This salt and pepper chicken is the takeout favorite made in an air fryer. Bite size chicken in a thin cornstarch coat turns crisp with a mist of oil, then meets green bell pepper, red onion and garlic in a hot wok with a seasoning of toasted salt, five spice, white pepper and red pepper flakes. Sweet chili sauce on the side for dipping.
Why this works
Toasting the salt flakes for a minute or two gives the seasoning the nutty, savory taste of the takeout version. Five spice, white pepper and a little sugar do the rest, and half the mix goes in the coating so every piece is seasoned.
The chicken turns crisp in the air fryer with a light mist of oil instead of a pan of hot fat, while the vegetables get a fast, hot stir fry so they keep their crunch. Everything meets in the wok for the last minute only, so the coating stays crisp.
Key ingredients
- Chicken breast. Cut into bite size pieces, it cooks in 10 to 12 minutes. Thighs take a few minutes longer.
- Cornstarch. It gives the thin, crisp coating of the takeout version, with no batter to make.
- Chinese five spice and white pepper. The backbone of the seasoning. White pepper is sharper and more fragrant than black.
- Sea salt flakes. Toasted in a dry pan until pale golden, for a deeper, savory flavor.
Amounts for 1 to 6 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.
Method
- 01
Make the salt and pepper mix
Toast the salt flakes in a dry wok or large skillet over a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until they smell toasty and turn pale golden. Tip them into a bowl and mix in the sugar, five spice, white pepper and red pepper flakes.
- 02
Coat the chicken
Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and toss with the beaten egg. Mix the cornstarch with half the salt and pepper mix, then toss the chicken through it until coated all over.
- 03
Air fry the chicken
Spray the basket, lay the chicken in a single layer and mist it with oil until no dry cornstarch shows. Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway and spraying any pale patches, until golden and crisp and 165°F in the middle of the largest piece.
Glass Oil Sprayer - 04
Slice the vegetables
While the chicken cooks, halve the red onion, stand each half on its cut face, push in the onion holder and slice thickly down through the gaps. Cut the pepper into chunks, slice the garlic and cut the green onions on a long diagonal.
Onion Holder for Slicing - 05
Stir fry and toss
Spray the wok with oil and set it over a high heat. Stir fry the onion and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes, until charred at the edges but still crunchy, then add the garlic and the white ends of the green onions for 30 seconds. Tip in the chicken, sprinkle over the rest of the seasoning and toss for 1 minute.
- 06
Serve
Pile onto a plate, scatter with the green green onion tops and serve straight away, with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
What to serve it with
Serve with egg fried rice and sweet chili sauce, or with fries for a full takeout at home night.
Storing and reheating
- Fridge
- Cool quickly, cover and eat within 2 days.
- Freezer
- Best skipped. The coating goes soft once thawed.
- Reheat
- In the air fryer at 350°F for 4 to 5 minutes, until piping hot and crisp again.
Questions
Salt, ground white pepper and Chinese five spice, usually with a little sugar and chili. Toasting the salt flakes first gives it the savory edge of the takeout version.
Yes. Boneless thighs stay juicier and need 2 to 4 minutes longer in the air fryer. Check the largest piece before you toss everything together.
Yes. Spread it on an oiled baking sheet, mist it with oil and bake at 425°F for 15 to 18 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and cooked through.
Gently. The heat comes from white pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Leave the flakes out for children and pass them round at the table.
Recipe
Air fryer salt and pepper chicken in 25 minutes
Crisp air fried chicken tossed with stir fried pepper, onion and garlic in a toasted salt, five spice and chili seasoning. By Tom Reid.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Method
- 01Toast the salt flakes in a dry wok or large skillet over a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until they smell toasty and turn pale golden. Tip them into a bowl and mix in the sugar, five spice, white pepper and red pepper flakes.
- 02Heat the air fryer to 400°F. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and toss with the beaten egg. Mix the cornstarch with half the salt and pepper mix, then toss the chicken through it until coated all over.
- 03Spray the basket, lay the chicken in a single layer and mist it with oil until no dry cornstarch shows. Air fry for 10 to 12 minutes, turning halfway and spraying any pale patches, until golden and crisp and 165°F in the middle of the largest piece.
- 04While the chicken cooks, halve the red onion, stand each half on its cut face, push in the onion holder and slice thickly down through the gaps. Cut the pepper into chunks, slice the garlic and cut the green onions on a long diagonal.
- 05Spray the wok with oil and set it over a high heat. Stir fry the onion and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes, until charred at the edges but still crunchy, then add the garlic and the white ends of the green onions for 30 seconds. Tip in the chicken, sprinkle over the rest of the seasoning and toss for 1 minute.
- 06Pile onto a plate, scatter with the green green onion tops and serve straight away, with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
