This Air Fryer Sweet And Sour Chicken recipe is full of amazing flavor! If you're ready for a sweet and hearty comfort food recipe, you're going to crave this crispy sweet, and sour chicken.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Healthful Twist: Enjoy the beloved takeout classic with less oil using the air frying method.
- Quick and Easy: This Air Fryer Sweet And Sour recipe simplifies cooking, making it a perfect weeknight dinner.
- Balanced Flavors: The perfect blend of sweet and sour will tantalize your taste buds.
🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts or Thighs: The lean protein that gets crispy in the air fryer and absorbs the sweet and sour sauce.
- Salt & Pepper: Enhance the natural flavors of the chicken.
- Corn Starch: Helps to create a crispy coating on the chicken when air-fried.
- Canned Pineapple Chunks, Onion, Red, and Green Bell Peppers: Add a combination of sweetness and tanginess to the dish, as well as a crisp texture.
- Green Onions: Used for garnish, they add a pop of color and a mild, fresh flavor.
- Ketchup & Sugar: Create the base for the sweet part of the sauce.
- Rice Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar: Adds the sour component to balance out the sweetness.
- Water: Thins out the sauce to the perfect consistency.
- Minced Garlic: Infuses the sauce with a savory depth of flavor.
- Pineapple Juice: Enhances the tropical flavor of the dish, tying together the chicken and the sauce.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
- Soy Sauce: Can add depth and umami to the Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken, balancing the sauce's tanginess with rich flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Can replace rice or white wine vinegar, offering a fruity tartness to balance the sweet and sour flavors.
- Brown Sugar: Can replace white sugar in the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe, adding a richer, molasses-like flavor that enhances the sauce's depth and complexity.
🔪 How To Make Air Fryer Sweet And Sour Chicken?
Step One: Fully coat the chicken bites in cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Place the coated chicken cubes evenly in an oil-sprayed air fryer basket, and spray the chicken with oil. Cook on 380 for 8 minutes. Shake the basket halfway.
Step Two: After 8 minutes, shift the crispy chicken bites chicken to one half and add the vegetables and pineapple to the other side. Finish cooking for 8 more minutes. Mix after 4 minutes.
Step Three: While cooking chicken, mix the sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then remove to cool and thicken.
Step Four: Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables. Mix and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Optionally, serve your Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken bites on Top Of Rice.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Air Fryer Space: For evenly cooked sweet and sour chicken with a crispy finish, avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket. This allows optimal air circulation around each piece.
- Crispy Coating Choice: Opting for potato starch as your chicken coating can give a crispier texture than traditional flours or starches.
💭 FAQs
Sweet and sour chicken is a popular Chinese dish featuring tender pieces of chicken coated in a tangy-sweet sauce typically made with vinegar, sugar, and various seasonings.
If you're worried that the chicken isn't cooked all the way, use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperature. As long as it reads 165 degrees, it's done and ready to enjoy!
Absolutely! Just add in more veggies and leave out the rice. It's low carb without having to get rid of any of the flavors.
Any vegetables will taste great with this recipe but there are a few that stand out. Some of the best veggies to add to this chicken recipe. If you like spice and heat, you can add in fresh jalapenos as well! However, that may be more of a spicy chicken recipe rather than a sweet and sour.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freeze in airtight containers or bags for up to 4 months; cool before freezing.
🧂Serving Suggestions
Pair Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken With These:
- Steamed Jasmine Rice: Serve steamed jasmine rice as a simple and classic accompaniment to sweet and sour chicken
- Garlic Sesame Bok Choy: A quick stir-fry of bok choy with garlic and sesame adds a nutritious and flavorful side to your crispy juicy chicken.
- Hibachi Fried Rice: Elevate your dish with tfried rice, enhancing the sweetness of the meal.
- Vegetable Lo Mein: Enjoy the textures of soft noodles and crisp veggies in a savory sauce alongside your flavorful chicken.
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Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Chicken Breasts Cut Into 1 ½ Inch chunks.
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- ½ Cup Corn Starch or Potato Starch
- 1 Can Pineapple Chunks Canned
- 1 Onion Chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Seeds Removed, Chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Seeds Removed, Chopped
- 2 Green Onions For Garnish
For The Sauce
- ¼ Cup Ketchup
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Rice Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Water
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Minced Garlic
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Pineapple Juice
Instructions
- Fully coat the chicken bites in cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
- Place the coated chicken cubes evenly in an oil-sprayed air fryer basket, and spray the chicken with oil.
- Cook on 380 for 8 minutes. Shake the basket halfway.
- After 8 minutes, shift the crispy chicken bites chicken to one half and add the vegetables and pineapple to the other side. Finish cooking for 8 more minutes. Mix after 4 minutes.
- While cooking chicken, mix the sauce ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then remove to cool and thicken.
- Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables. Mix and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
- Optionally, serve your Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken bites on top of rice.
