

With your drumsticks seasoned and ready to go, it’s time to start the air frying process. Follow these simple steps to achieve perfectly cooked, irresistibly delicious chicken drumsticks:

1. Set your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 20min.

6. After 20 minutes of cooking, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken drumsticks. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F (74°C) to ensure the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat. If necessary, cook the drumsticks for a few more minutes to reach the desired temperature.
7. Once the drumsticks are fully cooked, carefully remove them from the air fryer basket and transfer them to a serving plate. The drumsticks should be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, with a mouthwatering aroma that fills your kitchen.
8. Now it’s time to add some dipping sauces to your plate. Chick-fil-A sauce, Ranch, and Homemade BBQ Sauce are all great options to complement your air-fried drumsticks. You can also get creative and try other dipping sauces, such as honey mustard, garlic aioli, or spicy sriracha mayo.
9. For a complete meal, serve your chicken drumsticks alongside some delicious side dishes. Some popular options include air fryer fries, coleslaw, potato salad, cornbread, grilled or air fryer zucchini, or a simple green salad.
10. Lastly, dig in! I am always surprised at how much I enjoy a good drummy.

We can’t imagine a more beautiful thing. Be sure to share this Air Fryer Drumsticks Recipe with your friends!

Get Crispy!

L+A

The post Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks Ultimate Guide appeared first on The Air Fryer Gourmets.