Air-fryer salt and pepper chicken
35 min · 40 g protein · 321 cals / serving
Crunchy bites of chicken tossed in a wok with crisp onion, peppers, sliced chilli and a heap of garlic and spring onion, then showered with a punchy salt, black and white pepper and chilli seasoning. Dry, salty, fiery and addictive, the way the takeaway does it, with the chicken crisped in the air fryer instead of the fryer.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut in bite-size chunks
- 1/4 cup liquid egg white, or 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cornstarch
- a few sprays cooking spray
Salt and pepper mix
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp granulated sugar
Stir-fry
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red red bell pepper, diced
- 2 red chili peppers, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 5 green onions, sliced
Steps
- Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Toss the chicken with the egg white, then with the cornstarch, until every piece is coated thinly and evenly.
- Spray the basket, add the chicken in a single layer (in batches if needed), spray again and air-fry 10–12 minutes, shaking halfway, until crisp and golden and 165°F inside.
- Stir together the salt, both peppers, chilli flakes and sugar.
- Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the onion and peppers for 3–4 minutes until charred at the edges but still crunchy, then add the chillies and garlic for 1 minute, until the garlic is golden.
- Add the chicken and the green onions, sprinkle over two thirds of the seasoning and toss hard for 30 seconds. Taste, add more seasoning if you like it saltier, and serve at once.
Good to know
What do I serve it with?
Boiled rice, egg fried rice, or crisp lettuce leaves to wrap it in. In the UK it often comes with chips; air-fried potato wedges keep the plate lighter.
Five-spice?
A pinch (1/4 tsp) of Chinese five-spice in the seasoning is how many takeaways do it. Add it if you have it.
Can I use tofu or prawns?
Yes. Firm tofu cubes take 15 minutes in the air fryer, for a score of about 64 instead of 73; large raw prawns take 6–7 minutes.
Per
- Calories
- 118
- Protein
- (52%)
- 15 g
- Fat
- (22%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (26%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 220 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1284 kcal goes into the pot and 1355 g of ingredients comes out as about 1090 g of food: 118 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.