Healthy Chicken Sticks in the Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken breasts (Chopped or minced; approximately 400 g total.)
• 80 g Mozzarella cheese (Grated or chopped to mix with the chicken.)
• 30 g Panko or pea protein (Use one of the two options.)
• 1 tbsp Sweet paprika (The paprika specified in the recipe; approximately 7 g.)
• 1 tsp Garlic powder (Approximately 3 g.)
• Salt and pepper (To taste.)

Steps

1. 1

   Chop or mince the chicken breasts until you obtain a fine mixture similar to ground meat.

2. 2

   Place the minced chicken in a bowl. Add the mozzarella, panko or pea protein, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

3. 3

   Mix everything very well until the cheese, coating, and spices are evenly distributed and a compact dough forms.

4. 4

   Spread the mixture over a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a rectangle, compacting it with your hands so there are no gaps.

5. 5

   Wrap the rectangle tightly in the plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes, until firm but not completely frozen.

6. 6

   Remove the plastic wrap and cut the rectangle into similarly sized sticks so they cook evenly.

7. 7

   Preheat the air fryer to 200 °C. Place the sticks in the basket in a single layer, leaving a little space between them.

8. 8

   Cook the sticks in the air fryer at 200 °C for 15 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking. They should be golden brown on the outside and fully cooked in the center.

9. 9

   Alternatively, bake them at 200 °C for approximately 18 minutes, also turning them halfway through cooking. Check that the chicken reaches 74 °C in the center before serving.

Notes

The post specifies 15 minutes at 200 °C in the air fryer or 18 minutes at 200 °C in the oven, turning halfway through cooking. Do not overcrowd the basket or baking tray to help the sticks become crispy. Serve immediately.

Nutrition per serving

• main course
• chicken
• air fryer
• baked
• high-protein
• easy
• healthy
• serves two