I can’t remember if I’ve already waxed poetic about this particular recipe but even if I did it bears repeating…man, do I love fried chicken.
Not just loved as in I could eat that stuff twice a week. We’re talking loved like there should be a fried chicken Yankee candle wafting this welcoming odor into our foyer. We should lobby to have it included in the USDA’s recommended foods pyramid. Hell, I’d even consider naming a child after this heavenly dish.
Guess the kids should be glad I wasn’t this passionate when they came home.
Anyway, things went sideways when I hit that magical “middle aged” milestone. Suddenly fried foods weren’t good for me which as far as I was concerned is a crime against humanity. Then this whole gluten sensitivity thing reared its ugly head and I really wasn’t allowed near fried chicken’s utter deliciousness. Why, Lord?? Why?????
Cue wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Recently I said the hell with it and gave frying chicken with gluten free flour a shot. Good intentions and all that jazz but when’s the last time you fried something? It’s a mess, man. It takes forever, spits grease all over the stovetop, and you end up with hot oil splattering your forearms – no bueno. No bueno at all.
A few months into corona days I figured it was past time to embrace the air fryer fad. Phillips introduced the first one on the market ten years ago – nobody ever accused me of jumping on the bandwagon. Or maybe they did, I don’t know, all I know is we finally joined the rest of America in plopping an air fryer onto our counter. I’ve had success with a number of things but the one that made me cry happy tears? That’s the Air Fryer Southern Fried Chicken from Divas Can Cook. Delicious, healthy, and no grease burns on my arms.
Can’t ask for more than that.
Riddle from the Middle 
I get my fried chicken the lazy way – from the store deli or the nearest take-out restaurant. But I do love it, and always have. When my mom was alive and still in her own apartment, I would often drive out on a Sunday and we would order fried chicken dinners from our favorite pizzeria. We’d sit and chat (and drink coffee and then wine), and sometimes I’d even stay over. I miss those days. These days, fried chicken simply doesn’t taste as good as it did at Mom’s place, no matter where I get it from.
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Sometimes the company really does make the food. It sounds like you have wonderful memories of your mom — so sweet that something as simple as fried chicken reminds you of her. 💛
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I have not gotten an air fryer yet. Insta pot, yes. May have to plunge
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I do so much cooking now, my kitchen is receiving way more attention than it’s used to. 🙂
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Love my air fryer. I eat little meat, but it does a bang-up job for roasted potatoes, steak fries, zucchini fries, parmesan garlic shrimp, etc. I also love my instant pot – I’m a sucker for new toys.I eat a lot off beans and rice, and the IP does a great job on both. Also hard boiled (really teamed) eggs are perfect – peel like a dream. I am also alone, so the size of the air fryer is not a problem for me. One night steak fries dipped in blue cheese dressing was a perfect dinner for me.
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Fries are the best! Your parmesan garlic shrimp sound delicious — do you have a recipe for those? And I’m with you on the Instant Pot. People rave about using it to quickly cook meat but mine is mostly for sides. It completely changed our rice game around here. So good!
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Try this one
Air Fryer Parmesan Shrimp
Air Fryer Parmesan Shrimp – Simple and flavorful garlic and parmesan air-fried shrimp, ready in 10 minutes!
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Simple and flavorful garlic and parmesan air-fried shrimp, ready in 10 minutes!
Author: Sara
Ingredients
2 pounds jumbo cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon, quartered
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine garlic, parmesan cheese, pepper, oregano, basil, onion powder and olive oil.
Gently toss shrimp in mixture until evenly-coated.
Spray air fryer basket with non-stick spray and place shrimp in basket.
Cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until seasoning on shrimp is browned.
Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp before serving.
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This looks fantastic! Thanks so much. 🙂
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Also great for roasting tomatoes and red peppers.
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I had some frozen sweet potatoe fries out of an airfryer and they blew my mind! I have been on the fence about getting one because they don’t seeem to cook a lot at a time and lets face it, when I eat fried chicken, I need a lot! lol
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Yeah, that’s the annoying part. Mine is a 6 quart — I chopped two chicken breasts into “fingers” and it took four batches to make but I figure it would have taken just as long to fry them in a skillet. I just kept them warm in a 200 degree oven while I was working.
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We have not jumped on the Air Fryer or InstaPot band wagon. Am I missing something I will live to regret? Sounds like it!
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Well, if you like fries at home it does an amazing job — I’ve never had ones from the store turn out like this in the oven. Even better you can chop up a couple of Russet potatoes and they’re fantastic (and cheaper!). So the sides are good but honestly I think this fried chicken is the winner.
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I am going to do some research. I love fried foods, but we stay away from them normally.
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I’m in the age where fried stuff is a total no-no.
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I’m sorry, that is a total bummer. This air fryer is at least simulating the taste and I’ll take it. 🙂
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We have to take what we can. Thanks 😊
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So pleased. I still haven’t cracked the gluten free coating thing. Will look out for an air drier.
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I highly recommend if you’re doing lots of home cooking, enjoy fried food, and would like to try something healthier.
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Welcome back to the land of sweet fried goodness.
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It is a joyous place indeed.
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I found some gluten free panko crumbs once for my grandson. It was a hit.
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Oh, those panko crumbs are the best! I used them to make gluten free mozzarella bites that were fantastic.
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