Crispy Oil Chicken Recipe

This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken has the perfect balance of sweet heat and crispiness. The best part is that it's made in an air fryer and won't have a bunch of dishes for you to do when you're finished!

Servings: 2 servings

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Mixing Bowls
• Small pan or pot

Ingredients 

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Ingredients

• ▢ 16 oz chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• ▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ Neutral oil spray

For the Chili Oil Sauce

• ▢ 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp honey
• ▢ 1 tbsp chili crisp
• ▢ 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced

Optional Garnish

• ▢ Sesame seeds
• ▢ Scallions
• ▢ Steamed rice

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Instructions 

• In a bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, and salt. Mix lightly, then add the cubed chicken thighs and dredge thoroughly until evenly coated.
• Lightly oil your air fryer basket and place the chicken in a single layer. Spray the tops with additional oil and air fry at 400°F (205°C) for 15 minutes until crispy and golden.
• While the chicken cooks, combine soy sauce, honey, chili crisp, rice vinegar, and minced garlic in a small pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced slightly.
• Transfer the crispy chicken to a bowl, pour over the sauce, and toss until every piece is evenly coated.
• Serve over a fresh bowl of rice and optionally garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 585kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 34gFat: 31g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Introduction

If you’re like me and love fried chicken, but don’t like the calories or the hassle of deep frying, then this Crispy Chili Oil Chicken is for you! This recipe, in particular, utilizes the air fryer to do most of the work, and there’s only one pan needed otherwise, which is to make the addicting chili oil sauce. For those nights where you’re feeling tired and don’t want a huge mess but want a delicious meal, this chicken is the perfect solution.

How To Get This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe Super Crispy

While the air fryer is a super convenient way of cooking this Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe, it will not always yield crispy chicken, and that’s often for a few reasons. One reason is that people don’t spray their chicken with oil before and after placing it in the air fryer. In response to these complaints, I’ve compiled a short list of steps to always get crispy chicken:

1. Always use spray oil before and after placing chicken in. This will not only make the chicken crispy but will reduce the chances of you getting a powdery bite of chicken because the oil will crisp the coating instead of just baking on top of it.
2. Cook at the highest temperature possible. Cooking the chicken at the highest temperature will yield the best chances of having crispy chicken.
3. Always use a mixture of cornstarch and flour. Cornstarch (also known as corn flour) creates those crispy bits while the flour gives the dredge some body and allows it to completely stick to the chicken.

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Why This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe Is So Good

This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken is so good because it has the perfect balance of texture, flavor, and doesn’t take a ton of ingredients to make, especially if you already have the pantry staples. There’s a conflation between the length of the ingredient list and the flavor, but that’s not always the case! In this case, the chili crisp or chili oil you use makes all the difference because it relies on the aromatics in it to do a lot of the heavy lifting. I personally like to use Lao Gan Ma, but any brand with chilies, any spices, and oil works! Once the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic are added, you’ll get an incredible sauce that compliments crispy chicken perfectly.

Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe Ingredients

Chicken thighs – The primary protein of the dish. It can stay juicy even if overcooked slightly.

Dredge (cornstarch + flour) – The dredge for the chicken. The cornstarch gives the chicken those crispy edges while the flour allows the dredge to fully stick to the chicken.

Sauce (soy sauce, honey, chili crisp, vinegar, and garlic) – A perfect sauce that gives the chicken its signature flavor.

Optional garnishes (steamed rice, scallions, and sesame seeds) – Optional add-ons that add more sustenance, color, and texture.

How to Make Crispy Chili Oil Chicken

In a bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, and salt. Mix lightly, then add the cubed chicken thighs and dredge thoroughly until evenly coated.

Lightly oil your air fryer basket and place the chicken in a single layer. Spray the tops with additional oil and air fry at 400°F (205°C) for 15 minutes until crispy and golden.

While the chicken cooks, combine soy sauce, honey, chili crisp, rice vinegar, and minced garlic in a small pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced slightly.

Transfer the crispy chicken to a bowl, pour over the sauce, and toss until every piece is evenly coated.

Serve over a fresh bowl of rice and optionally garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

What to Serve with Crispy Chili Oil Chicken

This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken is delicious on its own, but if you want a fuller meal, you have plenty of options! A few of my favorites are:

• Steamed white rice. The perfect base for this recipe because it soaks up any additional sauce.
• Steamed vegetables (broccoli, snap peas, or bok choy). The freshness and crunch helps balance the sweet and salty flavors of the chicken.
• Pickled vegetables. Any pickled vegetable is great and helps balance the richness of the chicken. I personally like to eat it with pickled ginger or kimchi. While not traditional, it really adds to the eating experience!

How to Store and Reheat Crispy Chili Oil Chicken

This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe is best enjoyed fresh out the air fryer when the coating is at its crispiest, but leftovers can still be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You also have a few options when it comes to reheating your food:

• Air fryer. The best way to restore some of the crunch. I like to use the reheat function when reheating! It’s just air frying at 300°F (149°C) for 8 minutes.
• Microwave. You won’t get the crunch back, but the flavor will still be excellent! I like to microwave on high for 2 minutes.
• In a pan. You can restore some of the crispy texture using this method. I like to toss in a frying pan for about 3 minutes before serving.

Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe Substitutions

This Crispy Chili Oil Chicken Recipe is flexible, and you can substitute some ingredients depending on what you have available. A few of my favorite substitutions are:

• Chicken breast. Cubed chicken breast also works super well with the coating and sauce.
• White sugar. Can be used instead of honey for sweetness and will still create the glossy glaze.
• Potato starch. A great substitute for cornstarch that creates an even crispier coating. You can find it in the gluten free baking aisle at your grocery store.
• Baking in the oven. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake the beef at its highest temperature for 15 minutes, flipping and respraying with oil halfway through.

What to Make Next

Craving another chicken dish? You’ll love my Honey Butter Fried Chicken!

Want something with noodles instead? Try my Creamy Peanut Noodles!

Feeling like switching to fried rice? Cook my Garlic Beef Fried Rice!