Air Fryer Almond Chicken in Honey Soy Sauce

Air fryer almond chicken in honey soy sauce tastes just like carryout honey garlic chicken and takes about the same amount of time to make as it would to pull out a menu, call to order, pick it up, and bring it home! It is incredibly delicious, wonderfully crispy, and the sticky sweet and salty sauce adds the perfect flavor packed punch to make it restaurant quality. And even better, it is super simple, quick and easy to make, and it’s SO much healthier than takeout!

What makes this air fryer almond chicken in honey soy sauce so good?!

Not only is this air fryer almond chicken super simple to make, but it’s cheaper, more flavorful, and way healthier than takeout! With just a few easy steps, you’ll have a protein, a vegetable, and a starch ready for dinner in 30 minutes or less! The almond chicken, honey soy sauce, and stir fried vegetables pair really well together. The chicken provides a nutty crunchy texture, the sauce lends a sticky sweet and salty kick, and the vegetables add some additional earthiness and nutrients.

As well, by quickly adding your favorite rice, you’ll have a complete meal that you’ll feel great serving to your entire family! Instead of them fussing about bland chicken and vegetables AGAIN, they’ll be fighting for leftovers of this flavor-packed, nutty, crispy, sticky almond chicken.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

1. Boneless Chicken Breasts, cubed
2. Eggs
3. Water or Almond Milk
4. Breadcrumbs
5. Raw Almonds, unsalted
6. Salt and Pepper

For the Sauce:

1. Garlic Cloves, minced
2. Fresh Ginger, grated
3. Honey
4. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
5. Water
6. Corn Starch
7. Toasted Sesame Oil

For the Stir Fried Vegetables:

1. Red Bell Pepper
2. Red Onion
3. Broccoli

A few notes about the ingredients:

1. I use kitchen shears to cut the chicken breasts into cubes. I find it easier than using a knife and can get more uniform cubes.
2. This recipe includes breadcrumbs because they add another layer of texture, as well as help in coating the chicken. However, if you’d prefer to make this recipe gluten free, you can leave them out. Just add a few more almonds and make sure to pulse them into a finer crumb.
3. I like to use raw unsalted almonds in this recipe so that 1. I can adjust the salt according to my own preferences, and 2. so that the almonds don’t burn. When using roasted almonds, the almonds are already cooked and toasted which makes them more susceptible to burning when heated again in the air fryer.
4. You can use any vegetables you’d like for the stir fried veggies. I chose to include the 3 listed above because I feel they pair well with the sauce. Sliced carrots, bok choy, and baby corn would all taste great in this recipe, as well. 

How do you make air fryer almond chicken in honey soy sauce?

For the Chicken:

Prepare the chicken by cutting it into 1 inch cubes. Set it aside.

In a food processor combine the raw almonds and breadcrumbs. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Pulse until the almonds turn into a crumb. You should have a mix of very fine almond dust and some larger rice-sized almond pieces. If the pieces are too large, they won’t stick to the chicken, but if they’re too small, the chicken may not get the crunch you’re looking for. Pour the crumbs into a shallow bowl.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can either purchase almond meal at the grocery store (gives a similar texture but not the exact same as processing in the food processor) or break the almonds up by placing them in a plastic bag and smacking them with a meat mallet or metal spoon. Again, make sure the almonds are broken into a combination of finer and larger pieces.

In a separate bowl, whisk to combine the eggs and almond milk (or water). Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then into the almonds until each piece is fully coated in the almond crumbs.

Spray the tray of the air fryer with nonstick spray and lay the pieces of chicken flat on the bottom of the tray. Make sure to leave a little bit of space between each piece so the air can circulate and the chicken can get crispy. You may need to cook the chicken in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer. Cook the chicken at 380 degrees F for 10 minutes, flipping the chicken over halfway. 

This recipe can also be made in a conventional oven if you do not have an air fryer. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with nonstick spray. Bread the chicken with the eggs and almond, like stated previously in the recipe, then lay each piece flat on the baking sheet. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan, so that the chicken can get crisp on all sides. Cook for 12 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Then follow the rest of the recipe instructions.

When the chicken is done, place it into a mixing bowl.

For the sauce:

In a skillet on the stovetop, heat a splash of sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute and continually stir so they don’t burn.

Add the soy sauce and honey to the skillet. Stir again and gently simmer until the honey starts to melt. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add it to the honey soy sauce. 

The sauce will gradually thicken. Continue to stir to prevent the bottom of the sauce from burning. Once it is thick and sticky and coats the back of the spoon, turn off the heat and add the sesame oil. Stir to combine.

Remove the sauce from the skillet by adding it onto the chicken. Reserve about a tablespoon of sauce in the skillet. Then, gently toss the chicken around in the sauce until it is fully coated.

For the Stir Fried Vegetables: 

Place the skillet back onto medium heat and add in the vegetables. If it seems like the sauce is too sticky and might burn, add a tiny bit more sesame oil. 

Cook the veggies about 5-10 minutes until the onions and peppers soften and the broccoli becomes a rich green color.

Remove the vegetables from the heat. 

To complete the meal, serve the almond chicken and stir fried vegetables with a side of white or brown rice.

What else can you make in an air fryer?

Air fryers are great for crisping up chicken, steak, fish, and vegetables in a healthier way than traditional frying. You can make crispy brussel sprouts, a healthy version of fish and chips, or even air fryer churros! Basically, the possibilities are endless. Just be sure not to overcrowd whatever you put into the air fryer so that the air can circulate around the food.

What are the pros and cons of using an air fryer?

Pros of using an air fryer

Often when using an air fryer, you don’t need to marinade the meat. And if you do, you don’t need to marinade it as long as you would if it were being cooked in the oven. With the way the heat circulates around the food and the ultimate desire for crispiness, marinades would either burn or make the chicken soggy.

Additionally, you do not have to preheat air fryers. Because they are much smaller than a traditional oven, they heat up much quicker. Food cooked in an air fryer becomes crisper because of the direct air circulation since a conventional oven circulates air in a much larger environment and doesn't reach the food as directly.

Cons of using an air fryer 

Unfortunately, however, there are some drawbacks to using an air fryer. Because they are much smaller, you can’t cook big batches of food all at once. Instead, you must cook the food in small increments so the air can circulate around it and make it crispy.

As well, if you have a small kitchen or lack of storage, adding an extra appliance can take up a lot of space. If you prefer to have less clutter, you may want to opt out of using an air fryer and invest in a larger convection oven instead.

And lastly, your food may not come out as crisp as you desire if you overcrowd the air fryer. Traditional frying offers a very crispy texture to the outside of food that air frying alone may not be able to achieve if the air cannot properly circulate around the food.

What makes this air fryer almond chicken in honey soy sauce healthy?

The use of an air fryer helps maintain the integrity of this dish by also allowing it to be healthy. Through the circulation of hot air around the chicken, the almond breading becomes golden brown and crispy, much like it would if it were traditionally fried.

However, because hot air is what is heating the chicken, and NOT hot oil, this dish becomes much healthier with less saturated fats. Additionally, with the inclusion of almonds in the breading, the chicken is not only more flavorful from the nuttiness of the almonds, but it includes more healthy fats, fiber, and protein provided by the almonds.

One more tip

• If you’re making this recipe for young kids, you can leave the sauce on the side and simply make them healthy “chicken nuggets” by following all the same instructions. If your kids prefer chicken tenders, cut the chicken into long strips instead of cubing it.

Looking for more healthy chicken recipes? Try these:

• Healthy Chicken Meatloaf with Hidden Veggies 
• Shredded Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Apples
• Healthy Chicken Marsala
• Chinese Chicken Dumplings with Sesame Soy Sauce

Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

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