Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken is easy to make without the messāor extra calories!āof deep frying. This version gets a hit of mouth-tingling spice from Szechuan peppercorns and a topping of stir-fried hot chiles and sliced garlic.
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I love to make Salt and Pepper Chicken by deep frying it on occasion. But sometimes I just don’t want to deal with the mess, or the extra calories, that comes with making deep fried food at home. But I swear, this Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken is just as delicious as the deep fried version.
Before you cook this recipe, read out my post on How to Air Fry Chicken for some tips and techniques that will ensure success.
Made in the air fryer, this salt and pepper chicken is just as crispy and crunchy as the deep fried version. It also has the same spicy chile-garlic topping.
The flavors of ginger, garlic, white pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, and chiles explode in your mouth.
What ingredients do you need?
Most of the ingredients needed to make Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken are widely available in supermarkets. Iāve offered easy substitutions for those items that might be harder to
- Shaoxing wine (or substitute dry sherry, dry white wine, sake, or even beer). You can buy Shaoxing wine at Asian markets or online.
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Cornstarch or potato starch
- Oil for spritzing or brushing
- Red or green chile peppers (you can use fresno, jalapeno, serrano, or another chile.)
- Ground white pepper
- Szechuan Pepper Salt or Sichuan Pepper Salt (make your own using the linked recipe or find it at an Asian market or buy Szechuan pepper-salt online). This is optional, but really takes the dish over the top.
How do you make it?
- See my post on how to make Air Fryer Fried Chicken for helpful tips.
- Combine the marinade ingredients and add the chicken. Toss to coat and then marinate for at least 20 minutes or as long as overnight (in the refrigerator if more than 20 minutes).
- Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.
- Put the cornstarch in a separate bowl.
- Dunk the chicken pieces first in the cornstarch, then in the egg, and then in the cornstarch again to coat.
- Arrange the coated chicken pieces in the air fryer in a single layer and spritz or brush with oil.
- Air fry the chicken, flipping it over halfway through cooking if you are using a basket style air fryer or an air fryer lid on a pressure cooker.
- While the chicken is cooking, saute the chilies and garlic.
- When the chicken is finished air frying, transfer it to a medium bowl and toss with the chile-garlic topping and season with the Szechuan Pepper-Salt and white pepper.
Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. I often make Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Wings for movie nights or sportsball watching (uh, yeah, I donāt watch the sportsball lol).
Because the wings have skin on them, you can skip the egg dip after marinating. Just dredge them in cornstarch and arrange them in the air fryer. They may take a little longer to cook, too.
Szechuan Pepper-Salt is a mix of Sichuan peppercorns and salt that have been roasted together and then ground to a powder.
Sichuan peppercorns have a citrusy flavor. The spice causes mild numbing of the lips and tongue, which many people find rather addictive.
Szechuan pepper is used in lots classic Sichuan-style dishes includingĀ Szechuan ShrimpĀ andĀ Dan Dan Noodles.
You can use it as a seasoning for meat and vegetablesāor even popcorn!āor add it to marinades.
Make your own Szechuan Pepper-SaltĀ or you can buy it at an Asian market orĀ online. You can also skip it. The flavor wonāt be the same, but the dish will still be delicious.
You donāt need aĀ parchment paper liner, but I find that it makes it easier to flip the chicken pieces and also reduces cleanup time and effort. You can useĀ reusable silicone linersĀ if you donāt like the disposable parchment paper ones.
Shiaoxing cooking wineĀ is a Chinese rice wine. You can buy it in Asian markets or online. Or you can substitute dry sherry, dry white wine, sake, or beer.
more fried chicken recipes you’ll love
If you love these crunchy fried chicken bites, try my Air Fryer Korean Fried Chicken, Air Fryer Sesame Chicken, Chinese Salt and Pepper Chicken, Chicken Karaage, and Chicken Pakora.
I love this air fryer Shake N Bake chicken thighs recipe, too!
Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
To marinate the chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Shiaoxing wine or substitute mirin, sake, sochu, or dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For dredging and air frying
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cornstarch
- Oil for spritzing or brushing
For the topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 to 6 chiles like serrano, red or green or a combination, thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon Szechuan pepper-salt see note
Instructions
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or a reusable silicone liner (see note).
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, salt, and pepper and toss to coat the chicken. Let marinate for at least 20 minutes. If you want to marinate the chicken for longer, cover and refrigerate it for as long as overnight.
- Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl.
- Put the cornstarch in a separate shallow bowl.
- Dunk the chicken pieces first in the cornstarch, then in the egg, and then in the cornstarch again to coat. Arrange the coated chicken pieces on the parchment paper in the air fryer.
- Once all of the chicken is coated and arranged in the air fryer (you will likely have to do this in 2 batches), spritz or brush the chicken with a bit of cooking oil.
- Air fry the chicken at 400ĀŗF for 8 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over, spritz or brush with a bit more oil, and then cook for another 7 minutes at 400ĀŗF.
- While the chicken is cooking, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is sizzling and begins to foam, add the chiles and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the chiles begin to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
- When the chicken is finished in the air fryer, transfer it to a serving bowl or platter. Add the fried chiles and garlic and toss gently to distribute. Sprinkle with the white pepper and the pepper-salt and serve immediately.
Another hit air fryer recipe to add to the list! The chicken was delicious!
the amount of shaoxing wine to use appears to be missing from the ingredient list and directions.
Thank you for pointing this out! It should be 2 tablespoons. I’ve added it!
The instructions are different up top vs the instructions in the green box for dipping in corn starch and egg
Sorry about that! I have fixed it now. The recipe card was correct–cornstarch, then egg, then cornstarch again. Thank you for pointing out the error so I could correct it!