What’s a Halogen Oven?

I recently had the opportunity to play around with Vonshef’s halogen oven, which is a surprisingly affordable small kitchen appliance that uses a halogen bulb and a motorized fan to cook foods quickly and without the use of oil (or at least less of it) by moving hot air around in a self-contained oven. It’s easy to see how your foods are cooking because the entire oven is basically a giant, see-through glass bowl.  I regularly fry chicken fingers for my kids, so the promise of a cleaner, healthier way to make chicken fingers is a very attractive proposition indeed.

I use panko to make chicken fingers from scratch, mainly because I’ve found that I can use panko without having to make a messy egg-and-milk batter first. I just firmly press the panko directly onto my sliced raw chicken breasts and cook away. Less mess = less time in the kitchen = more time for wine drinking.  Wins all around!

As for using the halogen oven to “fry” the chicken fingers, I found that you can’t go completely oil-free if you’re making chicken fingers from scratch, or your panko won’t brown at all. I sprayed my chicken fingers with olive oil spray right before cranking up the halogen oven, and then did it again halfway through cooking. You’ll still use a lot less oil than usual — when I pan-fry my chicken fingers, I usually use around 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup of sunflower oil, as opposed to a few tablespoons of olive oil in this case for the same crunchy results.

Oh, Miso Honey Mustard

For dipping, my kids are not unlike all kids everywhere — usually, they just reach for ketchup. But I love this savory-sweet miso honey mustard dipping sauce, which adds a zest and tang to your crunchy chicken fingers. Plus, whipping up this sauce takes only a few minutes, and it just might make someone at the dinner table say, “You did this for me? How fancy!” (Let’s be clear: my kids wouldn’t say that, but one can dream, right?)

Do you want your own halogen oven from Vonshef? See the giveaway below!

For more family-friendly recipes from my blog, check these out:

• Saturday Caprese Salad
• Three Ingredient Miso Butternut Squash Soup
• Spanish Tortilla with Spinach
• Thai Fish with Basil Sauce
• Five Can’t Miss Instant Pot Recipes

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