Air-fryer sesame chicken
35 min · 44 g protein · 466 cals / serving
Crisp-edged nuggets of chicken in a glossy, sticky soy-honey glaze with garlic, ginger and a hit of toasted sesame, the way the takeaway box tastes when it is still hot. The chicken gets a thin cornstarch crust in the air fryer instead of a batter bath, and a big pile of steamed broccoli sits next to the rice to catch the extra sauce.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/3 lb chicken breast, cut in 2.5 cm (1-inch) chunks
- 1/4 cup liquid egg white, or 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- a few sprays cooking spray
Sesame sauce
- 3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 tsp rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tsp sriracha hot sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp sesame oil, toasted
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
To serve
- 1 1/3 lb broccoli, cut in florets
- 2 1/4 cups cooked white rice
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
Steps
- Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Pat the chicken dry, toss it with the egg white and salt, then sprinkle over the cornstarch and toss until every piece wears a thin, dry-looking coat.
- Spray the basket, add the chicken in a single layer (in two batches if needed), spray the tops and air-fry 10–12 minutes, shaking halfway, until golden with crisp edges and 165°F inside.
- Meanwhile, whisk the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sriracha, cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Steam the broccoli 4–5 minutes, until bright green and just tender.
- Pour the sauce into a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and stir until it boils and turns thick and glossy, about 2 minutes. Take it off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, add the chicken and toss until every piece is lacquered. Scatter over the sesame seeds.
- Serve straight away over the rice with the broccoli alongside, topped with the green onions.
Good to know
How do I keep the chicken crisp in the sauce?
Toss it in the glaze off the heat and serve at once. The cornstarch crust holds for about ten minutes; if you are feeding people in shifts, keep the chicken and the sauce apart and toss each portion as it goes out.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes, and they are the takeaway's choice: juicier and a little richer. The score is about 55 instead of 62, because thighs carry more fat than breast.
No air fryer?
Bake the coated chicken on a rack set over a lined tray at 450°F for 15–18 minutes, turning once. Spray it well so the cornstarch browns rather than staying chalky.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 109
- Protein
- (39%)
- 10 g
- Fat
- (15%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (46%)
- 13 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 235 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, 1864 kcal goes into the pot and 1945 g of ingredients comes out as about 1710 g of food: 109 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.