How to Make the Crunchiest Asian Fried Chicken in an Air Fryer · i am a food blog
Asian fried chicken is one of the most famous dishes in the world.
From the ubiquitous orange chicken, sesame chicken, or honey garlic chicken, to favorites like chicken karaage or Taiwanese popcorn chicken, it’s clear that the world loves all things Asian fried chicken. And, believe it or not, aside from being quick and easy, the air fryer is one of the best ways to prepare any Asian fried chicken recipe.
How is Asian Fried Chicken Different?
Asians love texture; it’s just a fact. I have a running joke that if I ask Steph how good a Chinese restaurant is, she will only describe their textures, like “they make really crispy fried chicken” or “they have really chewy noodles.” It goes without saying that the food tastes good.
Likewise with wings, Asian fried chicken emphasizes texture. Sometimes it means crispy, smashing crunch, but sometimes it also means “once crunchy but now naughty.” You have to taste it to understand this one.
How to Make the Best Fried Chicken
Almost all Asian fried chicken is prepared the same way:
- First you marinate the chicken (if it’s not coated in sauce).
- Then it is dredged in a layer of flour or starch and then fried.
- Then hot sauce or sprinkled with spices, if necessary.
It doesn’t matter if it’s Korean fried chicken or Thai fish sauce wings, the basic steps are the same.
Best coating to use for fried chicken: potato starch vs cornstarch vs flour
Most of the time, potato starch or cornstarch is used. Potato starch can be hard to find (although Amazon now existsAnd Bob’s Red Mill is taken everywhere) but produces the best, lightest and crispiest results. Cornstarch is a close second and you can get it everywhere. Sometimes we will use rice flour or cake flour. Unless you really have nothing else, try to avoid all-purpose flour or bread flour. The lower the gluten content, the lighter and crispier the wings.
How to Make Asian Fried Chicken in an Air Fryer
The air fryer is perfect for making light and crispy wings. The air fan movement allows for even cooking, while the absence of foreign oil results in a lighter final product. Here’s how to do it:
- Season and marinate the chicken (optional). Salt and pepper your chicken and let rest for about 5 minutes. If you are preparing chicken that requires marinating, do that now as well.
- Dry the chicken with paper towels. Water generates steam, and steam is currently our enemy.
- Lightly oil the chicken. This helps promote even browning. You can/should use a spray oil for this, but you can also just toss the chicken in 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat.
- Toss the chicken in the potato/cornstarch. I like to use a ziplock bag or, better yet, a compostable produce bag.
- Air fry the chicken. Oil the basket of your air fryer with the spray bottle or a brush. Then arrange the chicken in a single layer with at least 1/4″ spacing between each piece.
- Flip the chicken. I don’t like the shaking method, I’ve found it’s best to just use tongs to flip the chicken so the other side is still even. You’ll need the tongs to take the chicken out later anyway.
- Sauce or salt? Remove the chicken immediately so that a) it isn’t overcooked and b) the sauce or spice dusting sticks to it better.
and it’s everything, perfect Asian fried chicken, every time.
What can you do with this recipe?
- Vietnamese Fried Chicken: After frying, sprinkle with our Vietnamese chicken spices (equal parts sugar, white pepper, onion powder and garlic powder).
- Taiwanese popcorn chicken: Mix with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, then marinate with 1 teaspoon white pepper and 1 teaspoon five spice. After frying, sprinkle with another 1 teaspoon of white pepper and 1 teaspoon of five spices.
- Korean Fried Chicken: After frying, coat with Korean spicy chicken sauce (1 tablespoon of ketchup, gochujang, honey, brown sugar and garlic, and half a tablespoon of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and minced ginger).
- Japanese karaage wings: Marinate with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 sake, 1 minced ginger and 1 crushed garlic, as well as 1 teaspoon of sugar.
- Thai/Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings: After frying, top with our fish sauce vinaigrette (1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 Thai chili pepper).
- Orange chicken: After frying, coat it with our 5-ingredient orange chicken sauce (1/4 cup each orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar, plus a tablespoon of cornstarch). corn to thicken).
The list is endless!
Tips for the Best Fried Chicken
- Always Season Your Chicken
- Dry your chicken as best as possible, steam is the enemy of crunchiness
- For the ultimate crispiness, you can fry the chicken twice by letting it rest for 5 minutes after frying both sides, then frying for another 5 minutes.
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