Air Fryer Sesame Chicken
One of our favorite high protein meals in the air fryer is this crispy sesame chicken. With an amazing texture and sweet sauce it’s so tasty and so easy to whip up. Serve it up on a bed of rice with some veggies for an easy, well balanced meal that’s healthier than takeout. This air fryer sesame chicken is a great weeknight meal option that comes together in less than 30 minutes. That’s even less time than it takes for delivery to arrive!
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This Air Fryer Sesame Chicken proves that you don’t need to deep fry to achieve a crunchy and perfect sesame chicken. The recipe actually is very convenient for two reasons. One: you don’t end up eating a lot of extra fat from the oil. Two: you won’t get stuck with a pot full of used hot oil afterwards. The best way to create textures similar to deep frying in the air fryer is to lightly spray some oil and make sure you don’t overcrowd the basket/pan. If you follow those two recommendations you will end up with delicious crispy chicken nuggets that you can then smother in a delicious sweet sesame sauce.
Air Fryer Sesame Chicken Recipe Tips:
+ If you don’t have an air fryer and you don’t want to fry your chicken in oil, you can bake it in the oven. Follow our easy tips for converting air fryer recipes to the oven.
+ This is a delicious recipe for meal prep. We like to serve it up rice and your favorite veggies included. When you go to warm it up, you can easily do it on a pan in the stovetop. Or if you’re using the microwave, wet a paper towel and cover it while you warm it up.
Air Fryer Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1/2 lb chicken breast, skinless and boneless, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- cooking spray
Sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
To Serve
- 1 green onion, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- rice
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
- In a medium sized bowl, whip the egg until there are no streaks of yolk or white left and prepare another medium sized bowl filled with the panko breading.
- In a third medium sized bowl, season the chicken cubes with the sesame oil, soy sauce and salt (from the chicken section). Add the flour and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until all of the pieces are fully covered with the flour.
- Take the floured chicken to the egg bowl and make sure to cover all of the pieces. Then, bread the chicken with panko in batches, pressing the pieces with your hands to make sure the panko has stuck.
- Place the breaded chicken into the basket of the air fryer. Do not over crowd it, there shouldn't be pieces placed on top of one another. Spray the top of the chicken nuggets evenly with oil, or, using a brush, coat them lightly with oil.
- Air fry for 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat add the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Once the mix boils and the sugar has dissolved, add the cornstarch. Cook until the sauce boils and has thickened.
- Take the chicken out of the air fryer and into a medium sized bowl. Coat with the sauce and give a little mix. Serve immediately on top of rice, add green onion and toasted sesame seeds as toppings
Notes
Craving takeout? Try this healthier alternative: Air Fryer Sesame Chicken! Crispy, flavorful, and guilt-free. A delicious twist to satisfy your cravings. Air Fryer Sesame Chicken