Lemon Pepper Boneless Wings

• 250 g raw Boneless chicken thigh (8.8 oz raw)
• 10 g Cornstarch (1¼ tbsp)
• 2 g Baking powder (½ tsp)
• 1.8 g Salt (⅓ tsp)
• 2 g Black pepper, coarsely ground (¾ tsp)
• 4 g Vegetable oil spray (¾ tsp)
• 200 g raw Russet potato (7.1 oz raw)
• 8 g Light butter (½ tbsp)
• 15 g Lemon juice (1 tbsp)
• 1 g Garlic powder (⅓ tsp)
• 60 g raw Celery sticks (2.1 oz raw)
• 60 g raw Carrot sticks (2.1 oz raw)
• 20 g Light ranch dressing (0.7 oz)
• 40 g Nonfat Greek yogurt (2¾ tbsp)

You'll need: Air fryer (or oven and baking sheet), Bowl, Small saucepan, Tongs, Paper towel.

Method

1. Dry and coat the chicken

   Pat the chicken very dry and cut it into 5 cm (2 inch) wing-size pieces. Toss with the cornstarch, baking powder and half the salt in a bowl until evenly dusted.

   Baking powder helps the surface blister and crisp like fried skin.

2. Air-fry the wings and wedges

   Heat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F). Cut the potato into wedges, spray with a little oil and air-fry for 8 minutes. Spray the chicken, add it to the basket and cook for 12–14 minutes more, shaking twice, until crisp and 74°C (165°F) in the middle. No air fryer? Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) at the start and bake on a lined baking sheet instead, turning halfway; it takes about 5 minutes longer.

   Shake twice. The pieces brown evenly instead of sticking.

3. Make the lemon butter

   Melt the butter in the small saucepan over low heat for about 1 minute. Take it off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, the black pepper, the garlic powder and the last of the salt.

   Be generous with the pepper. It's half the name.

4. Toss the wings

   Tip the hot wings into a bowl, pour over the butter mixture and toss until every piece is glossy and peppery.

   Toss straight out of the fryer when the surface is still hot and grabby.

5. Dip and crunch

   Stir the ranch into the yogurt for a lighter dip. Serve it with the celery and carrot sticks, the wings and the wedges.

   Cold crunchy veg is a cool contrast to hot wings.

Swaps

• Boneless chicken thigh → Chicken breast, same weightLeaner, about 50 kcal less; cut a bit bigger so it stays juicy.
• Light butter → Olive oil, 6 gSlightly less rich. The ranch and yogurt still contain dairy.