Crispy Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken: Your Ultimate Easy & Healthy Weeknight Meal
Are you searching for a delicious, low-calorie dish that’s both easy to prepare and incredibly satisfying? Look no further than this amazing Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken recipe! If you’ve been hesitant about embracing small kitchen appliances, allow this flavorful chicken dish to change your mind. The air fryer has revolutionized home cooking for countless people, and once you try this recipe, you’ll understand why it’s quickly becoming a kitchen staple.
For years, I’ve experimented with various kitchen gadgets, many of which were fabulous but often ended up gathering dust after the initial excitement. Then came the air fryer. Initially, I was skeptical, wondering if it could truly deliver on its promises of crispy food with less oil. But after preparing this incredible Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken, I was completely won over. It truly changed my perspective on healthy and convenient cooking.
The Air Fryer Advantage: Crispy, Flavorful, and Healthy Chicken
The beauty of the air fryer lies in its ability to circulate hot air rapidly around your food, mimicking the results of deep-frying but with significantly less oil. This means you can enjoy that desirable crispy texture without the guilt or the mess of traditional frying. For dishes like Honey Garlic Chicken, which traditionally might involve pan-frying or deep-frying to get that perfect exterior, the air fryer is a game-changer. It locks in the juices while crisping the coating, delivering a tender interior and a wonderfully textured crust.
Beyond just chicken, the versatility of an air fryer is astounding. I’m already planning to explore other exciting recipes like Catfish Nuggets and Mongolian Beef in mine very soon. The possibilities are truly endless, from appetizers to main courses, and even desserts!
A Gluten-Free Takeout Favorite Made Easy at Home
As someone who follows a gluten-free diet, enjoying takeout from local Asian restaurants can often be a challenge. Many traditional dishes use soy sauce that contains wheat, and finding genuinely crispy chicken that isn’t deep-fried in shared oil can be difficult. Historically, I’ve resorted to making my own Asian-inspired dishes at home, but achieving that signature super crispy chicken without extensive frying always seemed just out of reach.
This Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken recipe solves that problem perfectly. The air fryer allows me to create genuinely crispy chicken pieces, making it a fantastic alternative to my favorite takeout options. By using gluten-free soy sauce, this recipe becomes entirely gluten-free, opening up a world of flavor and convenience for those with dietary restrictions.
For coating the chicken, I opted for cornstarch as it was readily available in my pantry. It worked wonderfully, providing a light, crispy shell. However, I’ve heard that potato starch can sometimes offer an even crispier result, so feel free to experiment with either based on what you have on hand or prefer. Both starches are naturally gluten-free, making them excellent choices for this recipe.
Explore more incredible Air Fryer Recipes by clicking here!
The success of this recipe has fueled my air fryer adventures! I’m also excited to try a sweet and sour sauce variation with air-fried chicken soon. There are so many delicious options to explore, and I can’t wait to share more culinary discoveries from my air fryer.
Crafting the Perfect Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken
Choosing Your Chicken
For this recipe, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are highly recommended. Their slightly higher fat content helps them stay incredibly juicy and tender during the air frying process, preventing them from drying out compared to leaner cuts like chicken breasts. If you prefer to use chicken breasts, they will work, but be mindful of adjusting your cooking time to prevent overcooking and ensure they remain moist. Cut your chosen chicken into uniform cubes for even cooking.
The Irresistible Honey Garlic Sauce
The heart of this dish is its delectable Honey Garlic Sauce. I adapted this sauce from my beloved Slow Cooker Honey Ginger Chicken recipe, ensuring a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy notes. The key is to prepare the sauce separately and toss the cooked, crispy chicken in it just before serving. This method ensures the chicken maintains its delightful crispiness, as the sauce won’t be applied during the air frying process.
The sauce combines honey for natural sweetness, soy sauce (or gluten-free soy sauce) for umami depth, brown sugar for a hint of molasses and richness, ketchup for a touch of tang, fresh crushed garlic for aromatic punch, and ground ginger for a warm, subtle spice. A little cornstarch is whisked in at the end to thicken the sauce to that perfect glossy, sticky consistency.
My Go-To Air Fryer
I personally use a Ninja Foodi Air Fryer, which is incredibly versatile. However, this recipe can be made in any model. If you’re still deciding which air fryer is right for you, my comprehensive guide on How to Choose the Right Air Fryer can help you make an informed decision. The video demonstration for this recipe was also filmed using the Ninja Foodi.
Serving Your Delicious Meal
Once your chicken is perfectly cooked and coated in the glossy honey garlic sauce, it’s ready to be served. We love pairing it with fluffy white rice and vibrant green beans for a complete and balanced meal. The combination of the sweet and savory chicken with simple, fresh sides hits all the right notes, making it a regular addition to our weekly dinner rotation.
I’m always eager to discover new ways to utilize this fantastic appliance. What incredible dishes have you created in your air fryer? I’d love to hear your suggestions and expand my own repertoire of air fryer recipes!
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More Must-Try Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
If you’re as enthusiastic about air-fried chicken as I am, you’ll love these other fantastic recipes:
- Air Fryer Chick-Fil-A Sandwich
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Chicken Fried Rice
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken
Air Fryer Fanatics
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Ingredients
- 6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Cornstarch or Potato Starch
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce or Gluten Free Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Ketchup
- 1 Clove Crushed Garlic
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- Cooked Rice
- Cooked Green Beans
- Sliced Green Onions
Instructions
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Cut the chicken into cubed chunks, then toss in a bowl with Cornstarch or Potato Starch. Use enough to coat the chicken evenly.
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Place in the Air Fryer and cook according to your Air Fryer Manual for chicken. (Note – I cooked ours on 390* for 24 Minutes, 12 minutes on each side. Chicken Breast will not cook as long. If preferred, you can add oil spray to the bottom of the air fryer basket to prevent any chicken from sticking to the basket.)
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While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan, combine the honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic, and ginger.
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Bring this to a low boil, then whisk in the cornstarch until the sauce is thickened. (Note, if it’s not thick enough, add in additional cornstarch until nicely thickened.)
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Set aside.
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Once the chicken is cooked, mix it into the sauce and warm up. This can be done in a small skillet or the saucepan, simply coat the chicken with the sauce. It will be a sticky texture sauce.
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Serve the chicken over the cooked rice with green beans.
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Garnish with green onion.
Video
Notes
Once you have the chicken made, carefully remove the basket. It will be hot, use oven mitts. Clean the pot out, then you can do your sauce in this pot. Simply use the sauté function on medium-high heat. Make sure to use a wooden utensil or one that won’t scratch the pot. Stir it until it’s well combined then mix in the chicken.
The rice and green beans can also be made in this; however, I find it’s faster to just do those on the stove while the chicken is cooking. That’s your preference.
Nutritional values will vary based on what you use.
Nutrition
