Sticky Asian Chicken is the perfect take out style home cooked meal! Sweet and sticky Air Fryer Asian Chicken is a family favourite!
Recipes like my Air Fryer Roast Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Legs and Air Fryer Honey BBQ Chicken Wings are all about succulent chicken.
For a flavour packed combo try my Air Fryer Jerk Chicken!!
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
This recipe is packed with flavour!
Not only is it reminiscent of your favourite Chinese takeaway store, it is easy to bring together using simple, every day ingredients.
Bulk it up and serve with rice or a simple salad and dinner is done.
Using either a whole chicken cut into pieces or chicken breast, thighs, drumsticks or wings, this recipe is flexible to suit.
Pop it in the Air Fryer or use the oven and both will result in succulent, juicy sticky Asian chicken!
For a winner winner Chicken dinner recipe that tastes delicious, is finger licking good and will have you craving it, you can beat this simple, tasty combo!
🥗 Ingredients
The ingredients needed for the recipe are shown in the photo below. They are all simple and easy to find at the local shops.
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- chicken: my preference for this recipe is to use a whole chicken cut into pieces. This gives everyone the chance to pick their favourite part be it wing, breast, thigh or leg. Other options are to choose one part of the chicken and make as such OR marinade a whole chicken and then serve as is.
- BBQ sauce: easy to get your hands on, this ingredient provides both depth of flavour and colour
- honey: the best ingredient to make things finger licking good! When combined with the other ingredients, its flavour subsides a little, however it is essential for the 'sticky factor'
- sriracha sauce: we use a little of this hot chilli sauce as it provides a kick of heat that mellows with the other ingredients
- sesame seeds: we add these towards the end of the cook time. They stick to the chicken perfectly adding texture and taste.
- salt/pepper: we use these to season the marinade
These 6 ingredients are all that is needed to bring sweet, sticky Asian chicken to our table! And boy oh boy is it finger licking good!
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by combining the ingredients to make our marinade.
- Ready the marinade ingredients (photo 1)
- Add them to a large jug (photo 2)
- Stir/whisk to combine (photo 3)
- Add cut chicken pieces to baking tray (photo 4)
It only takes a minute or so to combine the ingredients for the marinade and we use this to cover the chicken for maximum flavour.
👩🍳 How to Make Sticky Asian Chicken
To make the sticky chicken, start by taking a whole chicken and use a knife and chopping board to cut it into pieces.
You can choose to do this, or use the whole chicken or purchase chicken thighs, breast, wings or legs and do the recipe with a focus on those.
- Cover the chicken in the sticky marinade (photo 5)
- Flip the chicken and cover the other side with the marinade (photo 6)
- Place the marinated chicken into the Air Fryer basket (photo 7)
- Cook the chicken for 10 mins to begin (photo 8)
As you can see in the photos above, we coat the chicken pieces in the marinade so that they are fully covered.
At this point, you can then place the chicken into the fridge for 10 - 15 mins to allow the flavours to infuse.
Once ready to cook, we need to spray the basket of the Air Fryer to ensure the chicken doesn't stick.
Then we simple place the marinated chicken pieces into the basket, touching is ok, but not stacked on top of each other.
If you prefer to use the oven, you need to use tin foil (sprayed with oil) and cook for 40 mins in a moderate oven.
- Sprinkle the chicken with sesame seeds (photo 9)
- Cook the chicken for a final 10 minute period (photo 10)
The sesame seeds only need about 10 mins to toast up.
This can be done in the final 10 mins of cook time as they stick to the chicken and then toast to a nice light golden brown.
You won't want to ever go to the take away store again when you an make this recipe at home!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve this chicken that you will have a lot of options to choose from.
You can use a simple Herb Salad, which also pairs well with my Garlic Yogurt Sauce or Herbed Yogurt Sauce.
You can add rice or modernize the recipe with Gravy Fries or Air Fryer Chips.
Make a Panzanella Salad or Caprese Salad and have a high protein, salad balanced combo!
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks when making this recipe to get it right every single time!
- Ensure you use spray oil in the air fryer basket so the chicken doesn't stick.
- Use a whole chicken and cut it into pieces so everyone can choose their favourite piece.
- Once you have flipped the chicken after the initial 10 mins of cook. time, use the pastry brush and leftover marinade to 'recoat' the other side of the chicken.
- Add the sesame seeds in the final 10 mins of cook time so they don't burn.
- Pair with a simple salad for a well balanced meal.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What is sticky Asian Chicken?
Sticky Asian Chicken is chicken that has a sticky sweet sauce.
The name comes from the combination of ingredients often found in takeaway Chinese dishes resulting in sticky often crispy chicken.
My modern take on this recipe includes BBQ sauce, honey, sriracha and sesame seeds.
What is the best Chinese Chicken dish?
There are so many amazing Chinese Chicken dishes that it will be hard to choose your favourite!
Some popular dishes are:
- Honey chicken
- Szechuan chicken
- Sweet and Sour chicken
- Sesame chicken
What type of chicken do Chinese restaurants use?
Chinese restaurants tend to use tenderized chicken as this makes the meat softer and more succulent.
When cooking at home, chicken thighs are generally more moist and tender than chicken breast.
Chicken breast can be thick and more chewy in texture.
For fall off the bone chicken, use the air fryer which cooks the chicken to perfection without any dry, rubbery pieces.
😍 More Easy Chicken Thigh Recipes
If you love chicken dinner recipes, here are a few you might like to try, alternatively have a look ay my homemade takeout recipes:
- Sweet Chilli Chicken Thighs
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Italian Herb Chicken Thighs
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken Thighs
I would love to hear you feedback in the comments below. Please let me know if you make the recipe.
Adrianne x
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📖 Recipe
Sticky Asian Chicken (Air Fryer Asian Chicken)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Kitchen Tongs
- Baking dish
- Olive spray
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- 2.4 kg whole chicken free range
- 1 ½ cups (300ml) BBQ sauce
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tbs sriracha sauce Note 1
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tbs sesame seeds
Instructions
- Turn the air fryer on to 180°C/350 F for 30 mins (preheat for 5 mins if your model requires it) Note 2
- Cut whole chicken into pieces (breast, thigh, legs, wings)
- Add BBQ sauce, honey, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper in a large jug and stir till combined.
- Add chicken to large baking dish, cover with marinade, flip and coat other side
- Place chicken in fridge to marinade for 10 - 15 mins
- Spray the Air Fryer basket with olive oil. Use kitchen tongs to place marinated chicken pieces into basket, skin side up.
- Cook for 10 mins, then flip and cook the other side for 10 mins at the same temperature.
- Flip chicken back to skin side up, cover in sesame seeds and cook for a further 10 mins (until sesame seeds are lightly toasted) and juices from chicken run clear.
- Remove cooked chicken from basket, rest for 1 - 2 mins then serve.
Notes
- Note 1 Don't be afraid to use this ingredient! It is amazing! On its own it is indeed spicy, however, combined with the BBQ sauce and honey, it becomes quite mellow and more of a complimentary flavour than a flavour knock out!
- Note 2 We need to combine the marinade ingredients and marinade the chicken as the initial steps. However, as most people look for the temperature/cook time to start with, I have added this step here. You can marinade the chicken and then place into the Air Fryer basket at which point you turn it on if your model does not require pre heating.
Robert says
The Mrs and I are going to try this for dinner tonight.
Adrianne says
Great to hear, thanks Robert!