Chicken Legs with French Fries and Apple Sauce in Air Fryer
Tender chicken legs and crispy french fries, served with sweet and sour apple sauce and homemade mayonnaise, quickly cooked in an air fryer.
Steps
- 1
Peel the potatoes and cut them into thick fries. Soak them in cold water for 30 minutes, then dry them well with a kitchen towel. Mix with 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil and season with salt and pepper.
- 2
Season the chicken drumsticks with salt, pepper, dried tarragon, and a generous splash of apple cider vinegar. Crush the garlic cloves and rub them onto the drumsticks.
- 3
Preheat the airfryer to 180°C (350°F). Place the drumsticks in the basket and cook for 25 minutes, turning halfway through.
- 4
While the drumsticks are cooking, prepare the apple sauce: peel the apples, core them, and cut into small cubes. Place them in a small pot with a splash of water and simmer over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Mash or blend until desired consistency. Stir in 1 tablespoon of mustard and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- 5
After 25 minutes, remove the drumsticks from the airfryer. Place the fries in the basket and cook at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
- 6
While the fries are cooking, make the mayonnaise: beat the egg yolk with a pinch of salt and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Slowly drizzle in the sunflower oil while beating continuously until thick and creamy.
- 7
To serve, arrange the chicken drumsticks and fries on plates. Add a generous portion of apple sauce and homemade mayonnaise.
Shopping list
1 kg large floury potatoes, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 8 chicken legs, 1 generous splash apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp dried tarragon, 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste, 3 Jonagold apples, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 splash apple cider vinegar, 1 egg yolk, sunflower oil as needed, aluminum foil as needed
Recipe story
This recipe combines Dutch culinary tradition with the modern ingenuity of the air fryer. The crispy chicken legs and golden fries recall the bourgeois feasts of the 17th century, when the Netherlands was in its Golden Age and poultry was a symbol of prosperity. Apple sauce, a classic accompaniment in Dutch cuisine, adds a sweet and sour note that perfectly complements the flavors. Homemade mayonnaise with apple cider vinegar provides a creamy texture and authentic taste.
Ingredient Secrets
Black pepper
Known as 'black gold' in antiquity, pepper was so valuable that it served as currency and tribute. In the Middle Ages, Venetian merchants controlled the pepper trade, and individual peppercorns were often counted. Legend has it that when Alaric, king of the Visigoths, demanded tribute from Rome, he included 3,000 pounds of pepper.
Sea salt
Sea salt, extracted from ocean waters by evaporation, was one of the most precious goods of antiquity, used both as food and as currency. In ancient Rome, soldiers were paid with salt, which is the origin of the word 'salary'. Salt roads connected entire civilizations, and in the Middle Ages, salt was so valuable it was called 'white gold'.
Garlic
Native to Central Asia, garlic was already known in ancient Egypt, where it was given to slaves to boost their strength. In ancient Greece, athletes consumed it before competitions, and in Rome, legionaries considered it essential for courage. During the Middle Ages, it was used to ward off vampires and the plague.
Cloves
Cloves, the dried buds of the exotic Syzygium aromaticum tree, were one of the most prized spices of the ancient world, often called 'aromatic gold'. In the Middle Ages, Venetian merchants controlled the clove trade, bringing them from the Maluku Islands, the only place they grew, and selling them at exorbitant prices in Europe.
Potato
Although today it seems indispensable on the table, the potato was long viewed with suspicion in Europe. Arriving from the Andes in the 16th century, it was considered a diabolical plant, even poisonous, due to its toxic leaves and fruits. It wasn't until the 18th century, thanks to promoters like Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, that the potato became a staple food, saving Europe from famine.
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