air fryer

Spicy Air Fried Chickpeas

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All the Christmas in July talk had me craving my Chistmas snacks.  For the last several Christmases my friend Kena has gifted us a large bag of her spicy pretzels.  They are so good and I look forward to her gift of them every year (are you reading this Kena?)!  They have the perfect combination of a salty crunch with a bit of spice to them.  The ONLY negative is that the pretzel recipe has a pretty significant about of oil in the ingredients.  I am a snacker, and often find myself looking for something to munch on.  These chickpeas satisfy my craving for that spicy crunch, but keep the snack on the healthier side  – and they let me keep looking forward to Kena’s Christmas pretzels! ~Tracy

chickpeas

Ingredients:

  • 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (I used Bush’s Organic Garbanzo Beans)
  • ½ tsp. garlic salt
  • ¼ tsp. lemon pepper
  • ½ tsp. red cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp. onion powder
  • 1 T. powdered ranch dressing mix
  • dash salt
  • dash black pepper
  • Canola oil cooking spray

Spread chickpeas evenly in one flat layer on paper towels.  Allow them to dry on the kitchen counter for three to four hours, rolling them occasionally so that they evenly dry on all sides.

Lightly spray chickpeas with canola oil cooking spray.  Roll them around and lightly spray again making an effort to coat them lightly, but evenly.

In a large zip style baggie, combine all dry ingredients and shake to combine well.  Add the sprayed chickpeas to the bag, seal, and gently shake to coat the chickpeas with the spice mixture.

Place chickpeas in the basket of air fryer and cook on 340 for 14-16 minutes. You can click here for the link to my air fryer.

Air fryers vary in power, so begin to check the chickpeas at about the 14 minute mark for the desired crispiness.  My family likes them very crispy, but I don’t mind them with a little softness in the center.  You can experiment with what you like.

Chickpeas are ZERO WW points!  Some may argue that with the cooking spray these should be counted on WW, but per serving I’m not going to count the negligible amount.

Brown Sugar & Bacon Chicken

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My daughter is turning 12 soon.  She’s just like me as a child in that she starts planning her birthday months in advance…. possible theme, cake flavor, birthday dinner, etc.  I give my kids the option of either going out to eat or having Mom cook whatever favorite dish they want.  This year she’s decided she wants her favorite food of all… bacon.  My response to this request was, “Bacon and what? It’s not really a meal by itself.” That’s actually not true, in my opinion, but she doesn’t need to know that.  So she decided on this bacon-wrapped chicken dish and mashed potatoes as the side.  No other veggies because she “doesn’t have to eat veggies on her birthday.”  You got it, Sweetie! 

This is no ordinary baked chicken.  Dredged in a spiced brown sugar mixture and wrapped in bacon, it’s birthday-dinner worthy!  ~Erin

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ to 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts; about 3 large breasts cut into 6 chunks each for a total of 18
  • 9 slices center-cut bacon, halved
  • ½ c. packed brown sugar
  • 1 ½ T. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375°F (If using an air fryer, no need to preheat).

Line a sheet pan with foil and place a wire rack on top.  Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In a gallon zipper baggie, mix spices together with brown sugar until well-combined. Place chicken pieces in the baggie, seal and shake to coat.

Take the chicken pieces out and wrap each piece in a half slice of bacon; place on the wire rack or in the basket of an air fryer.  Do not crowd together. Drizzle any remaining spiced brown sugar mixture left in the baggie evenly over the chicken.

Bake in the oven 30 minutes, or until bacon is crispy; or bake in the air fryer at 330° for 13-14 minutes. 

WW Freestyle Info.:  This makes 18 bacon-wrapped chicken pieces.  Each piece is 2 SmartPoints.