Salt and Pepper Chicken
Equipment
- Bowl, large
- Knife
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 1 red capsicum roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce for serving
- 2 red chillies finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 pak choy leaves separated
- 400 g chicken thighs boneless and skinless, roughly chopped
- 6 spring onions 4 roughly chopped and 2 sliced diagonally
- Black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- Cooking spray for greasing
- Sea salt flakes to taste
- Sichuan pepper crushed, ยฝ teaspoon plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200ยฐC.
- Combine the chicken, cornflour, ยฝ teaspoon sea salt flakes, Sichuan pepper and Chinese five spice in a large bowl. Toss until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Transfer the chicken to the air fryer basket. Cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through, then set aside.
- Toss the chilli, red capsicum and roughly chopped spring onion with the olive oil.
- Place the vegetables in the air fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the pak choy leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the air fryer basket with the vegetables. Add the honey and cooking wine, then toss to combine and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Scatter with the sliced spring onion and serve immediately with rice and soy sauce.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Suggestions
Serve the Salt and Pepper Chicken immediately while the chicken is hot and the vegetables still have some texture. Steamed Rice makes an ideal accompaniment and helps balance the chilli and Sichuan pepper. Serve extra soy sauce at the table if desired.Recipe Notes
Cut the chicken thighs into similarly sized pieces so they cook evenly. The cornflour creates a light coating that becomes crisp in the Airfryer. Avoid overcrowding the basket because good air circulation is important for browning. Sichuan pepper has a distinctive citrusy flavour and produces its characteristic tingling sensation rather than simply adding chilli heat. Add extra only after tasting the finished dish.Variations
Reduce the amount of fresh chilli for a milder version or add more for additional heat. Other quick-cooking Vegetables can be added, although they should be cut into pieces that will cook in approximately the same time.Storage Advice
Store leftover chicken and vegetables in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly in the air fryer until piping hot. The chicken coating will be crisper when reheated in the air fryer rather than in a microwave.Wine Advice
A dry Riesling is particularly suitable with Sichuan pepper and fresh chilli because its freshness balances the heat and aromatic spices. A Sauvignon Blanc is another good option, especially when the dish is served with plenty of pak choy and spring onion.Nutrition values
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About Salt and Pepper Chicken
Salt and Pepper Chicken combines crisp pieces of seasoned chicken thigh with red capsicum, chilli, spring onion and pak choy. Sichuan pepper and Chinese five spice provide the distinctive aromatic flavour, while honey adds sweetness to balance the heat. Cooking everything in the Airfryer creates a quick and colourful chicken dinner without deep frying.
Why Chicken Thighs Work Well
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are particularly useful for this recipe because they remain juicy during high-temperature cooking. They contain slightly more fat than chicken breast, which helps prevent the small pieces from drying out while the outside becomes crisp.
Cutting the thighs into similarly sized chunks helps them cook evenly. The pieces are coated with cornflour, salt, Sichuan pepper and Chinese five spice before cooking. Cornflour forms a thin coating around the chicken and helps create the lightly crisp exterior associated with this style of dish. More ideas using poultry can be found in the Chicken collection.
Sichuan Pepper and Chinese Five Spice
Sichuan pepper gives this chicken much of its personality. Despite its name, it does not behave like ordinary black pepper or chilli. It has a fragrant citrus character and creates a distinctive tingling sensation on the lips and tongue. Combined with Chinese five spice, it gives the relatively simple chicken coating considerable depth.
Fresh red chilli supplies the more familiar heat. Because chilli strength varies considerably, the quantity can easily be adjusted. Keeping the chilli separate from the initial chicken coating also makes it easier to reduce the amount when preparing the recipe for people who prefer milder food.
Cooking the Chicken in the Air Fryer
The air fryer allows the cornflour-coated chicken to cook at high heat while using very little additional oil. Keeping the pieces in a reasonably loose layer allows hot air to circulate around them. If the basket is small, cooking in batches will generally give a better result than overcrowding it.
Chicken thighs should be cooked completely before being combined with the vegetables. Once cooked, they are temporarily removed so the capsicum, chilli and spring onion can cook without causing the chicken to become dry.
Adding the Vegetables
Red capsicum and spring onion can tolerate a longer cooking time than pak choy, which explains why they go into the air fryer first. The pak choy leaves are added later so they soften and lightly char without completely collapsing.
This staggered method is useful whenever vegetables with different cooking times are combined in an air fryer. It allows each ingredient to reach a suitable texture instead of leaving some vegetables raw while others become excessively soft. Browse the Vegetables collection for more vegetable-based side dishes and meals.
A Sweet and Spicy Finish
The cooked chicken is returned to the basket near the end, where it is tossed with the vegetables, honey and cooking wine. Honey softens the chilli heat and provides a slightly sticky finish. Because honey contains sugar and can darken rapidly, it is added only for the final stage rather than at the beginning.
Sliced spring onion added immediately before serving brings fresh flavour and a little crunch. Extra crushed Sichuan pepper can also be scattered over individual portions for anyone who enjoys its characteristic aromatic, tingling effect.
Serving Salt and Pepper Chicken
Steamed Rice is an easy accompaniment because it absorbs the juices and balances the stronger seasonings. Soy sauce can be served separately rather than poured over the entire dish, allowing each person to control the saltiness.
The combination of chicken and vegetables makes this substantial enough for a Family Dinner. It is also suitable for a Quick Dinner because both preparation and cooking are relatively short.
Variations and Adjustments
The spice level is easy to alter. Use one chilli instead of two for a milder dish, or add extra chilli when you want considerably more heat. Additional capsicum can increase the vegetable content, while other quick-cooking vegetables can be substituted for some of the pak choy.
The final soy sauce should be added cautiously because the seasoning mixture already contains salt. This is particularly relevant when using a strongly flavoured soy sauce. Taste the finished chicken before adding more seasoning.
Storage and Chicken Safety
Leftovers should be refrigerated promptly in a covered container and reheated thoroughly before serving. Using the air fryer for reheating helps restore some of the crisp texture of the cornflour coating.
Raw chicken should be kept separate from vegetables and other ready-to-eat ingredients during preparation. Wash hands, knives, boards and other surfaces after contact with raw poultry. For current information about safely handling and preparing chicken, consult the U.S. Food and Drug Administration food-safety information.
With juicy chicken thighs, aromatic Sichuan pepper, colourful vegetables and a sweet-spicy finish, Salt and Pepper Chicken delivers plenty of flavour from a relatively short ingredient list. The air fryer keeps the cooking method simple, while the chilli and seasoning can easily be adjusted to suit individual tastes.