Guilt-free snacking has never been this easy! This AIR FRYER CHIN CHIN recipe turns your classic West African holiday snack into a healthier treat. Sounds impossible? Well, it’s here and it’s totally happening! Snacks are now becoming healthy!

I know you loved my Chin Chin recipe I posted a while back and I’m really glad you did. However, I find it really interesting that a lot of you guys are like me, health-conscious!

So, because it’s the holiday season, I’ll show why this Air Fryer Chin Chin should be your next healthy holiday snack or even as a holiday giveaway. These taste as good as the classic one without the oil!

And speaking of holiday giveaway, thank you to those who participated in my recent Air Fryer giveaway. If you haven’t joined yet, you still have a few more days to place your entry HERE (make sure to check your junk mail for an email.) This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. For our international readers, we will be doing another round of giveaway once we’ve worked through some logistics. So don’t you worry, folks!

What’s the Best Air Fryer for Chin Chin?

There are a lot of things you should consider before buying an air fryer. Currently, there are a lot of air fryer brands out there that offer almost the same functions. Personally, I prefer this Instant vortex 6-in-1 air fryer as it can accommodate my whole family. 

The volume capacity is just perfect for my family especially when cooking treats such as these air fryer chin chins. However, If you often expect a crowd, you can choose a bigger version of this appliance. The volume capacity rages from 6qt, 8qt, 10qt, up to 26qt.

Save space and time with this multifunctional gadget. It reheats, roasts, broils, bakes, dehydrates, and of course, it can fry.

Fry vs Bake vs Air Fry

Whether you like it fried, baked, or air fried, chin chins are an amazing comfort snack for any time of the day. So, does it really matter which method you use?  Personally, I say yes! here’s why each cooking method is different.

Deep Frying

Deep frying is the most common and traditional way of making chin chin. It uses a lot of oil to cook the snack because oil easily penetrates the food to the core. This method enhances the flavor of the snack and cooks it through and through.

Baking

Baking uses less or no oil at all which makes it a great healthy snack. However, baking takes a chunk of your day, especially when making a number of batches. Uneven cooking is also common when baking as one side is always facing the heat source.

Air Frying

Air frying is one of the more modern ways of cooking chin chin. It uses no oil at all and relies mostly on hot air to cook. It also processes quickly so you can have your snack in no time. This method makes super healthy treats.

Air Fryer Settings for Chin Chin

We are truly in the age of technology! Even in the culinary world, we are blessed with the benefits of innovation. It’s been a really great help, especially with us home cooks. One of the most interesting new appliances in the market is the air fryer. It’s a simple machine almost anybody can easily use. Here are just some of the most common and useful functions this magnificent appliance holds.

Play Pause Button

This button helps you check how your food is doing inside. You’ll find this button especially helpful when making this chin chin. With this button, you can just easily shake the basket to have an even cooking on all sides of your snack.

Plus-minus Button

You got that right! This button will adjust the temperature of what you’re cooking and also the cooking time. This feature varies depending on what model you have. The latest models usually have an LCD button where you can find the button. Older and more compact versions have a knob.

Food Presets

Similar to instant pots and slow cookers, this appliance has food presets. It gives you a lot of ideas on what to make with the air fryer. In my air fryer, I could also roast, broil, dehydrate, and bake. Amazing, right? Other air fryer models also indicate how much food is recommended per preset.

Air Fryer Chin Chin Recipe

The recipe for Air Fryer Chin Chin is similar to traditional chin chins with the exception of one ingredient. Now, I know you’re already wondering if it tastes the same as the regular ones submerged in oil. Well, it doesn’t really have much difference because most of the ingredients are the same. It’s simply healthier!

• All-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Nutmeg
• Lime zest
• Margarine or butter
• Egg
• Milk

Recipe Variation

Today, we’re making the original version of chin chins but with the use of an air fryer. The dough mix is the original take on how chin chins are made. However, there are other ways to make this lovely healthy holiday snack. Achieve different versions of this healthy treat by altering a few things in the ingredients.

Chocolate

This version is an easy twist for chin chin. Simply sift cocoa powder over the dry ingredients used in the recipe. the chocolatey taste shows up depending on how much cocoa powder you use. I definitely love this version.

Coconut

Give your chin chin a rich twist with coconut milk. The light addition of this ingredient will still get the right consistency with a dash of coconut goodness. I suggest trying this out; it’s so addicting!

Sugar-free

Here’s an unsweetened version for all you sugar-free folks out there. Use honey as a natural sweetener and make your chin chin extra healthy. Replace the sugar with honey and adjust the amount depending on the consistency.

Tips and Tricks in Cooking Chin Chin in the Air Fryer

Shake it!

It’s ideal to shake the basket of your air fryer, especially when making chin chin. This is to ensure that they don’t stick to the basket. This is a common practice especially for making snacks.

Don’t overcrowd

As with almost any type of cooking, overcrowding is a major sin. This could lead to uneven cooking or uncooked pieces of chin chin. Although this is easily salvageable, I recommend avoiding this. In the unfortunate event that you’re left with raw chin chin, simply pop them back in for about 20 minutes.

A bit of spray

This tip doesn’t work for air fryer chin chin because we are doing an oil-free recipe. However, you can always use this for other snacks that are somehow fragile such as potato fries. Spray a bit of oil on the food so that it avoids sticking to the walls.

Keeping Air Fryer Chin Chin  Crispy

This air fryer chin chin is best stored in an airtight container or jar. Although it’s mostly used, I advise you not to use a plastic bag or zip lock to store these treats. The reason for this is that sometimes you can leave a small opening without knowing it. This causes more air in the bag making your chin chin stale.

Allow the chin chin to cool down to room temperature before storing. Make sure not to fill it up all the way through. You want some extra space so you can close it nice and tight. This will preserve your chin chin for about a month.

Other Snack Recipes You Can Munch On

• Mandazi
• Koeksisters
• Crunchies
• Puff-Puff
• Plantain Chips

How to Air Fry Chin Chin

 

In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg, and grated lime. Then add the butter to the flour and mix well until the butter is well incorporated with the flour. Whisk the egg into the mixture. Keep mixing until you have formed a sticky dough ball. 

Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead, incorporating more flour into the dough as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and even in color and no longer sticky. Divide the dough in half. On a floured board, roll each half about ⅙ inches thick. Just like linguine or fettuccine. You can make it easy by using a pasta machine if you have one available. Make shapes as desired. 

Preheat Air Fryer according to manufacturer instruction. Set at 300 degrees F. Remove the basket from the air fryer and spray the basket with cooking oil spray. Place the cut out chin in the basket in a single layer. Spray them with a cooking oil spray. Cook for 15-18 minutes. Take the basket out and give the chips a test. If the chips still aren’t crisp, continue cooking for another 2 minutes.  You will have to shake the basket several times for even cooking. 

Disclaimer: Cooking times will vary depending on what type of air fryer you use and the color you like.  If the settings above do not work for you, adjust accordingly.

Oven Instructions: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Place the chin chin on the sheet pan and spray them with cooking spray. Bake for 6 minutes.  Might take up to 10 minutes, depending on your oven. 

 

Watch How To Make It

 

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