It’s summer! That means the Fourth of July is coming right around the corner. Despite all the negativity in the headlines recently and having to shelter in place, we’re here to tell you that Independence Day is NOT cancelled. We may not be able to spend the holiday with our extended family and loved ones, but we are definitely going to be making some good food. Read on below to see what’s on the menu for our 4th of July party, quarantine edition!
Barbecued foods are now easy to make indoors and all year round when you use an air fryer. Coat your mains with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and cook in the air fryer. Then, slather in barbecue sauce and cook for a few minutes more to produce a barbecue that tastes like you cooked it on the grill. Serve alongside your favorite vegetables, baked beans, rice, or salad… the options are endless.
First up on our menu is the classic barbecue chicken. Using an air fryer instead of a traditional grill makes the skin of the chicken extra crispy and thus extra delicious. The barbecue sauce keeps the chicken nice and moist, balancing out the crunch of the skin perfectly.
For barbecue sauce, you can use any favorite from your local grocery store. I used the classic Stubbs Original barbecue sauce and the dish turned out amazingly. Check out the full recipe and instructions here .
Next up, we have our favorite baby back ribs. The preparation for this dish is actually very similar to the barbecue chicken. If you really wanted to make things simpler, you could opt to use the same seasoning from the chicken on the ribs. These ribs have always been a huge hit with our family. When it comes to doing a cookout, why not create both?
For sides, we like to start with the staple of any classic American Independence Day cookout, corn on the cob.
You’ll want to start with husked and trimmed ears of corn. I’ve found that four ears of corn are the perfect amount to cook at one time. You don’t want to stack the cobs. They should all lay flat and have their own space in the fryer.
You’ll want to liberally spray the ears of corn with any nonstick cooking spray. Season the corn with salt and pepper to your taste and then place the ears in the air fryer basket. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll have sweet, crisp ears of corn! Butter them up and enjoy! Find the full recipe here.
Corn on the cob is such a gorgeous representation of summer and a great choice when you’re serving a larger group of guests. I can’t wait for this year’s 4th. This air fryer Corn on the Cob will definitely be part of the celebration.
The final item for the blog post today is my favorite air fried potatoes. I love how crispy they get on the outside while the inside stays nice and soft. The seasoning is quite easy to make and total prep time took me under 10 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how nicely they taste. Also, a huge bonus with these potatoes is that they’re really hard to mess up. Potatoes tend to be quite forgiving in air fryers (within a healthy range) so you don’t need to worry whether they will turn out nicely.
I hope you enjoy your celebrations this year, wherever you may be and however you end up deciding to celebrate it. Leave us a comment when you try the recipes and let us know how your barbecue turned out.