Sometimes, I go down a rabbit hole when it comes to food. That is what happened when I started out with a simple air fryer hot dogs recipe.
Not only do I enjoy eating food and cooking for loved ones, but I also enjoy reading about food topics. Last month, I read The Takeout‘s “America Is Ready for Its Great National Hot Dog Chain” post. The post mentioned two small hot dog chains, Portillo’s and Wienerschnitzel, so I visited their websites.
Both chains featured a Chicago Dog – something that I had never heard about. My husband enjoys hot dogs so I decided that if I was going to make hot dogs in the air fryer then I would “elevate” them by making Chicago-style hot dogs.
Whether you want to make a quick and easy basic hot dog in the air fryer or a Chicago-style hot dog, this post will guide you through the steps.
Air Fryer Hot Dogs Recipe
Air Fryer Hot Dogs
Ingredients:
- 4 beef hot dogs (I use Nathans hot dogs.)
- (Optional) 4 hot dog buns
Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 390°F for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the hot dogs from their packaging and place them in the air fryer basket.
- Cook the hot dogs at 390°F for 6 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
- (Optional) Place the cooked hot dogs into hot dog buns and let them cook for an additional 2 minutes at 390°F so that you can have toasted buns.
Now, that you know how long you should cook Nathan’s hot dogs in an air fryer, let’s move on to making a Chicago-style hot dog.
Chicago-Style Hot Dogs Recipe
Chicago Dogs
Ingredients:
- 4 beef hot dogs
- 4 hot dog buns
- 2 tbsp chopped onions
- 8 tomato half-slices
- 4 dill pickle spears
- 8 sport peppers
- Yellow mustard
- Sweet relish
- Celery salt
Instructions:
- Prepare the hot dogs. I used the air fryer hot dogs but you can grill or boil them according to your preference.
- Assemble the Chicago-style hot dog. Place the hot dog in the bun. Then, place 2 half-slices of tomato on one side of the hot dog and a pickle spear on the other side. Add the mustard and relish on top of the hot dog.
- Next, add chopped onions and two sports peppers on top of each hot dog. Finish off the Chicago dog by sprinkling celery salt over the top of the entire hot dog.
- Serve the Chicago-style hot dogs right away to enjoy the combination of flavors and textures.
Recipe Notes
-You can make small slits on each side of the hot dog with a knife before cooking. I don’t and they come out fine – they still cook evenly and don’t burst.
-Poppy seed hot dog buns are ideal for Chicago dogs, but I couldn’t find them. (Regular or pretzel hot dog buns are also used though.)
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious flavor of the Chicago hot dog with its various toppings – especially the sport peppers. I think that your family and friends will love these hot dogs too.
Now, what else can I make with the leftover celery salt? Hmmm…
If you found this air fryer hot dogs/ Chicago-style hot dogs recipe post helpful, please share it. Thanks!