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Meet your new favorite healthier just as tasty as take-out Crispy Honey Chili Chicken! It’s chunks of crispy perfectly air-fried chicken and stir-fried fresh veggies tossed together in an incredible homemade spicy sweet chili sauce. This quick and easy recipe is super simple, bursting with flavor, and sure to impress!
Easy Crispy Honey Chili Chicken
Friends, this recipe is my new favorite way to make Chinese takeaway inspired crispy chicken dishes! Hands down in my world using the air fryer has become a game changer when it comes to frying chicken. Not only does it keep things healthier, but it makes the chicken just as crispy as cooking it in hot oil. And that is a big win in my book!
So after I mastered my Air Fryer Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, I knew I had to make a dish like my Sweet and Sour Chicken using my air fryer to fry the chicken and a wok to cook the veggies. But don’t let that scare you away! It’s really not any extra work at all. In fact, in some ways, this crispy honey chili chicken is less work because the air fryer makes frying chicken a lot less messy. It also speeds up the recipe too because you can cook the chicken and the veggies at the same time.
But this dish is more than just crispy chicken! I gotta talk about the amazing chili sauce! Made with Sriracha, honey, fresh garlic, and soy sauce with a few surprise additions like lime juice and ketchup. It’s spicy, sweet, garlicky good, and a cinch to make. Between the chicken and the sauce, this recipe is outstanding!
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Honey Chili Chicken
- Quick and Easy! Don’t let the idea of using an air fryer and wok scare you away! This method takes just 30 minutes from start to finish and the results are amazing.
- Crispy Sweet Spicy! This crispy honey chili chicken is a crunchy flavor explosion that is the perfect balance of spicy to sweet flavors all in one impressive dish.
- Healthier Than Takeout! Your family is not going to believe you didn’t deep fry the chicken. This recipe is a great way to deliver on deliciousness and keep it healthy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken
- Chicken – You’ll need boneless skinless chicken breast. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer or a mixture of both.
- Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) – I like to use low-sodium soy sauce to control the amount of added salt. But regular soy sauce or gluten-free tamari will work just as well.
- Sesame Oil – Adds so much yummy depth of flavor to the chicken. You can find it in any grocery store.
- Garlic – Always use freshly minced garlic cloves. Store-bought minced garlic can have an odd taste due to preservatives.
- Egg White – Used to help the cornstarch adhere to the chicken.
- Cornstarch – Helps to protect the chicken from the high heat and makes it super crispy.
Sauce
- Sriracha – It’s a chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. You will find it in the condiment aisle at your local market.
- Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) – Regular soy sauce will work, but I find that using low-sodium soy sauce is better to control the saltiness.
- Honey – A bit of honey adds just the right touch of sweetness to balance the salty and spicy flavors.
- Lime Juice – Makes the sauce pop by adding both acid and freshness. You could use lemon juice if you don’t have any fresh limes on hand. Another option is rice vinegar.
- Ketchup – This versatile ingredient adds a little bit more umami and texture to the sweet chili sauce.
- Garlic – For the best tasting chili sauce it’s important to use freshly minced garlic.
Stir Fry
- Vegetable Oil – Used for stir-frying the veggies. Peanut oil is another option.
- Onion – The best option is always brown or yellow onion. But any kind of onion will work.
- Red Bell Pepper – I used red bell pepper for its flavor and color. But you can use any color of bell pepper you like.
- Green Beans – Use fresh green beans that are trimmed for the best results. Frozen green beans will work but the texture will not be great.
- Red Chilis – You can omit the chilis if you like, but they are wonderful in this chicken dish. To make them a little less spicy you can also remove the seeds.
This simple recipe has you air frying and stir frying, but it’s super quick and easy! Because you can stir fry while you air fry and whip this dish together in just about 30 minutes!
Prep The Chicken
To begin, you need to marinate the chicken to make it super flavorful. To do this, toss the chicken pieces together with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and minced garlic in a medium bowl. Then let it marinate for a full 10 minutes. Next, add the beaten egg white to the chicken and toss until all the pieces are coated in the egg.
Then sprinkle the cornstarch over the chicken and toss well once again making sure each piece is fully coated.
Air Fry The Chicken
Now, we can start air-frying some crispy chicken! First, place the chicken pieces in the air fryer basket and spread them out evenly. Next, lightly spray the chicken with some cooking spray. Then put the basket into the air fryer and cook the chicken for 10 minutes at 400°F (204°F), shaking the basket halfway through the cooking time. When done, the chicken should be evenly golden brown and crispy. If it’s not quite done after 10 minutes, just put it back in the air fryer for a few minutes to finish cooking.
Make The Sauce
While the chicken is cooking you need to make the yummy sauce! Just add all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk them together well. It’s a very easy step, but it is important that they are fully combined for the best results.
Stir Fry The Veggies
Once the sauce is made, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large wok or large frying pan. Next, add the onion and bell peppers to the wok and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add the green beans and saute for another 2 minutes or until they are tender. Remember to properly saute you need to keep the veggies moving around the pan.
Finish The Dish And Serve
To complete the dish, stir in the sliced red chilies. Then add the cooked chicken along with the chili sauce and toss everything together until it’s evenly coated. Now, remove the crispy honey chili chicken from the heat and serve with some hot steamed rice.
Can I Make This Recipe Without An Air Fryer?
Yes, of course, you can! Basically, you’ll fry the chicken like I do for my Honey Garlic Chicken Bites recipe. So once you toss the chicken pieces in the cornstarch just fry them in some hot oil in the wok and then set the cooked chicken aside. Then just continue to follow the directions of the recipe and it will turn out perfect.
How Do Make Crispy Chicken?
When cooking chicken in an air fryer there are a few things that make a difference. First, the chicken needs to be placed in a single layer in the air fryer basket. It will not crisp up as evenly or properly if any of the pieces are overlapping. The other thing you can do is use some cornstarch to coat your chicken as I do in this recipe. The reason being is that the cornstarch will absorb any moisture and expand, which results in a crispy coating.
Expert Tips
- Use the cornstarch. For a proper crispy texture, you must toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch before air frying. You can also use arrowroot powder if you prefer.
- Remove the chili seeds. To make the dish a little less spicy, remove the seeds from the red chilis. Yet, if you like spicy leave them in or even add more chilis.
- Temp the fish. To ensure that chicken is fully cooked before eating you can use an instant-read digital thermometer to make sure that it has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C).
Storage
Leftover crispy honey chili chicken will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container. To reheat, just put it in the microwave covered for a few minutes on medium power or heat it in a pan on the stovetop. Yet, frozen leftovers should be thawed out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Other Asian Style Recipes To Try
- Asian Ground Beef Noodles
- Asian Style Pepper Steak
- Easy Beef and Broccoli
- Chinese Sizzling Beef
- Thai Drunken Noodles
- Mongolian Beef
- General Tso’s Chicken
- 25 Chicken Breast Recipes to Revolutionize Your Home-Cooked Meals
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Skillet Spicy Tofu Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Green Chili Chicken
Crispy Honey Chili Chicken
Video
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into ½ inch thin strips
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce low sodium
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 egg white beaten
- 1 cup cornstarch
Chili Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Stir Fry
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup green beans ends trimmed and cut in half
- 2 red chilies sliced
Instructions
Marinate Chicken
- In a medium bowl add the chicken breast pieces, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and toss everything well. Marinate for 10 minutes.
- Add the egg white to the chicken and toss. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the chicken and toss well making sure each piece of chicken is fully coated.
Cook The Chicken
- Add the chicken pieces to the air fryer basket, spread out evenly. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Air fry for 10 minutes at 400°F, shaking the basket halfway through. The chicken should be browned and crispy.
Make The Sauce
- In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together well.
Make The Stir Fry
- Add the vegetable oil to a large wok or skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook for another 2 minutes until tender.
- Stir in the red chilies. Add the cooked chicken and prepared sauce and toss everything well together. Remove from heat and serve over rice.
Tips & Notes:
- Use the cornstarch. For a proper crispy texture, you must toss the chicken pieces with cornstarch before air frying. You can also use arrowroot powder if you prefer.
- Remove the chili seeds. To make the dish a little less spicy, remove the seeds from the red chilis. Yet, if you like spicy leave them in or even add more chilis.
- Temp the fish. To ensure that chicken is fully cooked before eating you can use an instant-read digital thermometer to make sure that it has reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C).
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container.
