“My boys Luciano and Rocco absolutely love this, especially when they are watching a film and want easy finger food,” says Gino D’Acampo, author of a new Italian recipe collection, Gino’s Air Fryer Cookbook.
“The Calabrian chilli paste gives a sweet, smoky and very spicy flavour, and, together with the mascarpone which cools that down, the flavours are really a match made in heaven. You can make the wings as spicy as you like by simply adding more chilli or ‘Nduja, or you can substitute the honey with maple syrup, or the mascarpone with cream cheese, if you like.”
Air fryer devilled chicken wings
Ingredients:
(Serves 4)
1kg chicken wings
75g honey
1-3tbsp Calabrian chilli paste from a jar, or jarred chopped chillies, to taste
1½tsp red wine vinegar
1tbsp tomato purée
1tbsp olive oil
1tsp garlic powder
40g rice flour, or cornflour
1tsp sweet smoked paprika
50g ’Nduja from a jar
150g mascarpone, or Dolcelatte
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Place the chicken wings in a colander, mix in one teaspoon of salt and let the skin dry out for 15 minutes while you get everything else ready.
2. To make the marinade, pour the honey into a large bowl and add the chilli paste or chopped chillies, vinegar, tomato purée and oil. Mix using a whisk, then set aside.
3. Preheat the air fryer to 190°C for three minutes.
4. In another large bowl, mix the garlic powder, flour, paprika and half a teaspoon pepper, add the chicken wings and toss to get them evenly coated. Pour about three-quarters of the honey marinade over the chicken and mix well. Transfer to the air fryer fitted with the basket insert and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the wings and cook for a further eight minutes until sticky and cooked through.
5. Meanwhile mix the ‘Nduja with the remaining marinade. Drizzle the sauce mixture on top of the wings and cook for a final one to two minutes to melt. Plate up, dot with the mascarpone or Dolcelatte and serve with an ice-cold beer or a glass of full-bodied red wine.
Gino’s Air Fryer Cookbook: Italian Classics Made Easy by Gino D’Acampo is published by Bloomsbury, priced £22. Photography by Haarala Hamilton. Available now.
