This air fryer sesame chicken has been a life changing discovery! Being an avid fan of Asian chicken recipes, I was badly missing them as they are mostly all deep-fried which I am avoiding due to my fat loss targets; but not any more thanks to this incredible air fryer sesame chicken recipe!
Back after a refreshing festive break with another mind-blowing recipe for ya’all! Hope you have missed me!?
The annual festivities have started in India and now we will have one celebration after the other! That essentially means lots of delicious food along with family time!
I absolutely believe in enjoying these festivals with full spirit & vitality so that we can truly value & enjoy the good things of life.
Once this phase is over, we all will again come back to our regular routines & planned schedules, which I am sure will be a little tough in the beginning!
And for those days, I have the most perfect yet easy to make recipe, the air fryer sesame chicken, which will make the return much easier and a lot less stressful for us all!
The air fryer sesame chicken is a simple & quick high-protein yet low-calorie recipe which can be relished as a fulfilling meal with rice or as a quick snack on its own while you reminisce the festive memories!
What is air fryer sesame chicken?
Sesame chicken is an Asian-cuisine-inspired recipe that was invented in North America and has become super popular thanks to its flavor, taste and ease of prep!
Now like any other Asian stir fried recipe, a typical sesame chicken is also fried in a generous amount of oil before being tossed in the flavorful sauce.
The sauce! Yes, that’s the USP of this classic sesame chicken!
To recreate that same incredibly mouthwatering saucy sesame chicken dish without the load of oil, I have this air fryer sesame chicken for you today!
About 4 to 5 servings of chicken is air fried in just a couple of tablespoons of oil which means you can enjoy this restaurant style air fryer sesame chicken at home absolutely guilt-free!
One small tweak I did in my sesame chicken sauce is that I have reduced the sweet element in it. Many sesame chicken recipes have a generous amount of honey in it which I have completely omitted.
During my short stay in the US a few years ago, I realized that the Asian/Chinese dishes are more on the sweeter side there which is not what I am very fond of and neither is my better half.
So I just used a small amount of brown sugar for just that subtle hint of sweetness which complements the savoriness and tartness beautifully.
Ingredients for air fryer sesame chicken
Chicken: For the most succulent and juicy air fryer sesame chicken, I prefer using skinless & boneless chicken thighs which are cut into small bite-sized pieces.
Chicken thighs retain tenderness as they have more fat than chicken breasts. You may opt for chicken breasts instead of thighs, but then reduce the cooking time from 16 minutes to 10 minutes to prevent drying & overcooking of the chicken.
Corn flour/cornstarch: For the quintessential crispy coating of chicken, you will need corn flour which is also known as cornstarch in the US.
But do not use a lot as we will not deep fry the chicken; too thick a coating will prevent the chicken from being uniformly cooked in the air fryer.
Aromatics: Without my favorite aromatic which is none other than garlic, no chicken recipe is complete! I used it in two ways in this air fryer sesame chicken recipe.
Firstly, in the powder form to marinate the chicken before air frying. Secondly, sautéing the minced garlic in oil before simmering the sauce for maximum flavor.
Chilli powder/Paprika: We love our chicken dishes with a kick of subtle spiciness and that’s where the good old red chilli powder comes into play!
Seasoning: Season your chicken pieces while marinating them before air frying. This will ensure each piece of chicken is well-seasoned.
Also, taste test the sesame chicken after coating them in sauce and adjust the seasoning only if needed.
Oil: You will need a flavorless vegetable oil while air frying the chicken pieces – about a couple of tablespoons.
Also I prefer to sauté the garlic in little oil before simmering the sauce; this ensures the flavor of garlic is beautifully extracted and then infused into the sauce.
Sesame seeds: Air fryer sesame chicken is not complete without a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
These tiny little seeds are packed with nutrition and add a delicious crunch to your soft & succulent chicken without being too overpowering.
Spring onion: We will use only the spring onion greens to garnish our air fryer sesame chicken before serving.
Along with fresh flavors, this will add a vibrant color making the dish look supremely appetizing!
Ingredients for sesame chicken sauce
Dark soy sauce: This is a must! Do not use light soy in this recipe as the sauce will miss the punch altogether without the deep earthy flavor of dark soy.
Rice vinegar: The authentic sour element of Asian recipes comes from traditional rice vinegar; so I suggest using this instead of white vinegar.
Brown sugar: The typical American sesame chicken is sweet in taste which is why many recipes use honey (a lot of it!) in their sauce. But I have only used brown sugar to add just a hint of sweetness.
That’s simply because we like our chicken dishes more on the savory side with just a subtle hint of sweetness and brown sugar works best as it is not as sweet as regular white sugar.
Sesame oil: This is the real game-changer in this air fryer sesame chicken recipe! Sesame oil is used in Asian recipes primarily for flavors and you will know why once you start using it.
Just a tiny amount of sesame oil packs the authentic nutty flavor of sesame seeds in the stir fry sauce making it oh-so-mouthwatering!
How to make air fryer sesame chicken?
Step 1: Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs nicely so that they are as dry as possible. Then cut each chicken thigh into small bite-sized pieces of about 1-inch length.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add the corn flour (aka cornstarch in US), red chilli powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Give a good mix using a wire whisk.
Step 3: Now add the chicken thigh pieces to the mixing bowl and using a spatula start coating them with the starch mixture making sure each piece is nicely coated on all sides.
Step 4: Next add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to the chicken and give it a good mix so that each piece of chicken is nicely oiled and coated with seasoned corn flour. Set it aside.
Step 5: Preheat your air fryer at 190 C / 375 F and set the timer to 16 minutes. Spray oil over the bottom surface of the air fryer basket.
Step 6: When the air fryer is preheated, take the basket out and transfer the coated chicken into it. Spread the chicken pieces in a single layer to ensure even cooking.
Step 7: Start air frying the chicken and at halfway through cooking time, take the basket out again. Using a spatula, give the chicken pieces a gentle stir and also give the basket a gentle shake.
Step 8: Return the basket to the air fryer and finish air frying them for the remaining cooking time. Your chicken is ready for stir frying in sesame chicken stir fry sauce. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
Step 9: Now we will make the stir fry sauce by mixing dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl along with ¼ cup of water. Whisk everything thoroughly to make a uniform mixture.
Step 10: In a frying pan, which is large enough to hold all the chicken, heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic and sauté them for 2 minutes on low flame.
Step 11: Then pour the prepared stir fry sauce mixture into the pan. Gently stir the sauce and let it come to a boil keeping the heat on medium.
Step 12: As soon as the sauce starts to simmer, add the air fried chicken cubes into the frying pan and gently stir them using a spatula. Make sure each chicken is coated with the sauce nicely.
Step 13: Let the chicken cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes on low heat while you make the corn flour slurry by dissolving a couple of teaspoons of corn flour in ¼ cup of water.
Step 14: Now pour the corn flour slurry over the air fryer sesame chicken and give a gentle stir using the spatula. The sauce will start to thicken immediately.
Step 15: Check the seasoning of your air fryer sesame chicken at this stage. Add salt to taste if needed and mix well.
Step 16: Sprinkle a spoonful of toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion greens over the chicken. Give a final mix and switch off the flame.
Step 17: Your air fryer sesame chicken is ready! Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle more toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor and enjoy!
Serving suggestion: You can savor this air fryer sesame chicken as an appetizer or pair it up with plain white rice for a balanced and fulfilling meal.
More delicious air fryer recipes that can fit into your fat-loss journey
Air Fryer Sesame Chicken for Weight Loss | Easy Crispy Sesame Chicken in Air Fryer
Author: Priyanka
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: 4-5 Servings
Ingredients
For chicken:
- Chicken thighs – 500 gms, boneless & skinless
- Cornflour / cornstarch – 2 tbsp
- Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
- Garlic powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Black pepper – ½ tsp
- Flavorless vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
For stir fry sauce:
- Dark soy sauce – 1 tbsp
- Rice vinegar – 1 tbsp
- Brown sugar – 1 tbsp
- Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
- Garlic – 10 to 12 cloves, minced (about 1-2 tbsp)
- Flavorless vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
- Salt as needed
- Corn flour / cornstarch – 2 tsp
- Toasted sesame seeds – 1 tsp
- Spring onion greens – 4 to 5 stalks, finely chopped
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs nicely so that they are as dry as possible. Then cut each chicken thigh into small bite-sized pieces of about 1-inch length.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the corn flour (aka cornstarch in US), red chilli powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Give a good mix using a wire whisk.
- Now add the chicken thigh pieces to the mixing bowl and using a spatula start coating them with the starch mixture making sure each piece is nicely coated on all sides.
- Next add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to the chicken and give it a good mix so that each piece of chicken is nicely oiled and coated with seasoned corn flour. Set it aside.
- Preheat your air fryer at 190 C / 375 F and set the timer to 16 minutes. Spray oil over the bottom surface of the air fryer basket.
- When the air fryer is preheated, take the basket out and transfer the coated chicken into it. Spread the chicken pieces in a single layer to ensure even cooking.
- Start air frying the chicken and at halfway through cooking time, take the basket out again. Using a spatula, give the chicken pieces a gentle stir and also give the basket a gentle shake.
- Return the basket to the air fryer and finish air frying them for the remaining cooking time. Your chicken is ready for stir frying in sesame chicken stir fry sauce. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
- Now we will make the stir fry sauce by mixing dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl along with ¼ cup of water. Whisk everything thoroughly to make a uniform mixture.
- In a frying pan, which is large enough to hold all the chicken, heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic and sauté them for 2 minutes on low flame.
- Then pour the prepared stir fry sauce mixture into the pan. Gently stir the sauce and let it come to a boil keeping the heat on medium.
- As soon as the sauce starts to simmer, add the air fried chicken cubes into the frying pan and gently stir them using a spatula. Make sure each chicken is coated with the sauce nicely.
- Let the chicken cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes on low heat while you make the corn flour slurry by dissolving a couple of teaspoons of corn flour in ¼ cup of water.
- Now pour the corn flour slurry over the air fryer sesame chicken and give a gentle stir using the spatula. The sauce will start to thicken immediately.
- Check the seasoning of your air fryer sesame chicken at this stage. Add salt to taste if needed and mix well.
- Sprinkle a spoonful of toasted sesame seeds and finely chopped spring onion greens over the chicken. Give a final mix and switch off the flame.
- Your air fryer sesame chicken is ready! Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle more toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor and enjoy!
Notes
Serving suggestion: You can savor this air fryer sesame chicken as an appetizer or pair it up with plain white rice for a balanced and fulfilling meal.
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