Sweet and sour chicken with a nice crispy coating, plenty of tangy-sweet sauce and lovely chunky pieces of bell pepper, onion and pineapple. The chicken and vegetables are all cooked up in the air fryer, while the sauce is made quickly and easily in the microwave or a saucepan. A brilliant way to make that takeaway favourite at home!
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I love a homemade sweet and sour, but I’m not so keen on the oil splatters from frying up the chicken, so this air fry version is a brilliant alternative.
The coating is a mixture of cornflour (cornstarch in USA), salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder – the cornflour gives it its crispiness and the other seasonings add flavour, so those crispy chicken bites are super tasty even before the sauce is added.
The sauce is a store-cupboard grab that only takes 5 minutes to put together. You can make it in the microwave (everything for the sauce goes into one bowl) or a saucepan. Both cooking methods work equally well!
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Crispy Chicken
- Chicken thighs are best for this recipe – they stay juicy with the high heat that’s required to get the crispness on the coating.
- Spray oil is your best friend with the air fryer. I’m a total convert to this Vilgain Avocado oil (<–aff link) – it’s gives a nice even mist, has no flavour and can stand up to high heat cooking without burning. I don’t think it’s available in the USA, but Chosen Avocado oil (<–aff link) is a similar one that works great and is more widely available.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- The malt vinegar can be swapped out for rice vinegar, white wine vinegar or cider vinegar.
- You can of course use fresh ginger and garlic instead of paste. I’m using the pastes as this is for my quick version.
- You can swap the regular ketchup for a low salt and sugar version. I sometimes do this if I don’t have regular ketchup in.
Pro Tip
Cooking the chicken first, and then the vegetables ensure the chicken has a crispier coating. We testing cooking the chicken with the vegetables and found the moisture from the vegetables makes the chicken coating go too soft.
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Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 6 large skinless chicken thigh fillets (this is about 750g/1.65lbs untrimmed or 600g/1.3lbs once trimmed)
- 6 tbsp cornflour (corn starch in USA)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- spray oil (I use approx 5-6ml – which is about a teaspoon)
Vegetables:
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 1 red pepper chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 green pepper chopped into 1 inch pieces
- spray oil (I use approx 5-6ml – which is about a teaspoon)
Sauce:
- 1 tsp minced garlic (garlic paste)
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp malt vinegar
- 6 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar
- 432 g (15.2 oz) canned pineapple chunks in juice
To Serve:
- egg fried rice or boiled rice
- sesame seeds
- chopped spring onions (scallions)
Instructions
- Take the chicken thigh fillets, trim off the excess fat, and cut into bite-size pieces. Put to one side.6 large skinless chicken thigh fillets
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cornflour, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and paprika.6 tbsp cornflour (corn starch in USA), 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika
- Place the chicken in the bowl with the cornflour, and mix, ensuring every piece of chicken is completely covered.
- Spray the air fryer basket with a little oil, then place the chicken in the airfryer basket in a single layer. Spray the chicken with spray oil (or you can brush on some oil). You may have to work in two batches if you have a small airfryer.spray oil
- Cook on the air fryer setting at 190C/375F for about 16-18 minutes – until the chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink in the middle. Check on the chicken and give it a shake at least 3 times during cooking, to ensure the chicken doesn't stick together.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a microwave-safe bowl and stir together. Microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes, stirring every minute, until the sauce is hot and slightly thickened (see notes for saucepan alternative). Put to one side.1 tsp minced garlic (garlic paste), 1 tsp minced ginger, 150 ml (2/3 cup) tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp malt vinegar, 6 tbsp dark brown muscovado sugar, 432 g (15.2 oz) canned pineapple chunks in juice
- When the chicken is cooked, remove from the air fryer basket and place in a bowl. Place the chopped onions and peppers in the air fryer basket spray with oil and cook at 200C/400F for 6-7 minutes, until softened and very slightly charred.1 large onion, 1 red pepper, 1 green pepper, spray oil
- Add the chicken back in with the vegetables and cook at 200C/400F for 1 minute (just to warm the chicken back through).
- Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a bowl and pour over the sauce (you may need to heat for for 30 seconds first if it's cooled a little). Toss together with the sauce.
- Serve with boiled or fried rice and a sprinkling of sesame seeds and spring onions.egg fried rice or boiled rice, sesame seeds, chopped spring onions (scallions)
Notes
Check the chicken is cooked
You want to ensure the chicken is fully cooked before serving. Slice open one of the larger pieces you can find, and make sure it’s no longer pink in the middle. If it’s white with no pink areas, it’s cooked.Want to make the sauce in a saucepan instead?
Place all of the sauce ingredients into a saucepan and mix together to combine. Heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken slightly (this should take about 3-4 minutes). Then turn off the heat.Make the sauce ahead
Place all of the sauce ingredients in an airtight container and stir together. Place the lid on and refrigerate (for up to a day), then heat up when ready. Nutritional Information is per serving not including rice (I don’t know how much rice you’re going to serve this with :-))Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Serve with egg fried rice or boiled rice. I like to top with a few chopped spring onions and sesame seeds too.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
- Egg fried rice, boiled rice or cauliflower rice
- A drizzle of hot sauce or sweet chilli sauce
? Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It’s a little less juicy, but if you prefer chicken breast then it will work fine.
Yes! Place all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Cover and refrigerate (for up to a day), then heat up when ready.
I wouldn’t recommend making this whole dish ahead as the chicken coating will start to go soft after being mixed with the sauce.
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