Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken (37g Protein)

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Salt and pepper chicken is the dish I judge a Cantonese takeout place by, and it is also the one the air fryer handles surprisingly well. This version gives you crackly pieces tossed with fried garlic, chilies, and scallions for 37g of protein and around 275 calories per serving. The deep fried original is easily double that.

The air fryer does the crisping, but the flavor happens in a hot pan in the last two minutes. Do not skip that step.

Why this works

The dish is really two recipes. Crispy chicken, then a 60 second aromatic toss. Air fried cornstarch coating goes properly crunchy as long as the pieces do not touch, which is why batches matter more than temperature here. And the seasoning goes on at the end, not in the coating. Salt drawn through a wet batter turns soggy; salt dusted over hot fried chicken stays sharp. That is the actual takeout technique.

Ingredient notes

White pepper is non-negotiable in my kitchen for this one. It has a musty heat that black pepper does not, and it is cheap at any Asian grocer. Shaoxing wine adds background depth but the dish survives without it. For the chilies, jalapeno gives mild heat, bird’s eye gives real heat, and you can use half a green bell pepper if you are cooking for kids.

Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken

Cantonese takeout style salt and pepper chicken, air fried until crackly, then tossed in a hot pan with garlic, chilies, and scallions.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Total Time 33 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 275

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 650 g chicken breast about 1.4 lb, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, optional
• 1 egg white
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp neutral oil plus oil spray for the basket
• 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 red or green chilies, sliced jalapeno works
• 3 scallions, cut into short lengths
• 0.75 tsp fine salt
• 0.5 tsp white pepper
• 0.25 tsp sugar

Method

 

1. Toss the chicken with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and egg white. Let it sit 10 minutes while you chop the aromatics.
2. Stir the salt, white pepper, and sugar together in a small bowl. This is the seasoning that makes the dish, so do not skip mixing it in advance.
3. Add the cornstarch to the chicken and toss until each piece has a thin, slightly wet coating. Spray the air fryer basket with oil, lay the chicken in a single layer, and spray the tops.
4. Air fry at 200C (400F) for 12 to 14 minutes, shaking the basket once halfway, until golden and crisp at the edges. Cook in two batches if your basket is small.
5. In the last few minutes, heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Fry the garlic until it just turns gold, then add the chilies and scallions for 30 seconds.
6. Add the hot chicken to the pan, sprinkle the salt and pepper mix over everything, and toss for 30 seconds so each piece picks up garlic and seasoning. Serve immediately.

Tips and storage

Like all crispy coatings, this one is best within the hour. Leftovers keep 3 days and re-crisp decently with 4 minutes back in the air fryer; the microwave turns them soft, still tasty, just different. If you are building an air fryer rotation, the air fryer char siu chicken is the sticky-sweet counterpart to this one, and the baked sesame chicken uses the same egg white and cornstarch coating in the oven. For another fast chili and garlic hit, try the Thai basil chicken.