Made in the Air Fryer!

Y'all... I told y'all why I was OBSESSED with the air fryer in my last blog post and lately I have been craving Asian Chicken. You know, the crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, covered in a sweet yet spicy sauce.. you know the one. It's been on my mind and I was almost ready to throw in the towel and go to an Asian restaurant when I thought to myself, I have food at home! And different ingredients! Maybe I can make this work!

Here goes nothing! I thought.

And guess what, the Sweet N Spicy Asian Chicken recipe came out FANTASTIC. So fantastic, in fact, that I have tried to recreate the recipe 3 times in the last week (4 in the last 2 but who's counting?). I have tried to tweak it in different ways to see if things will work. But guess what?! The first time I made it was the truly the best version. SO, thank goodness I remembered to actually write down ingredients (lol, I'm bad at that) and turn it into an actual recipe that I will present to you here.😉

Here are some fun things to consider when making this recipe:

- You need an air fryer for the consistency

- You should enjoy Asian cooking if you make this recipe

- You shouldn't be afraid of eating my fave part of the chicken...chicken thighs!! (though you can make with breast- which I did the 4th time and the consistency is not the same!!)

- You should be able to tolerate some heat but if not you can always opt of the Harissa Paste which makes it spicy 🔥

So, if you nodded your head "yes" and you are ready to make this yummy Sweet N Spicy Asian Chicken Recipe, raise your hand! 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Just an FYI.. I did get a lot (most) of the ingredients for this recipe from Trader Joe's. If you do not have a local Trader Joe's around you then you can probably find most of the ingredients in the Asian section of your local grocery store. One exception would be the Soyaki that I use for the sauce, you may need to create your own by mixing Teriyaki + Soy Sauce + Sesame Seeds.

Side note: I will put a (TJs) for the ingredients that I got at Trader Joe's to hopefully make your shopping a little easier!

I paired my Sweet N Spicy Asian Chicken Recipe with Udon Noodle stir fry in the pictures. This consisted of Annie Chun's Oganic Japanese-Style Udon Noodles (from COSTCO), fresh zucchini, onions, kimchi, and peanuts with spices.

Okay, without further ado.....

Sweet N Spicy Asian Chicken Recipe Details

Ingredients:

1 cup of Soyaki (TJs)

2 tbsp Avocado Oil

1-2 tbsp Harissa paste (TJs)

3 tbsp Rice Vinegar

1 tsp Black Pepper (TJs 🤣)

1 tsp Ground Ginger (TJs)

1 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil (TJs)

1 tbsp Ketchup

1 tsp Red Boat Fish Sauce (TJs)

1 tbsp Honey (TJs - I used Round Rock, a local Texan Honey)

3 Garlic Cloves (chopped)

1.5 lbs of Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs (or Breast) cut into 2 inch pcs

1 cup Flour (I used whole wheat)

1 Egg & 1/2 cup Milk - beaten together

Avocado Oil Spray

Sesame Seeds (garnish)

Fresh Basil (garnish)

Directions:

1. Dip chicken pieces in egg and milk mixture and then in flour to bread

2. Spray air fryer down with avocado oil spray and place layer of chicken, then spray with more avocado oil spray on top (do not over crowd the chicken)

3. Cook on 400 for 10-12 minutes, shaking and spraying with more avocado oil spray midway

4. Heat small pot on low medium, add everything down to the honey and stir frequently until it begins to thicken about 8 minutes

5. Add garlic to the sauce and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently

6. Remove chicken from air fryer and transfer to large heat resistant bowl, pour sauce over chicken

7. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh basil as garnish & serve! (Btw, I forgot to do the sesame seeds until AFTER I took pics, smh)