Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken
Crispy air-fried chicken bites tossed with fresh bell peppers, onions, pineapple chunks, and a tangy homemade sweet and sour sauce.
Ingredients
- • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (, cut to 1" (2-cm) pieces (*Footnote 1))
- • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- • 1/2 teaspoon salt
- • 1/3 cup cornflour
- • 2 tablespoons ketchup ((*Footnote 1))
- • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine ((or dry sherry))
- • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce ((or soy sauce))
- • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- • 2 tablespoons water
- • 2 teaspoons cornflour
- • 1 tablespoon peanut oil ((or vegetable oil))
- • 2 cloves garlic (, minced)
- • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- • 1/2 small white onion (, chopped)
- • 1 sweet peppers (, chopped (I used a mix of colours in this recipe))
Preparation Steps
Combine chicken pieces, vegetable oil, and salt in a big bowl. Mix well and let marinate for 10 minutes. When ready to cook, add cornflour to the chicken. Stir to coat the chicken, until it forms an uneven coating with a little dry cornflour left unattached.
Place the chicken pieces into your air fryer basket (or tray), without overlapping. Cook in batches if needed. Spray oil onto the chicken until there’s no dry cornflour on the surface. Cook in the air fryer at 450°F (230°C) for 8 minutes, until the chicken turns pale yellow. Flip the chicken (or shake the air fryer basket) and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, until turning golden. Once done, transfer all the chicken pieces to a big plate to cool off slightly.
Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
When the chicken is cooked, prepare the sauce: Heat oil in a large frying pan until hot. Add garlic and ginger. Cook and stir a few times until it releases its fragrance.
Add the sweet peppers and white onion. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornflour completely. Pour into the pan. Stir and cook until it thickens. Add back the chicken pieces. Stir to coat chicken evenly with sauce. Transfer everything to a plate immediately. Serve hot as a main dish.