Air Fryer Almond Chicken in Honey Soy Sauce

Air fryer almond chicken on rice with a side of stir fried vegetables.

Air Fryer Almond Chicken in Honey Soy Sauce

Air fryer almond chicken in honey soy sauce tastes just like carryout. It is delicious, crispy, and restaurant quality. Even better, it is super simple, quick and easy to make, and it’s SO much healthier than takeout!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian, Chinese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 492kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $15

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

3 boneless chicken breasts (around 1.5 to 2 pounds) cubed
2 eggs
2 teaspoon water or almond milk
2 tablespoon breadcrumbs
1 ½ cups raw almonds unsalted
a pinch of salt and pepper

For the Sauce:

3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
6 tablespoon honey
½ cup low sodium soy sauce
½ cup water
2 tablespoon corn starch
2 teaspoon sesame oil plus extra for the vegetables, if needed

For the Stir Fried Vegetables:

1 red bell pepper sliced
1 red onion sliced
2 cups broccoli cut into florets

Instructions

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 (gives a similar texture but not the exact same as processing in the food processor) at the grocery store 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 the eggs and almond milk (or water) to combine. 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 them 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.

Notes

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.
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 leave the breadcrumbs out of this recipe to make it gluten free, you can leave them out. Just add a few more almonds and make sure to pulse them into a finer crumb.
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.
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.
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.

Nutrition